Nissan Sentra Summary
The Nissan Sentra has been on the market since 1982. With such an impressive lifespan, it has gone through several major aesthetic and technological evolutions. Classified as a compact sedan, the Nissan Sentra is similar in both size and look to the Toyota Corolla.
One of the reasons the Nissan Sentra continues to be one of the most popular cars on the road might be in part thanks to its continued reliability and user-friendly controls. The Nissan Sentra is an affordable car that delivers a comfortable ride, generous trunk and cabin space and great fuel efficiency.
Nissan Sentra Safety
After nearly 40 years on the road, the Nissan Sentra has offered many generations of the latest safety features. The release of the 2016 Nissan Sentra saw many added active safety features like the Advanced Drive-Assist® Display, a small LCD dashboard screen that provides a variety of information, such as:
- Navigation instructions
- Incoming text messages
- Service warnings
Other safety features such as child safety locks and airbags are standard across all Nissan Sentra models and trims.
Nissan Sentra Interior
The Sentra's controls are user-friendly, intuitive and straightforward. However, some drivers call the design a little on the bland side. Heated front seats are standard on higher trims, and air conditioning is optional on the base trim level car.
Since the Nissan Sentra lacks several standard interior features, we recommend test-driving different trim levels to find the model you find most suitable to your needs.
Nissan Sentra Technology
If you need the latest bells and whistles to enjoy your time behind the wheel, we recommend sticking with the most recent models, as anything before the 2015 version lacks most interior technology features. You'll have to upgrade to higher trims to appreciate high-tech safety innovations like:
- Auxiliary jack for easy plug and play
- AM/FM Stereo
- MP3 player (available on higher trims)
- Satellite radio—available on the continuously variable transmission (CVT) 2.0 SL trim
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, available as of 2019 on every trim level except the base model
Nissan Sentra Space
The Nissan Sentra is well-known for its spacious interior and comfortable seating. Passengers will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of space there is in the backseat, particularly after the 2013 redesign.
The front driver seat might take some time to get used to, as some drivers have claimed it to be less comfortable than other models in its class. For a compact sedan, the Nissan Sentra offers an impressive amount of cargo space.
Nissan Sentra Comfort
The Nissan Sentra's CVT—a type of automatic transmission that shifts automatically and seamlessly through gears—offers excellent fuel efficiency. The CVT was found to be noisy, so Nissan addressed the problem with the 2014 release.
If you need a car just to zip around town, the base model of a pre-owned Nissan Sentra comes with a manual transmission and sells at a much lower price point than its competition, offering you greater value.
