Starting from the outside, that means a shape that "eliminates entry-level thinking," says Jerry Hirshberg, the president of the Nissan Design Institute in La Jolla, California. "Our aim was to design a car with its own character that happens to be in the right price for a lot people. It's robust, rounded and just a little sassy."
Sentra for 2001 is therefore equipped with what Hirshberg calls "an expressive hood with subtle surface forms." It also has a "sporty profile marked by a solid, structural waist, low hood line and raised deck, and a stretched and chiseled character line running front to rear." Finally, "strong rear fenders blend into a wide deck with an arching character line and easily accessible trunk space."
This design envelopes a frame that is bigger and stiffer than anything to previously bear the Sentra name. It has a 2535 mm wheelbase, a length of 4509 mm, a height of 1410 mm, and a width of 1709 mm, and has been given a 30 per cent improvement in torsional rigidity.
Starting with this improved torsional rigidity (mostly the result of adding a third floor pan cross member), Nissan also did a lot to increase crash protection and "make a marked reduction" in noise, vibration and harshness.
The greater exterior dimensions translate well into improved interior space that Hirshberg says is "comfortable and open, using appropriate technology that reflects versatility and practicality and high quality materials, textures and shapes."