Nissan Sentra

The verdict: The 2024 Nissan Sentra has a couple of things going for it — chiefly that it’s cheap. The compact sedan earned the third spot on Cars.com’s affordability list, with a decent list of standard features, no-nonsense controls and inoffensive road manners.

Versus the competition: While it’s among the most affordable options in its class, competitors have more driving personality, better fuel economy and alternative powertrain options.

For 2024, the Sentra got some updates, including a reworked continuously variable automatic transmission and standard stop-start functionality, along with slightly revised styling. See it compared with the 2023 version.

With the automotive market’s continued phasing out of sedans, the Sentra competes in a shrinking compact sedan class. It goes up against the likes of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla; see the models compared.

Related: 2024 Cars.com Affordability Report: Best Value New Cars

Driving: It Does It

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I tested the top SR version, which adds dark-chrome exterior trim, a rear spoiler, racy red “SR” badging, 18-inch alloy wheels and two-tone paint (buyers can choose a black roof paired with a white, dark gray, blue or orange body). The SR’s extras add some sportiness, but it’s racy only in Nissan’s dreams. Power comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 149 horsepower, and responsiveness is just OK. It never feels lively, but the Sentra does manage merges and quick lane changes with minimal struggle.

For 2024, Nissan says the Sentra’s CVT has been retooled for decreased fuel consumption and “smoother shift patterns.” It still sounds grouchy when pushed, but it has mellowed out. As with many CVTs, the powertrain’s groans are always present, but they’re now tempered by artificial gearlike steps that simulate the sound and feel of a traditional automatic. The result is a more natural acceleration experience, but you still get some of the rubber-band feel, as well as the droning sound, of a CVT.

The payoff for that awkwardness is a bit of extra fuel efficiency. A base 2024 Sentra is EPA-rated 30/40/34 mpg city/highway/combined; the SR trim knocks that down to 30/38/33 mpg. Those numbers are a smidge higher than the 2023 Sentra’s 29/39/33 mpg rating. Also new for 2024 is an idle stop-start feature that should also save a bit of fuel, but it’s an unrefined and shuddery-feeling system.

Even so, the Sentra’s numbers are lower than those of some competitors: The base 2024 Civic sedan is rated 31/40/35 mpg, the base Elantra is rated 32/41/36 mpg, and the base Corolla is rated 32/41/35 mpg. Those models also offer more efficient hybrid versions, which the Sentra does not.

While the CVT is memorable (and not in the best way), the rest of the Sentra’s road manners are forgettable — in the best way.  You won’t find driving fun here, but the Sentra does what it should: Bumps are decently damped, it’s fairly well isolated from noise, and it’s predictably maneuverable for its compact size. Thrill-seekers should check out the Honda Civic and its sporty Si and performance-oriented Type-R versions, or a Hyundai Elantra N sport sedan.

Controls: They Work

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The Sentra’s cabin has a clean look and functional design, and despite its low price and copious amounts of plastic, nothing feels too chintzy. My SR trim added some pizazz to the Sentra’s otherwise black palette with red-and-orange contrast stitching on the seats and dash.

Base models come with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; SV and SR variants get an 8-inch touchscreen. Here again, everything works as it should. The screen is adequately sized, touch response time is quick, and the learning curve to figure it out is basically flat. What’s more, the two large tuning and volume knobs that flank the screen, and the straightforward climate controls under it, couldn’t be any clearer.

There’s not much by way of extras. The line-topping SR trim gets heated front seats and remote engine start, and a heated steering wheel is available on the middle SV and SR trims. The Sentra SR I tested was equipped with a $2,490 SR Premium Package that added a power moonroof, premium eight-speaker Bose stereo and power-adjustable driver’s seat. Other available features are pretty basic, including up to three USB ports, rear-seat cupholders and a storage pocket in the passenger seatback.

In the backseat, I struggled to install car seats for a couple of reasons. With just 35 inches of max rear legroom, the Sentra matches the Corolla but trails the Civic and Elantra by a couple of inches; rear-facing car seats took up a lot of space and impacted the front passenger’s legroom. Neither a forward-facing convertible car seat nor a booster fit well due to the Sentra SR’s fixed head restraints, which prevented the car seats from sitting flush against the seatback, as they should. Check out the full Car Seat Check.

In terms of trunk space, the Sentra is mid-pack with competitors. According to the manufacturer’s numbers, the trunk has 14.3 cubic feet of space, which matches the Elantra and bests the Corolla; the 2024 Civic has slightly more space. What’s nice in the Sentra, however, is its unexpectedly huge center console. Other small-items storage spaces are pretty compact-car typical.

More From Cars.com:

• Updated 2024 Nissan Sentra Starts at $21,725
• 2024 Nissan Sentra: Same Old, Same New
• 2023 Nissan Sentra Carries Over Largely Unchanged, Starts at $21,045
• Small Cars Yield Surprising Results in Updated Crash Tests
• 2022 Nissan Sentra Vs. 2022 Honda Civic: How Do the Sedans Compare?
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Safety and Value: A Lot for a Little

The Sentra comes well equipped in terms of standard safety features but again doesn’t stand out from its competition. Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite is standard, bundling automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and automatic high-beam headlights. Adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system are available.

The 2024 Sentra starts at $22,320, which is less than base 2024 versions of the Honda Civic ($25,045), Hyundai Elantra ($22,775) and Toyota Corolla ($23,145). My test vehicle was priced at $29,320. (All prices include destination.)

The 2024 Nissan Sentra may be one of the cheapest new cars you can buy today and the compact sedan earned third place on Cars.com’s affordability list, but that doesn’t mean it’s crummy. The Sentra is an affordable, practical compact sedan with straightforward controls and decent trunk space. If your bottom dollar is your bottom line, take a close look at it; if personality and fuel efficiency are higher priorities, other options in the compact sedan class might be a better fit.

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