LIKES
- Good steering feel
- Stronger powertrain
- Standard active safety features
- Spacious rear seat
- Premium Package too expensive...
- ...For heated seats and steering wheel
- CVT response from a stop
- SR trim upgrades are cosmetic
- Mixed crash-test scores
- We’d choose the Sentra SV, but if you want heated seats they’re available only in the Premium package.
The 2021 Nissan Sentra has a sleek shape and a more refined ride, which makes it a better value than in the past.
What kind of car is the 2021 Nissan Sentra? What does it compare to?
The 2021 Nissan Sentra returns mostly unchanged since a redesign for the 2020 model year. It’s a four-door compact sedan with an upscale look and new layers of refinement. We compare it to the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Toyota Corolla.
Is the 2021 Nissan Sentra a good car?
The latest Sentra has matured from its budget-car roots into a balanced compact car that’s long on value and loaded with standard features. It earns a 6.0 overall TCC Rating with extra points in value, features, and styling.
What’s new for the 2021 Nissan Sentra?
All models now come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The eighth-generation Nissan Sentra emerged from a redesign last year with a handsome new shape inspired by the bigger Altima and Maxima sedans. Lookalike four-doors might be the bane of existence at some brands, but here it’s a virtue. The floating-roof look and sleek new proportions lift the Sentra from the economy-car blahs and give it an attractive new reason for being. The interior’s handsome and efficient—and with the available quilted leather trim, it’s a black-and-tan knockout.
The latest Sentra has a 149-horsepower inline-4 for power, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to hand that power to the front wheels. Not quick, not fast, but also not sluggish, it occupies a middle space where low-end and low-speed power lags, but highway passing is a snap. What works better is the Sentra’s independent suspension and electric power steering, both tuned for better responsiveness and a soft ride that still handles corners with aplomb.
The Sentra’s front seats suit most of us well, and tall people can sit in back comfortably, though three across won’t make it a happy space. Trunk space nears some mid-size rivals, too—but the Sentra’s crash-test scores lag its competition. The IIHS says it needs better headlights while the NHTSA says it needs to protect front passengers better.
How much does the 2021 Nissan Sentra cost?
The $20,335 2021 Sentra S has power windows and locks, cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. We’d pick the Sentra SV, which for $21,395 gains adaptive cruise control, a larger touchscreen, and nicer seats.
Where is the 2021 Nissan Sentra made?
In Mexico.
Styling
The Sentra’s me-too style lands in the plus column.Is the Nissan Sentra a good-looking car?
Yes, we think so. With a blacked-out roofline like that on the Altima and Maxima, you might rightly accuse the Nissan Sentra of gimmicky mimicry. In this case it gets a total pass: It’s a good-looking car that doesn’t overwhelm itself with silly flourishes.
The Sentra’s graced with a flowing style, with a low hood and slim LED headlights that point toward the rear, where the car gets more interesting. With a black roof, the Sentra looks sleek and contemporary, with the downward tilt of its “floating-canopy” effect. We give it a 6, with an extra point for the exterior shape.
The interior’s better than the budget-car norm, with available quilted leather and an optional tan-and-black interior trimmed with soft surfaces. Even in black interiors the Sentra looks more awake than somber, thanks to the low horizontal groups of vents and controls that draw the dash down and lay out an expansive view of the road ahead.
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