Nissan Sentra SR Review: A Compact Sedan with Mid-Size Room

The Nissan Sentra Has Been Around for a While

The Nissan Sentra is a compact sedan parked on our society’s street curbs since 1982. That same year, Michael Jackson released the Thriller album, and the compact disc, aka the CD, was introduced to the masses. This car has been around for long enough to impact several generations of drivers to the point that many of us have at least one story of running in or being run into by a Sentra. 

For me, it brings up childhood memories of visiting Mexico and seeing the roads littered with the third-generation Nissan Sentra known across the border as the Tsuru. First introduced in 1992, the Tsuru stayed in production until 2017 and held the title of Mexico’s most popular car from 1997 until 2011.

An impressive accomplishment considering the car’s entry-level model, with no airbags, earned a whopping zero stars across the board in crash testing from the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP) in 2013. 

2025 Nissan Sentra

Thankfully, the 2025 Nissan Sentra SR shown has multiple airbags, including side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, side impact airbags embedded in every seat, and knee airbags protecting the driver and front passenger. In addition, blind spot warnings, forward collision warnings, rear automatic braking, lane departure warnings and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection are standard. 

This latest Sentra remains virtually unchanged for 2025 in its current eighth generation, first introduced in 2020.

On the outside, there’s not a lot I can say about its exterior styling other than that it is inoffensive and meant for a broad audience to look upon it and say, “It’s nice.” The SR trim package adds a set of 18-inch alloy wheels, a cute rear lip spoiler and a touch of chrome around the exhaust tip. 

Big Impression Inside

Like a pinata, the Nissan Sentra’s party tricks are located inside, where you’ll be surprised how much interior space the compact sedan offers. Passengers at the front are treated to a set of Nissan’s Zero Gravity car seats designed to reduce stress and muscle fatigue by putting your body in a neutral sitting position.

Step into the back seat and you’ll find plenty of room to place your head, legs and elbows without feeling like your chin is touching your knees. When you open the trunk, you’ll understand why these cars are popular with airport rental fleets – there is lots of space for carry-on bags.

The top-tier Sentra SR model shown adds a touch of color to the interior with leatherette-upholstered seats decorated with orange striping.

The SR also includes power seats, a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel, a power moonroof, and an eight-speaker Bose audio system. All of this supports the car’s already comfortable interior, making it suitable for long-distance driving or errand-loaded commutes around town. 

Driving Impressions and Performance

Driving it on the highway, you do hear the constant hum and roar of the pavement as the rubber meets the road, especially if someone else in the car points it out to you. However, it is not loud or intrusive enough to be a deal breaker. Plus, you can always turn up the volume on the stereo to drown out the noise. 

Powering the mighty Sentra is a non-turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine producing 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque to drive the front wheels. A CVT automatic transmission manages the engine’s output to the wheels.

Its 0 to 60 time may read slow on paper, 8-9 seconds, but behind the wheel, the little car has moxie and gets out of its own way with a little buzz from the engine, letting you know it’s working hard. 

Your eyebrows will lift with amusement at how quickly this car gets up to 30 mph in a school zone and has no trouble maintaining a set cruise control speed of 80 mph on the interstate. 

Averaging 37 MPG for Under $25K

One of its leading factors is fuel economy. I averaged 37 mpg over a 450-mile road test, managing to squeeze out 200 actual miles before the needle on the gas gauge reached the halfway point. Not bad for a sedan without turbochargers or a hybrid battery pack to help it sip gas. 

Available in three trim levels, the entry-level Nissan Sentra S starts at just under $22,000, with the mid-range SV raising the price slightly to $22,290 before ending with the SR at $24,590 (according to Nissan’s official website). By the way, if you stop to see the Sentra at your local dealer, ask about Nissan’s promotion, which includes up to three free oil changes for two years or 24,000 miles. 

Nitpicking

If I had anything negative to say about the car, it would be the bong sound effect Nissan used for the center touchscreen to signify a click when you tab something on the screen. The sound effect is identical to clicking on an icon on a 2005 desktop computer and disgusting to the ear. But it’s not a real issue because there’s a setting to turn it off. 

Would Make a Great Getaway Car

My favorite feature on the Nissan Sentra is the manually foot-operated parking brake. It’s a joy to see it, as so many modern vehicles replace these emergency/parking brake mechanisms with a tiny electronic button that doesn’t let you “rip it” whenever you want to spin a car 180 degrees.

When you include the straightforward shifter, its popularity allowing it to blend into the background, ample trunk space and zippy performance, the Sentra is high on my list of vehicles if I ever need a getaway car for a bank heist. 

Why? Because a good getaway car should be quick, nimble, provide plenty of interior space for the crew and loot, and blend into its urban surroundings.

Engine: 2.0L Four-cylinder

Transmission: CVT automatic

0 to 60: 8.8 seconds

Starting Price: $21,590 (S)

Price as Shown: $29,635 (SR)