2026 Nissan Sentra Review: Long Live the Sedan
Key Points in This Review
- The redesigned 2026 Nissan Sentra is a holistic improvement over the outgoing car.
- The compact sedan is comfortable, well equipped and nicely priced.
- It gets significantly changed exterior and interior styling, but its powertrain carries over.
Oh, goodness — a new sedan! How lovely. Hey, with the indefatigable popularity of the SUV, any refresh, rework or reiteration of the standard sedan is worth celebrating — especially when it’s as visually sharp as the new 2026 Nissan Sentra, which will have a starting price that’s well under $30,000 when it goes on sale (expect to pay just $23,645 for the cheapest Sentra). Great value, but my cheers are slightly unsettled, as that’s just $280 less than the more versatile Kicks SUV.
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Ah, so this is how the SUV won. For just a pinch more, you get more occupant space, cargo capacity and ground clearance in the Kicks along with nearly identical performance. Provided you can swing that extra coin, why would you ever slide into a Sentra?
Style seems to be the sedan’s lifeline, and the Sentra’s got it in spades. We’re not big on aesthetic breakdowns here at Cars.com — it’s all very subjective — but we can call out a striking design when we see one. Not so much handsome as it is interesting (and slightly dramatic) to behold, this is just the latest swoopy, sculpted product from Nissan, a welcome push from the automaker to invigorate its staid lineup.
How Does the 2026 Nissan Sentra Drive?
- Takeaway: The driving experience is not much different from the prior car, and overall, it’s quite comfortable.
Mechanically, the 2026 Sentra is nearly unchanged from the prior car, but considering that model’s popularity, it’s clear folks aren’t prioritizing scorching performance for their workaday transportation. I’m generally rather critical of underpowered SUVs considering their very raison d’etre is to haul a full house of kids, cousins and crap, and I personally believe reliable merging and passing power elevates both usability and safety. Sedans, however, are more likely to be used as personal transportation with only an occasional backseat passenger.
You can see where this is going. The same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine carries over, making 149 horsepower and driving the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission. Acceleration from 0-60 mph remains somewhere in the high eight-second mark, and it feels absolutely adequate when zipping around interurban environments.
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It’s not as fun as a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla — not that those are particular hoots — but the Sentra trades its competitors’ modest sportiness for a soft, cushy demeanor. Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats have been around for 13 model years now, and I still can’t really tell the difference from the competition, but the Sentra’s seat cushioning, driving position and ease of driver inputs add up to a notably comfortable driving experience that’s rare in this class.
What Comes Standard on a 2026 Nissan Sentra?
- Takeaway: Upscale standard features include a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, LED headlights and adaptive cruise control.
Maybe don’t sell your Rolls-Royce, but the Sentra’s far from a penalty box. The base S trim level comes with an impressive 12.3-inch infotainment display, accompanied by all of the standard kit and kaboodle expected of a car in this age, a feature set that includes LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The S, however, should be left to the rental fleets, as I highly recommend springing for at least the SV grade, a $770 upgrade that adds a matching 12.3-inch driver’s display, remote start, automatic climate control and slightly nicer upholstery.
This is where the Sentra begins to pull away from the Kicks. At the time of this writing, the Sentra SV widens the price gap between a similarly equipped Kicks SV by $1,250, offering mo’ creature features for the money. That’s just from the saver’s mindset; my second-from-the-top SR trim was even better equipped and requisitely pricier, but I dig the SR’s exclusive colors and 18-inch wheels that lend it a more visually aggressive vibe, if you so wish.
Speaking of vibes, I rather like Nissan’s interiors as of late. The Sentra is peppered with touches shared with the also-new 2026 Leaf, including a similar bispoke steering wheel and stepped dash layout. What was a nice frosted trim on the Leaf is now glossy here, but there’s a distinct stylistic flair compared to the prior no-nonsense cockpit. Around town, it’s reasonably quiet for a CVT-equipped compact sedan and is moderately more fun to huck around than a compact SUV.
With the old Sentra still selling quite well as it idles toward the grave, the new sedan’s sleek, sporting profile and zhuzhed-up interior should have these suckers flying off the lot.
Dang right. Long live the sedan.
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