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The Sentra’s elevated interior style and more differentiated exterior designs help make it a more compelling offering.
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Their demise has been predicted for years now, but sedans are still hanging around, despite the predominance of crossovers and SUVs in America’s driveways. In fact, things remain surprisingly competitive in the compact four-door segment, with more than a half dozen impressive, affordable models still on sale, including the Nissan Sentra. That’s why Nissan’s sticking with the Sentra—and making it better. As a result, the 2026 Nissan Sentra is getting a fresh look inside and out, more premium features for its top trims, and a stylish new take on its SR model.
For the first time ever, the Sentra will have two faces from which to choose. The mug of the sporty 2026 Sentra SR is the easier one to spot, thanks to its fully blacked-out trim and SR badging. Other Sentra trims swap in a different, largely body-colored grille designed to exude a more mature, upscale vibe.
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Both grilles feature diagonal slats that form a subtle V shape—a nod to the brand’s signature V-motion design—offset by slim, horizontal LED daytime running lights that jut inward at the top of the grille toward the Nissan badge. And when you unlock the car, you’re greeted by a slick welcome lighting sequence on the SR and the newly reintroduced premium SL trim for 2026 (the Sentra’s trims are now S, SV, SL, and SR). It’s the type of upscale touch we haven’t seen in the Sentra’s segment until now, or even a segment above it.
The SR keeps up its sporty appearance with black- and chrome-trimmed accents all around. Two-tone, 18-inch wheels, side skirts, mirror caps, rear diffuser, spoiler, and a floating roof all work together to give the Sentra SR a bolder, more athletic look than the rest of the 2026 Sentra pack. While the car's profile remains largely the same as the outgoing model, the rear also gets a stylish upgrade thanks to the addition of slim, horizontal LED elements that echo the front lighting.
Taken as a whole, the 2026 Sentra’s exterior updates mark a big departure from past generations. It has a more modern, sporty, and confident appeal that should help it stand out from longtime rivals such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
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No matter which trim you pick, every 2026 Sentra comes with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and three USB-C ports are standard. Step up to the SV or higher, and you’ll get wireless CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, while SL and SR Premium models sweeten the deal with an eight-speaker Bose premium audio system.
We had a chance to hop inside a Sentra in the newly reintroduced uplevel SL trim and came away impressed by the cabin’s layout and materials choices, highlighted by its so-called TailorFit soft-touch leather-look upholstery. It was done up in a stylish beige, black, and blue color scheme, highlighted by dual 12.3-inch screens—one for the driver and one for infotainment—and sleek touch-capacitive controls for the climate system. Ambient lighting and a wireless charger round out the list of standard goodies for the SL.
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From what we’ve experienced of it thus far, the Sentra’s upgraded cabin feels like a clear step up from the outgoing model, one that should at a minimum hold its own against its compact sedan competition. The brand’s impressive safety and driver assistance tech, including standard and available features such as a class-exclusive 360-monitoring system, ProPilot assist, and standard intelligent cruise control, also amp up the overall Senta package. Nissan’s aiming for a bigger slice of the segment, and the new interior package should only help in that regard.
We’re digging what Nissan did to upgrade the 2026 Sentra inside and out, but underneath those reskins, there’s not a whole lot else to talk about. Nissan chose to stick with the current Sentra’s platform instead of starting fresh. That move helps keep costs down (Nissan slightly increased the car’s rigidity to help improve the ride and made some minor adjustments to enhance comfort and reduce cabin noise), but there aren’t any new powertrains or dimensional improvements.
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As a result, the 2026 Sentra makes do with the same naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine churning out 149 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque, which is an average powertrain for its class. The good news is Nissan says the continuously variable transmission it’s mated to has been retuned for a smoother, more natural feel. Here’s hoping that’s the case, as the CVT has been one of our biggest complaints about the current model. The Sentra’s fuel efficiency has been a strong point, and we don’t expect any changes to those numbers; the 2025 Sentra is EPA rated at 33 mpg combined for the SR and 34 mpg for the rest of the lineup.
The 2026 Nissan Sentra is set to hit dealerships nationwide by late 2025. Pricing details will become available closer to launch, but don’t expect big changes. The current Sentra is one of the cheapest new cars you can buy today at $22,730 to start and tops out just short of $30,000 for fully loaded models. We expect the newly updated Sentra to stay right in that ballpark.
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Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
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