2023 Nissan Sentra

Pros

• A comfortable ride
• Design and materials of the cabin were improved
• Several important safety features and cutting-edge tech features

Cons

• Gradual acceleration
• Examples of out-of-date information
• Emergency stopping was not good enough

How do you move the Sentra? The Sentra has good acceleration off the line, but it loses power as the speed goes up. It took 8.8 seconds to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour. That’s about average for small cars, but it’s the same as the Kia Forte and Toyota Corolla. The Sentra’s continuously variable automatic transmission is typically quiet and smooth when driven. When trying to slow down, you may need to use the brakes more often than you think because letting off the gas doesn’t do much to make the engine brake.

The brake pedal is comfortable and easy to use in most situations. Still, the emergency brakes don’t work well. From 60 miles per hour, it took our test Sentra 131 feet to stop. In contrast, the average length of a section is about 123 feet. The steering and handling could be better, but the average owner should be able to live with that.

How comfy is the inside of the Sentra? One of the best things about the Sentra is its comfort. The ride is very stable and immediately smooths out any bumps in the road. But when going fast, the Sentra can feel like it’s floating because of its softness. The noise from the road is constant, but it doesn’t bother me, and the music quickly drowns it out.

There is enough padding and support on the front seats. Strangely, the back row has the best seats in the house. They are soft and cozy and can fit two people of average size. Even though the climate control system isn’t perfect, the air flow from the vents is good. Our test car had no air vents in the back, which is unusual for cars in this class.

How does the inside look? Whether you want to change the radio or the temperature, the controls are easy to use and easy for both the driver and the passenger to reach. Easy-to-use 8-inch touch screen.

There will be plenty of room for the people in the front. This model has the most legroom in the back of any car in its class. Most drivers will find it easy to find a comfortable position because the seat and the steering wheel can be adjusted in several ways. Even though you can see out the front and sides, it’s hard to see out the back because of the giant rear roof pillars and sloping back window.

How good is the tech? The Sentra comes with several safety features and help for driving that is built in. Nissan’s standard safety kit is still complete, even though options like adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree parking camera system are still available. In the test car, the backup camera didn’t always work, and the front collision warning system sometimes gave a false alarm.

Even though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration are standard, the infotainment system is slow to respond and looks old. Nissan does not have a navigation system on board.

What about putting things away? The Sentra has more trunk space than most small cars, at 14.3 cubic feet. The back seats split 60/40, and can be moved down to accommodate longer items. Even so, there are no releases in the trunk; the only way to get them is from the back seat. Also, because the seats don’t fold, loading bigger things like a flat-screen TV may be more challenging.

Even though the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Jetta do it better, you can store small items, glasses, and bottles inside. There is also enough room for child seats, but the cushions may make it hard to reach the anchors for the car seats.

How well does it use gasoline? The EPA says that the Sentra gets 33 mpg overall (29 in the city and 39 on the highway), which is about average for a car in this class with the standard engine. Our test car got an average of 28.7 mpg over three fill-ups, with a best fill-up of 32 mpg. Based on the data from the EPA, that is slightly less than we expected.

Is it wise to buy a Sentra? The Sentra is a good buy for the price. It starts cheaper than most cars in its class and comes with many basic technology and safety features. The materials inside are soft and look like they came from a high-end store. On the other hand, our test vehicle wasn’t built as well as it could have been. The biggest problem was some noticeable gaps in the inside trim.

Nissan offers an essential three years, or 36,000 miles warranty, a powertrain warranty of five years or 60,000 miles, and roadside assistance for three years, or 36,000 miles. Each is typical of a car company that doesn’t make luxury cars.

The new Sentra still gets you from A to B, but it does it in a much more appealing way than previous versions. It’s a great daily driver because the cabin is comfortable and fancy. But its top competitors can be just as comfortable, helpful, and more fun and exciting to drive.

As of this writing, Nissan has not made any official statements about the 2023 Sentra. Based on the Sentra from last year, we recommend the SV trim with the All-Weather package. If something changes, we’ll change our recommendation. Several popular features, like dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, heated seats, and cruise control that adjusts to traffic are standard but have yet to be available on the base grade.

Nissan Sentra models

The Sentra is a small sedan with S, SV, and SR trim levels. All versions have a four-cylinder engine with 149 horsepower and an automatic transmission that keeps changing speeds. Only the front wheels of the Sentra are driven.