Nissan Sentra

The Sentra’s exterior was refreshed with the latest version of Nissan’s current design language, featuring a wide, angular grin-shaped grille up front and angular lights that frame it. The Sentra’s lights display a welcome pattern when the vehicle gets unlocked, and an available set of LED lights will even turn black when not in use. The rear features a full-width dark plastic bar that incorporates the taillights, which are separated by a black piece in the bar in the center.

There are 16-, 17-, and 18-inch wheels available for the Sentra, which, along with character lines down the sides of the car, help give the Sentra a more aggressive, low-to-the-ground appearance.

One of the biggest upgrades to the new Sentra is a 12.3-inch central touchscreen found on all models. This is a big step up from the 8-inch version that’s found only on the top-trim 2025 Sentra. All models, save for the base S, get a second 12.3-inch screen as a driver’s information display; the base S trim gets a 7-inch display there instead. Nissan claims the new displays are two times brighter than those in the current model, allowing for better visibility.

The old climate control knobs and buttons that we commended for being easy to use are gone, replaced with a slick touch-sensitive climate control panel on all but the base model. Automatic climate control is standard on the SV trim and up, and dual-zone automatic climate control is standard on the SL and optional on the SR.

Fortunately, the steering wheel still has traditional butts to control the driver’s display, stereo, and vehicle functions like cruise control. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, with the ability to connect wirelessly included on all but the base model.

Owners can also control three different garages using the Sentra’s new universal garage door opener, which works with myQ-compatible openers and can prompt the driver to open or close a garage door when the car is near a saved location.

Notable available upgrades include an eight-speaker Bose stereo system, satellite radio, a power sunroof, 64-color ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, a wireless phone charger, and an onboard WiFi hot spot. A smart proximity key is also available that unlocks and locks the car when it detects the key coming near or walking away from the vehicle.

Carrying over from the previous Sentra is a 2.0-liter inline-four engine with 149 hp and 146 lb.-ft. of torque. While this should be a relatively reliable engine given its years on the market, it may have been eclipsed in performance by newer powertrains offered by other compact sedans. We’ll have to wait to drive the new Sentra to see if it still (literally) pulls its weight.

For 2026, Nissan claims it retuned the continuously variable transmission (which also carries over from the 2025 model) to be smoother. With the retune, Nissan added a Sport driving mode on every Sentra grade except the base trim that increases throttle response and remaps the simulated shifting patterns of the transmission to be more aggressive.

The new Sentra is slightly less efficient than the outgoing model, with Nissan-estimated fuel economy ratings of 29/38/33 mpg city/highway/combined for the S and SV trims, and 28/36/32 mpg for the SR and SV trims. The vehicle features an engine stop-start system as standard to help save gas and reduce emissions. In our tests of the previous-generation Sentra SV, we got 32 mpg overall.

Underneath the Sentra is an independent strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension, which tends to be better handling than some of the less expensive torsion bar setups found on economy-minded compact sedans. Nissan also reinforced the Sentra’s body to improve its handling, and revised its shock absorber valving to better isolate passengers from bumps in the road. Four-wheel disc brakes come standard.

The new Sentra includes the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of active safety and driver assistance features as standard, which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams.

Adaptive cruise control also comes standard, with Nissan’s ProPilot Assist active driving assistance system available on higher trims. ProPilot Assist can take over acceleration, steering, and braking on longer trips.

A 360-degree camera view with moving-object detection is available on the top trims.