Nissan has learned that refined and nimble little economy cars don't sell too well if they're homely. It learned this from its 1995-1999 Sentra. There's a lot of competition for economy cars coming from bigger used cars, which are now off-lease and selling at attractive discounts. But some folks, particularly smart female shoppers, prefer new, reasonably priced sedans to used cars.So this new Sentra is an attractive car. Its styling is now as slick as the Civic. "Compact" is a relative term, as all these cars seem to grow over time. The new Sentra pushes the boundaries of its sub-compact industry classification. It is longer than other four-door compact sedans: It's longer than the Mitsubishi Mirage by four inches, the Mazda Protege and Toyota Corolla by three inches, and the Honda Civic by two inches. And it looks it: The stretched body isn't tucked underneath the bumpers at the ends of the car, making it look even longer.
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