2004 Nissan Sentra E43

Performance was the big news in 2002 for Nissan’s smallest U.S. model. The Sentra SE-R had been absent since 1994 but returned to the Nissan lineup; it was fitted with a 165-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. An SE-R Spec V edition received an additional 10 hp and a six-speed-manual gearbox. A reworked hood, restyled front and rear fascias, and revised headlights highlight the 2004 Sentras. In addition to the SE-R, the front-wheel-drive Sentra comes in three tamer trim levels that have new names for 2004. The former XE is now called the Sentra 1.8; the GXE has been renamed the Sentra 1.8 S; and the 2.5 Limited Edition becomes the Sentra 2.5 S. A trip computer is standard in the 2.5 S, SE-R and SE-R Spec V models. A Brembo brake package is optional for the SE-R Spec V. Ranking as Nissan’s second-best seller, the Sentra illustrates the increasingly global nature of the auto industry: Its original styling took place in California, the interior was designed in Germany, the engineering was completed in Japan and the United States, and the car is built in Mexico. French automaker Renault owns a controlling interest in Nissan.