Our Opinion - 2025 Nissan Sentra Review The Nissan Sentra is a nice-looking car that comes in a competitive price range. The inside is more beautiful than you might think, and the outside is also lovely. The trunk is a good size and has plenty of space, and the front seats are very comfy for their class. The Sentra also gets great gas mileage on the highway. On paper, it’s a terrific little car, but in its current configuration—a 149-hp four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission—it suffers from boring driving-itis, a sickness that has no cure. Competitors like the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic are more fun to drive than the Sentra. On the other hand, the electric Toyota Prius uses a lot less gas. But if saving money is your main goal, the Nissan is still a great choice. What's New? The Sentra is the same as last year’s model year, with two small changes. The SV trim now comes with NissanConnect, which gives you access to a Wi-Fi hotspot and Nissan’s app interface. Like some of its rivals, Nissan now gives you up to three free oil changes in the first 24,000 miles or two years. Pros and Cons Pros Beautiful outside design. It has good benefits for the price. A great variety of safety measures. Cons Only FWD. Not any choices for a mix. The line should move less quickly. Engine, Transmission, and Performance The Sentras all have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that can make 149 horsepower. There is front-wheel drive and a transmission that changes speeds constantly (CVT). The Sentra we tried was slow and noisy, especially when trying to pass on the highway, even though the gearless automatic changed gears like a normal automatic. Another thing is that driving isn’t very entertaining. The steering is heavy and predictable, but it doesn’t feel as dynamic as that of cars like the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic. The Nissan has wheels that are 16 to 18 inches in diameter and a back suspension that is separate from the front. The rough ride and loud road noise were caused by our car rolling over the biggest set. Still, the Sentra is a safe and comfortable car for weekend trips and daily commutes. We were very pleased with how it stopped. From 70 mph, it had a nice pedal feel and great stopping power, taking 170 feet to stop, which is about the same as other bikes in its class. Safety Nissan’s compact sedan comes with a lot of tools that help the driver. All models except the base model also have adaptive speed control and a camera system that can see in all directions. Essential safety features include: Automated emergency braking and conventional forward collision warning. Typical blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic warning. The back has standard automatic emergency brakes. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The EPA says that the S and SV grades of the 2025 Sentra will get 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. The SR model gets only 38 mpg on the highway. These numbers are good for a small car, but the Toyota Corolla’s 32 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway put it at the top of the list. As part of our thorough testing, we put the Sentra SR through its paces on our 75-mph highway fuel economy route. It got 37 mpg. On the other hand, the Corolla XSE sedan we tried got 41 mpg, which is even better. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG One of the nicest interiors in its class is found in the Sentra. In the middle of the dashboard, above the simple climate settings, there are three round air vents. The materials inside are a mix of hard and soft plastics. The hard plastics help hide the other surfaces and cover the important ones. A lot of high-end models have quilted leather seats. Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats are also very comfy for people sitting in the front seats. They are roomy, supportive, and accommodating. The front and back seats are roomy enough for adults, but the sunroof makes legroom smaller. It could also hold seven carry-on bags, which is one more than the Corolla sedan’s 14-cubic-foot trunk. Infotainment and Connectivity Every Sentra has a touchscreen that sticks out from the middle of the dashboard, along with physical controls for level and tuning. The SV and SR models have an 8.0-inch screen and USB ports in the front and back seats. The base model, on the other hand, has a 7.0-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The bigger screen works with better choices like a Wi-Fi hotspot, an eight-speaker Bose stereo, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Range, Charging, and Battery Life In our tests, the Sentra SR took 8.9 seconds to reach 60 mph. That sounds like the base engine in a Honda Civic, but it’s slower than the Mazda 3 and other cars in its class. Price and How to Choose Even though the Sentra S comes with a lot of great features, the adaptive cruise control and dual-zone automatic climate control in the mid-level SV trim level make it well worth the extra money. We would also make it better by adding the SV Premium package, which has heated front seats, quilted leather seating, a leather shift knob, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a better sound system, and a sunroof.
