Anyway, back to the car.  Now, aside from being an ergonomic place to be in, the Nissan Sentra is surprisingly spacious in both its front and rear seats.  Though on the outside it may look smaller than other similar cars, let me tell you that we didn't have problems fitting inside the driver's seat.  In fact, I liked the driving position very much and the car was very easy to set-up and drive.  The only problem I had with my driving position was the ingress and egress when I had to go in and out during a fuel stop.

The car also performs well on the road.  The Nissan Sentra's 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4 packs a good midrange punch and is very smooth in low rpms.  However, rev the engine above the 4,500-rpm mark, and the engine changes attitude: it becomes more boomy and the car starts to shriek all the way to its 6,500 rpm redline.  What's surprising about this car is the pace it develops even when compared to some cars on the highway.  The Sentra's acceleration coupled with a very nice gearbox system means that this car is a force to be reckoned with on the highways.  In fact, I found overtaking very easy despite the fact that this car only has 110 horsepower on tap.

Aside from the good gearbox and engine, the Sentra has excellent steering and handling prowess.  Though steering feel is still to be desired, this car is very accurate to drive, and promotes a level of confidence that other cars such as the Mazda 323 don't evoke in my highway driving.

The ride is surprisingly excellent as well.  Riding on Nissan's patented multi-link beam axle technology, the Nissan Sentra works well on any kind of road condition, whether it maybe the potholes along Araneta Avenue, or the unevenness of the North Express Way. 

The brakes, though lacking the option of ABS, unlike the Sentra Series II, still give a pretty good bite and are able to stop this car in an instant, still giving the driver a bit of confidence at well.  The brakes feel well, and don't feel spongy unlike that of a same era Toyota Corolla for instance. 

The current Nissan Sentra Series III Super Saloon has additional features not found in our test car.  For instance, the Super Saloon now offers a driver-side airbag as part of the package.  If you were able to catch a Series III SE Saloon, then ABS would have also been standard.

So, I have been praising the Sentra Series III again and again in this article.  Can I find any fault in this little car?  Maybe just a few, and these all have to do with the cosmetic changes that Nissan Motors Philippines has done to this fine car.  Another is that Nissan Motors Japan is about to release a new Nissan Sentra late this year, and should be able to make it to the Philippines as a 2000 model.  Aside from those factors, it still boggles the mind why the Nissan Sentra couldn't sell here in the Philippines.  It's a pretty damn good car with great value and pricing. However, the Nissan Sentra Series III GTS is rather too much. Perhaps, the American Sentra 200 SX should have been a better choice.

Maybe people are just afraid of Nissan reliability, to which I say: they have every right to.  Which I'm going to discuss in a short article regarding our long-term test Nissan Cefiro.

Dash is an ergonomic delight. Plain and simple, materials are also quite excellent, especially for a car this old already.
Glove box will not win any awards, but size is adequate. The tiny size is due to the fact that the Sentra should have been equipped with first-generation passenger SRS airbags.
Front seats are spacious and provide necessary support. Headrests cannot be tilted forward and are a bit too soft for my tastes.
Don't let looks deceive you from the outside. The Sentra has big rear seat space. The suspension provides a smooth ride as well.