Used 2023 Nissan Sentra

The Nissan Sentra is a trusted stalwart in a competitive segment of compact cars. It does nearly everything well that you need a compact sedan to do. It has a generous list of standard features, the latest safety and infotainment tech, and great fuel economy. We also like the $20K starting price, and even a fully loaded Sentra is still pretty affordable. The Sentra remains a slightly more affordable alternative to top players in this class, like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra.

In an ideal world, even the base version of the 2023 Sentra would have disc brakes at the rear instead of drums. This adds ammunition to our argument that the SV is a better choice, where discs are fitted at each corner.

There aren’t any choices of engine. Drivers of any Sentra model have a 149-horsepower unit to enjoy or endure, depending on what they require from it. The automatic transmission is of the continuously variable type. If it figures in any enthusiast’s dreams, it’s probably because they ate cheese just before going to sleep. In fairness, Nissan has a lot of experience engineering these things to be as responsive and quiet as possible.

However, a couple of standard features contribute to the Sentra’s mainly enjoyable driving experience. Active Ride Control compensates for washboard road surfaces and the up/down pitching they can create. It does this with subtle braking and power attenuation.

Intelligent Trace Control helps the Sentra hold its cornering line with efficiency and stability by slowing an inside wheel if necessary. Let’s also give a special mention to the Sentra’s multi-link rear suspension, a more sophisticated setup than the cheaper torsion beam alternative found in the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte. We found this setup to give the Sentra a sophisticated ride quality for its price point.

As for visibility, it’s a bit hard to see out of the back of the car because of the thick rear pillars. However, this issue is mitigated by standard blind-spot monitoring.

The bottom of the steering wheel flattens out a bit, which makes it easier to slide our knees under. This kind of thing is popular in sporty cars these days. It’s standard in every 2023 Sentra.

We found the cabin unquestionably agreeable and user-friendly, with decent materials and build quality. Upholstery ranges from cloth to nicer cloth to simulated leather upholstery to tan-colored/diamond-stitched real stuff — which is optional in the SV.

The SV has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. When it’s the one thing drivers must keep hold of for every mile covered, this is much better than the S model’s plastic one.

Rear legroom measures 34.7 inches. That compares well with the Toyota Corolla, but the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra both have more, if that matters. Trunk space is 14.3 cubic feet — a bit small for this class. However, we like the wide opening that makes for easy loading and unloading.

Personal taste is going to swing things one way or another, naturally, but we’d argue that the 2023 Sentra has a lot going for it in the visuals department. Looking like a scaled-down Maxima, the Sentra has the same “floating roof” rear pillar treatment and is also available in a bold orange/bronze color with a contrasting black roof.

The Midnight Edition package is a stylish option for the top SR trim, bringing a grille treatment, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, badges, and 18-inch alloy wheels all finished in black. The SR also comes standard with extra aerodynamic pieces and a chromed exhaust tip.

It’s worth noting that the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda3 are all available with a hatchback body, but the Nissan Sentra is sedan-only.

Zero Gravity front seats
They’re road-trip comfortable, some of the best found in any compact sedan, and standard throughout the 2023 Sentra range. To balance things out, the rear seats are comfy as well.

Nissan Safety Shield 360
This standard safety tech suite bundles modern driver assistance features like automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high beams, and more.

NissanConnect
The standard, user-friendly infotainment system in the Sentra includes must-have smartphone connectivity features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Midnight Edition
The Midnight Edition adds a darker style to the Sentra SR with 18-inch black wheels, a black grille and spoiler, and Midnight Edition badging.

Premium Package
Adding the optional Premium Package to the SV trim adds luxurious quilted leather seats, a moonroof, and a leather-wrapped shift knob. The Premium Package for the sporty SR model brings Prima-Tex seats with orange stitching (heated in front), a heated steering wheel, a Bose premium audio system, and more.

Advanced Drive-Assist Display
This is a 7-inch information display that goes between the speedometer and rev counter. It’s standard in the SV and SR, adding a little more tech to the cabin.

Regardless of trim, the engine in every 2023 Sentra is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit making 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. This goes through an automatic transmission to drive just the front wheels.

Regular 87-octane gasoline is perfectly acceptable. In the combined driving cycle devised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the S and SV achieve 33 miles per gallon, and the SR manages 32 mpg.

2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine
149 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
146 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 29/39 mpg (S, SV) 28/37 mpg (SR)

More Sentra fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.

Good Safety Scores

The Sentra earns the top “Good” score from the IIHS in all but one crashworthiness category. It’s also earned a 5-Star overall safety rating from NHTSA.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Nissan Sentra is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. This coverage is average for a compact sedan in this class.