2026 Nissan Sentra Review: Putting the Pieces Together

Getting back to basics doesn’t mean the result is, well, basic.

November 10, 2025

After more than 40 years, Nissan keeps finding ways to make the Sentra a solid option in a sedan market that’s showing signs of an upswing. (Sebastian Blanco)

The Nissan Sentra has provided straightforward behavior and performance for sedan shoppers in the U.S. for over forty years. For 2026, Nissan took the solid 2025 model and made enough mechanical tweaks and visual changes to call it an all-new vehicle. Initially, this might sound like a bit of a stretch, but given how the advancements add up to an improved drive experience in a better-looking vehicle, we’ll let it slide.

Available in four grades – S, SV, SR and SL that range from $22,400 to $27,990, before destination fees and packages – the 2026 Sentra puts on airs like it’s a simple vehicle, hiding some of its advanced technology to keep the interior clean and clear, from the driver’s screen to the steering wheel buttons. Wireless device charging and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto minimize wire clutter. The standard 12.3-in NissanConnect infotainment touchscreen hides its options in a selection of tiles, and it has a single round volume button that makes it easy to turn down quickly.

The SL and SR Premium grades offer an eight-speaker Bose premium sound system and all trim levels get a 12.3-in NissanConnect touchscreen. *(Sebastian Blanco)*

Looks-wise, the 2026 Sentra gets a new hood shaped by a new design philosophy that continues into the interior with a new instrument panel, new materials and new technologies. The redesigned front end ups the elegant-ish look while providing space to hide sensors required for standard ADAS features (AEB with Pedestrian Detection, FCW, BSW and Rear Cross Traffic Alert) and the optional ProPilot Assist on upper trims. Enhanced LED headlamps now offer 70% better light distribution and the rear has been slightly redesigned to offer a 50-mm (2-in) wider opening at the bottom of the trunk. The trim levels are also changed from last year.

In the end, the new Sentra isn’t an in-your-face update, but it comes together in a way Nissan wants: an entry-level vehicle that performs above its weight in a way that’s natural and seamless for the driver.

All-new? Altogether not important

Nissan calls the 2026 Sentra all-new, but in reality, it’s a slew of incremental updates and changes from 2025. Nissan representatives told SAE Media during a recent test drive in Arizona that the method here was like cooking a favorite recipe but adding a bit more spice this time. Much of the hardware ingredients – chassis components, engine, transmission – remain the same from last year’s Sentra, but they’ve been tuned differently to account for customer requests for more power and for the new body structure.

The 2026 Sentra uses Nissan’s third-generation MR engine that has been under Sentra hoods since the previous generation. The 2.0-L naturally aspirated MR20DD produces an uninspiring-but-workable 149 hp (111 kW) and 146 lb-ft. The suspension still uses independent struts with coil springs in front and an independent multi-link setup in the rear. The Xtronic CVT is also carried over, now retuned for more linear power delivery.

Nissan finalized its performance tweaks at its test track and on public roads in the U.S. after getting the initial specs from Japan, where engineers were only able to test on the track, Nissan told SAE Media in Arizona. Nissan tuned the Sentra in the U.S. using “customer scenes” in California and Arizona, including Phoenix, for the U.S. customer. This version of the Sentra will also be sold in Canada, Mexico and Latin America. A sister model, the Sylphy, will be sold in China and was locally tuned specifically for that market.

Nissan redesigned the trunk of the 2026 Sentro with a slightly wider opening (50-mm, or 2-in) at the bottom. *(Sebastian Blanco)*

Nissan’s on-road tests in North America led to a chassis that was tuned to take into account the changed body structure and to give to the sedan a more confident feel by slowing down the body roll rate – not necessarily the actual body roll itself from an angle perspective, but from a rate perspective – a smidge so that when the car enters a curve, the body's not moving as quickly and the driver feels it less. To provide more power, Nissan engineers adjusted the gas pedal’s tip-in setting to provide more throttle opening, which increased G rise and G peak and resulted in a quicker response when you tip in.

You can feel these changes on the road. Acceleration remains less-than blazing, but you don’t need a Sentra to win a drag race to remain competent and controlled. The way Nissan improved the CVT didn’t completely eliminate the rubber band feeling inherent to this technology, but the new Sentra does have a more direct response to each pedal press and body roll was notably improved. The Sentra looks far better now, too. The striking two-tone orange color, officially called “Energetic Ember/Super Black,” is a winner and the interior materials don’t feel like a low-cost compromise. For anyone looking to prove that you don’t need to spend a ton of money or follow the CUV/SUV trend to get a solid new vehicle in 2025, test-driving a new Sentra is highly recommended.