September 1999
Text By Tamago
Photos By Redline and Tamago
MOTION Magazine  Road Test
The Nissan Sentra has been a mixed case here in the Philippines.  When it first appeared in the local markets in 1988, the public rejoiced at the arrival of another Japanese car giant besides Toyota and Mitsubishi.  The public immediately wanted to try-out this new car, only to be let down by several key problems.  The 1988 Nissan Sentra, also called the Series I, was plagued with a lot of build and reliability problems.  In fact, a close friend of mine recalled his 1988 Nissan Sentra GLX in this rather blunt statement:

"Basta, ang natatandaan ko lang sa kotseng [Nissan Sentra] iyon ay naiwanan ang transmission noong nagmamaneho kami sa lubak ng Quezon City!" (The only thing I remember about my Nissan Sentra was that its transmission came loose as we passed by several potholes in Quezon City.)

Experiences and thousands like it caused Nissan to befall under bad light which until now they are still paying the price for.  The Sentra soon lost its original prestige and its value as an alternative to the Toyota Corolla and the Mitsubishi Lancer. (in fact, come to think of it, almost all of the original Nissan Sentra cannot be seen running on Philippine streets anymore...)  Nissan tried launching a face-lifted version of the Series I complete with better build quality, more avant-garde styling, and heavily bolstered sport-bucket seats.  It helped for a while, but Nissan had to figure out a new way to start again.

1992 came and the Sentra Series II was released.  The best thing about this Series II Sentra was it was the first car in the Philippines to offer anti-lock braking system or ABS as standard on its SE Saloon variant.  Aside from having ABS, the top-of-the-line Series II offered four-wheel disc brakes, which was a car enthusiast's dream.  Soon, Nissan felt their name and their sales rise, and the Sentra was on top form again.  In fact, the Nissan Sentra Series II was also named as the Best Car in its Class ($12,000-16,000) in Road and Track.  Nissan also released several other versions of the Sentra, which made cult status such as the 2.0-liter inline-4, two-door Nissan Sentra SE-R.

The Nissan Sentra Series III borrows a lot besides the looks from its bigger brother, the Nissan Cefiro. The Sentra also has almost the same switchgear and stalks, thus the Sentra has the best swtiches in its class despite the car's 5-year age.
The Super Saloon badge has been used by more than one manufacturer, more than once. However, in the case of the Nissan Sentra, the badges seem to be appropriate as this car is a very competent performer as well as comfortable.