2001 Nissan Sentra CA

The Sentra CA is indistinguishable from its more-conventional siblings (the XE, GXE, and SE) save for the "Clean Air Vehicle" designation on the rear doors.

Environmental performance is all well and good, but what's the Sentra CA driving experience like? In a word, "seamless." The beauty of this approach is that it doesn't compromise driving range—a normal occurrence when using alternative fuels such as natural gas or electricity. Further, refueling is "normal" which isn't the case with natural gas, electric and other eco-friendly designs. However, low-sulfur gasoline (currently available only in California) is required for SULEV emission levels. So, the Sentra CA's overall daily experience is, well...normal.


A Sentra CA driver can go about his business without ever giving conscious thought to doing something proactive for the environment. He's doing it automatically as this car's odometer clicks away. Unlike most environmentally inclined cars, this one doesn't require a huge premium—its $15,339 suggested retail price (includes $540 destination fee) is but $500 above the GXE variant (which is also equipped with an automatic transmission).

The Sentra CA's interior is comfortable and straightforward with all controls readily at hand. Unlike other Sentra models, a 5-speed is not available; the CA comes exclusively with Nissan's 4-speed automatic.

Time behind the wheel of a 2001 Sentra CA shows this vehicle to be every bit as capable as its 1.8-liter-equipped Sentra brethren, the XE and GXE, but expectedly slower out of the blocks than its bigger brother, the 145-horsepower, 2.0-liter SE. The 1.8-liter-powered CA iteration does shed four horsepower in its journey to mega-cleandom, but the sacrifice is hardly noticeable. Additionally, the CA would undoubtedly get a few extra miles per gallon if a manual transmission were available. Even so, the car is capable of 27/35 mpg city/highway compared to the 26/33 figures achieved with the 5-speed manual transmission available on other Sentra iterations.


Capable road manners are provided by multi-link beam suspension and speed sensitive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, which turns 15-inch alloy wheels and P195/60HR15 tires. Power front discs and rear drums are standard fare.


Nissan's limited-production Sentra CA is currently available only in California. That makes sense, considering the way advanced technology vehicles roll out these days. Nissan knows that environmentally inclined buyers exist in other states and is surely considering its options as it assesses the CA's popularity in California (and the availability of low-sulfur reformulated fuel elsewhere). (www.nissandriven.com)