Used 2021 Nissan Sentra

The 2021 Nissan Sentra is a really good compact sedan. It has to be, because even though the world is crossover-crazy, companies are still making and selling excellent examples of the compact car craft. The Sentra, now in the second year of its eighth generation, holds its own among them.

Over those generations, this car has been one of Nissan’s top sellers. So when the time became ripe for a new Sentra, it made sense to give it the top treatment. This entailed smart designs inside and out, engineering a refined ride, and adding value to the base model with things like smartphone integration and a comprehensive array of driver assistance features.

Those standard features help to offset prices and fuel economy figures that are merely average for the class.

In the big picture, 149 horsepower is not a massive amount of muscle, but it’s kind of respectable here. Although the Honda Civic and Mazda3, both more engaging machines for a driver, are gutsier.

Delivery of that power is at least pleasantly responsive to throttle inputs. And, at the other end of the performance envelope, the brakes (especially the top two trims with discs at each corner) are effective and feel confident. The steering is equally agreeable, with a well-judged weight and feel.

Not so long ago, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) would have sent shivers of dread down the spines of even merely casual driving enthusiasts. To Nissan’s credit, the company has engineered this unloved apparatus into something almost engaging, eliminating the rubber-band feel that used to come with the CVT territory, simulating actual gears, and suppressing the typical drone except for under hard acceleration.

Even more impressive, this newest Sentra has an independent multi-link rear suspension, which is a more sophisticated and higher-end setup than the torsion beams in some rivals like the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte. Ride and handling are improved even further by two standard electronic systems.

Both apply subtle braking to individual wheels as conditions dictate. Active Ride Control combats the up/down pitching motion that can occur over washboard-like road surfaces. And Intelligent Trace Control keeps the Sentra’s cornering lines tight and precise. Overall, the 2021 Sentra feels balanced, stable, and nimble.

Nissan makes a big deal of the Zero Gravity front seats in many of its vehicles and always seems to mention NASA in the same breath. They weren’t designed by NASA, however. The smaller print says the design of these seats was inspired by zero-gravity travel. All that aside, they are extremely comfortable, not just for the class.

The rest of the 2021 Sentra cabin is not exactly rocket-ship cool, but it does have a cockpit kind of feel. The SV can be ordered with quilted leather upholstery and has a leather-wrapped steering wheel as standard, which is so much nicer than the bare plastic version in the S. The wheel is also D-shaped, a sporting touch that makes it easier for drivers to slide their knees under.

Interior space is adequate for a compact sedan, but rear legroom of 34.7 inches is not as good as the Civic or Corolla. There are 60/40 split/folding rear seats for some cargo flexibility over the trunk’s 14.3 cubic feet.

Following its redesign last year, the Nissan Sentra now looks just as well-executed as its larger Altima and Maxima stablemates, all with the V-grille corporate signature.

The “floating roof” effect is also used here, where the rear pillars have a blacked-out section. This year, the top SR trim becomes eligible for a new 2-tone color scheme of Electric Blue Metallic with a black roof.

The base S trim runs on 16-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, the SV has 16-inch alloys, and the SR is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels. It also has black side mirror housings and a dark chrome grille.

EXTERIOR STYLING
The 2021 Sentra’s exterior design echoes Nissan’s larger sedans, making this compact car appear more expensive than it really is. Looks are subjective, but it’s easy to imagine a new Sentra being popular with many people.

SAFETY SHIELD 360
Nissan’s comprehensive set of safety features is standard throughout the range, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and automatic on/off headlights with automatic high beams.

The most impressive aspect of the standard equipment in the 2021 Sentra S trim is Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 safety systems (see Favorite Features). The least impressive might be that instead of disc brakes at the rear (like the SV and SR trims), this entry-level version has drums.

The S does at least gain Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration this year. And there are some other cool items, such as keyless entry/ignition, driver attention monitoring, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and Intelligent Trace Control that applies subtle braking to certain wheels so the car can steer around corners more effectively. In the tech department, a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 4.2-inch digital driver information display are also standard.

Despite all these features, the next-up SV trim is still a better choice, bringing an 8-inch infotainment display, 7-inch digital driver’s display, leather-wrapped steering wheel, three USB ports, satellite radio, automatic high beams, and intelligent cruise control.

The top SR trim has 18-inch alloy wheels (which may not be the best choice from a ride quality point of view), LED headlights, and some cosmetic additions. But the main reason for buying this model could be to access the optional features in the SR Premium package that includes a powered moonroof, heated front seats/steering wheel, simulated leather upholstery, 360-degree camera system, Wi-Fi, and an 8-speaker Bose audio system.

There’s also a Premium package for the SV trim that isn’t quite as feature-packed, although it does bring diamond-stitched leather upholstery.

A naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine propels the 2021 Sentra with 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. This modest amount of energy goes through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to the front wheels.

The lower two trims average around 33 miles per gallon. The top SR model manages 32 mpg.

2.0-liter inline-4
149 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
146 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 29/39 mpg (S, SV) 28/37 mpg (SR)