Most recent news about Japanese automaker Nissan has not been good, having to cut products and jobs, take a scalpel to costs and close some plants to lift itself out of serious financial difficulty.
Yet, automaker comebacks are mostly driven by product and Nissan’s U.S. products have been coming on strong.
Led by its SUVs and trucks and “fueled by competitive pricing, refreshed designs and a suite of consumer-focused features that resonate strongly with today's buyers,” the company says, Nissan’s third-quarter U.S. sales of 223,377 units were up 5.3% over Q3 2024. The Frontier pickup was up 19.2%, the Pathfinder SUV up 33.2%, the Murano up a whopping 167.5%, the Armada SUV up 24% and even the Rogue and Kicks up 8.9% and 37%, respectively, the latter an all-time record since its launch.
And arriving for Q4 are an all-new electric Leaf starting at $29,990, which Nissan touts as the lowest price of any current U.S.-market BEV, and this all-new Sentra compact sedan. Unlike domestic makers and many others, Nissan believes there is still good demand for passenger cars, especially in this highly competitive segment that includes the top-selling Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, plus the Kia K4, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and others.
We agree. The compact sedan segment saw real growth in 2025 and is projected to grow modestly through the rest of this decade and we think this new Sentra has an excellent chance of seeing good market success. Why?
For starters, look at it. To our eyes it looks very fresh and a bit larger, more upscale and more appealing than its predecessor and most competitors. Nissan calls it “daring yet sophisticated.” Then check its pricing and content. Even the base S at $22,400 (plus $1,245 “Destination and Handling”) offers a 12.3-in. digital display, three USB-C ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, intelligent cruise control, LED headlamps, “Zero Gravity” seats and the full suite of Nissan Safety Shield 360 technologies.
For $770 more, buyers can step up to the SV trim with dual 12.3-in. displays, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, selectable (Eco, Standard and Sport) drive modes, Intelligent Key (walk-away lock, approach unlock), 16-in. alloy wheels and automatic air conditioning. The $25K SR trim adds sportier looks inside and out, 18-in. alloys, wireless charging, ambient interior lighting and a MyQ Universal Garage Door Opener that opens, closes and checks the status of your garage door through the infotainment system. The line-topping $27,990 SL also gets Nissan’s excellent SAE Level 2 semi-autonomous ProPilot Assist, class-exclusive Intelligent Around View Monitor, Bose Premium Audio, quilted Tailorfit seats, 17-in. alloys and a power Moonroof.
Unlike with some otherwise tough competitors, Sirius/XM satellite radio is available. Options vary for each grade: a $500 Cold Weather Package (heated front seats and mirrors) for the S, a $990 Convenience Package (heated steering wheel and front seats, Intelligent Key, ambient lighting) and a $650 power moonroof for SV, and a $650 All-Weather package (heated steering wheel and front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control), a $2,300 Premium Package (Bose premium audio, Around View Monitor, ProPilot Assist and rear automatic emergency braking) and the power moonroof for the SR. The SL, of course, is loaded with all of this,
Compared to the rival 2026 Civic and Corolla, the Sentra has a larger infotainment touchscreen and about 2-in. more front legroom, and its standard Blind-Spot Intervention and Intelligent Front Collision Warning are unavailable in those rival cars. It also boasts a deeper and wider trunk opening than others in its class. And significantly, after nine generations, 43 years and more than 6.5 million cars sold in the U.S. market, the outgoing 2025 Sentra was ranked at the top of its compact class in J.D. Power Initial Quality and was Consumer Reports small-car Top Pick and Cars.com’s compact-car Best Value. On the downside, this new Sentra is (under-) powered by a carryover 149-hp 2.0-liter four through a CVT transmission. The upside: it’s EPA-rated at a very efficient 29 City, 38 Highway and 33 Combined mpg.
Our drive from Phoenix to Saguaro Lake and back included two-lanes and freeway but no twisty mountain roads suitable for aggressive testing, so we can’t report how our Energetic Amber (bright orangey-red) SR test Sentra would handle those. It did feel agile and responsive in normal driving, but the powertrain delivered more noise than acceleration at wide-open throttle and little “passing gear” punch for overtaking slower traffic. We’re no fans of CVTs, but this one does a reasonable impression of a conventional automatic under acceleration and is pleasantly invisible otherwise. The steering felt good and the brakes strong and reliable when needed, and we averaged an excellent 29.7 mpg even with some fast freeway travel.
Nissan describes its new Sentra’s interior as “high-tech, upscale and open,” and we can’t disagree, at least in our test SR. The cabin struck us as very nicely appointed and well-equipped in line with the car’s “class-above” aspirations. There’s a wealth of useful information, including time, outside temperature, vehicle speed and posted speed limit (from sign recognition) prominent on the driver’s screen as well as on the center infotainment touchscreen. Nissan touts its “segment first” capacitive touch HVAC controls but we would much prefer easy-to-see and -use hard buttons. At least there is a center volume knob.
As we said, we believe this new 2026 Sentra has an excellent chance of competing well in its very competitive class mostly because of its handsome, fast-back looks and excellent value.
