Our Opinion - 2024 Nissan Sentra Review The Nissan Sentra is more for the mind than the heart. It is one of the least expensive new cars on the market right now, and it has a lot of features to help the driver, like automatic emergency braking and rear-cross traffic warning. Not being able to drive is so boring that it could put you to sleep if the engine didn’t buzz. Every Sentra with front-wheel drive has a 149-hp four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission that changes gears all the time. The only small cars in this class that offer available all-wheel drive are the Mazda 3 and the Toyota Prius. Still, the Sentra is a nice little car that gets great gas mileage on the highway and has comfy front seats and a good trunk. The Sentra costs less than the Honda Civic, even though the Civic is more fun to drive. What's New? Nissan is making changes to the Sentra for the 2024 model year. It has new 16- and 18-inch wheels, headlights, and taillights that look better and a hood that looks fancier. Furthermore, Nissan says that adding an Xtronic CVT to the Sentra will make it more fuel-efficient and fun to drive. Engine start-stop is another new thing on the 2024 Sentra. The only thing that has changed on the inside of the 2024 Sentra is Nissan’s new logo on the steering wheel. Pros and Cons Pros Chic Outside. Expected high value per feature dollar. An active safety system that is strong and comes with standard. Cons Not having AWD. It’s a mix. You can expect slow movement. Engine, Transmission, and Performance Each Sentra has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 149 horsepower and is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that sends power to the front wheels. Even though the gearless automatic works like a regular automatic, the noisy and slow Sentra we were driving still existed, especially when we tried to pass at highway speeds. Another bad thing about driving is that it’s not fun. The steering is heavy and predictable, but rivals like the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic need to communicate better. The Nissan has 15- to 18-inch wheels and a back suspension that is separate from the front. The one we were driving had the biggest wheels, which made the ride very noisy and rough. Still, the Sentra is reliable and comfortable for weekend trips and daily drives. We were very pleased with how it stopped. It stopped at 70 mph with enough stopping power and a nice pedal feel. It took 170 feet to stop, which is about average for its class. Safety A lot of tools that help the driver are standard on Nissan’s compact sedan. All models except the base model can be upgraded to include adaptive speed control and cameras that can see in all directions. Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) webpages to learn more about the Sentra’s crash test scores. Some important safety factors are: Emergency brakes that work on their own and regular forward crash warnings. It comes with blind-spot detection and back cross-traffic alert as standard. Automatic emergency braking in the back is standard. Internal and External Cargo Capacity One of the nicest interiors in its class is found in the Sentra. In the middle of the dashboard, above the powerful climate controls, there are three round air vents. There are both soft and hard polymers in the materials inside. The Soft polymers are used to cover important parts and hide the rest. Models with padded leather inside look especially luxurious, even though they are different from sporty car steering wheels that have flat bottoms. Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats, which are roomy, flexible, and comforting, are also very nice for people sitting in the front seats. The cabin has less headroom when the sunroof is open, but there is still plenty of room for people in the front and back. This car’s 14-cubic-foot trunk could hold seven carry-on bags, which is one more than the Corolla sedan could. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The EPA has yet to judge the 2024 Sentra’s fuel economy, but small changes to the engine should make it better than last year’s results. Up to 29 mpgs were obtained in the city, and 39 mpgs were obtained on the highway in the 2023 Sentra. The more sporty SR model got only 28 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. With a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and CVT, the Nissan is just as fuel-efficient as other competitors. However, the Toyota Corolla gets 31 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway, making it the most fuel-efficient car on the list. We drove a Sentra SR on our 75 mph highway fuel economy route as part of our strict testing process. It got 37 mpg, which is the same as its government highway rate. But the Corolla XSE car we drove got 41 mpg, which is even better. Infotainment and Connectivity The tablet in every Sentra sticks out from the middle of the dashboard. You can also use the volume and tuning buttons. The base model has a smaller 7.0-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The SV and SR trims, on the other hand, come with an 8.0-inch screen that can be upgraded and USB ports in both the front and back seats. The bigger screen also works with more high-end features, like a Wi-Fi hotspot, an eight-speaker Bose music system, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Price and How to Choose The Sentra S comes with a lot of useful features as standard, but the adaptive cruise control and dual-zone automatic climate control in the mid-level SV model are worth the small price difference. Adding the SV Premium package, which has heated front seats, quilted leather seats, a leather shift knob, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a sunroof, would make it even better.
