2020 Nissan Sentra: From bad to good
new engine, a 149-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder. This isn’t a ton of power, but neither is the Sentra a large vehicle, and it has enough hustle to get by. The problem is getting to the power, with the standard continuously variable automatic transmission in the way.
I tested the highest two Sentra trim levels, SV and SR, which were also equipped with their respective Premium packages. That meant tan, quilted leather seats in the SV and imitation leather with orange accents in the SR. There didn’t feel to be much of a quality gap between the top trim levels when equipped with the Premium Package, and they seemed nice enough upon first inspection to be class-competitive. Without that package, there are some notable omissions — heated front seats don’t come standard on any of the Sentra models, nor does a powered driver’s seat (a powered front passenger seat isn’t available, period).
A 7-inch touchscreen is standard, but both the SV and SR get the 8-inch touchscreen that adds Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. These are crucial additions because the Nissan multimedia system is pretty simple, yet at the same time unintuitive — it’s a car I’d plug my phone into each time I drove it. There is also now a USB-C port up front for futureproofing, though once again in SV and SR only.
The new Sentra is 2.2 inches wider than the outgoing vehicle, but it’s also 2.0 inches lower, which does cut a bit into backseat headroom. There was plenty of legroom for my 5-foot-11 frame to fit behind my driving position, but it’s on the edge of what would be called acceptable headroom. If I were taller, my head would brush against the ceiling.
The Sentra also adds value by stretching its safety technology downward in its lineup. All Sentras come with what Nissan calls Safety Shield 360, and it includes both forward and reverse automatic braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and automatic high beams. The reverse automatic braking is notable, as no competitors offer that feature standard.
The SV and SR trims add adaptive cruise control, which works down to a stop. But once the car comes to a complete stop, it releases the brake, so it’s not a true low-speed or traffic-friendly system. Also note that the Sentra doesn’t come with any sort of lane keep assist, just warnings, so you’ll have to handle all the steering on your own.
The SR also adds a 360-degree camera system as part of its Premium Package.
The 2020 Sentra keeps things pretty simple with three trim levels (S, SV and SR) and two option packages. That’s it. The Sentra S starts at $20,015 followed by the SV at $21,195 and the SR at $22,355 (all prices include destination charges). Tacking on the Premium Package bumps the SV up to $23,655 and the SR to $24,525.
This places the Sentra within the normal range for this class, close to competitors like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. But both of those cars get much more expensive at their top trim levels than the Sentra SR, which is a bit of a bargain with the Premium Package. On the other hand, those competitors offer more engine and transmission options than the Sentra does — at least currently — and are more engaging to drive as a result.
Otherwise, a return to form in a big way for the Sentra gives Nissan quite a one-two sedan punch along with the super-affordable Versa, which was also redesigned for the 2020 model year. Much has been made of the demise of the sedan, but Nissan is testing that theory. Perhaps the way to buck the trend is to build better sedans, and Nissan has done it twice now.