Updated with driving impressions on August 31, 2022.
Review QuickTakes:
What is the 2022 Nissan Sentra?
The 2022 Nissan Sentra is simple, literally. It comes with a single powertrain in a four-door sedan body style and is available in just three trim levels. There isn’t a hybrid model. There isn’t a performance model. There isn’t an all-wheel-drive (AWD) option. And there isn’t an added-value proposition in the form of a long warranty, complimentary maintenance, or lengthy connected services trials. Instead, you get a compact car at a reasonable price, end of story.
What’s New for the 2022 Nissan Sentra?
In its third year since a complete redesign, the Nissan Sentra is available with new optional All-Weather and Midnight Edition packages. The All-Weather package is available with SV trim and adds dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and remote engine starting. The Midnight Edition builds on SR trim with black wheels, a black grille, a black rear spoiler, and a black rear diffuser panel, and blacked-out emblems.
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How Much is a 2022 Nissan Sentra?
This year, 2022 Nissan Sentra prices range from the low $20,000s to the mid $20,000s, including the $1,095 destination charge to ship the car from the factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, to your local dealership.
2022 Nissan Sentra Trim Levels and Configurations
Three trim levels are available for the 2022 Sentra, and you’ll find the highlights of each one listed below:
Nissan Sentra S — The base model has 16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, power-adjustable exterior mirrors, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and push-button engine starting. The interior has cloth seats, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and air conditioning.
Sentras feature a remarkably complete package of standard tech. The 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system features Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Nissan Safety Shield 360 is also standard, equipping the Sentra S with important driver assist and collision avoidance technologies. Additionally, the Sentra includes cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, a driver monitoring system, and a rear-seat reminder system.
Nissan Sentra SV — Upgrade to the Sentra SV for 16-inch aluminum wheels, more effective disc rear brakes (instead of the drum brakes on the S trim), heated exterior mirrors, and a passive hands-free keyless entry system. Inside, the SV trim adds premium cloth upholstery, a 7-inch driver information display, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite radio, and additional USB ports and stereo speakers. Adaptive cruise control is also standard on this version of the car.
Nissan Sentra SR — The Sentra SR is the sporty-looking model. It has 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, LED fog lights, LED turn signal indicators on black exterior mirrors, a dark chrome finish on the grille, a rear spoiler, and a sport rear bumper design. The SR trim also equips the Sentra with remote engine starting, sport cloth seats with orange contrast stitching, and dual-zone automatic climate control.
Christian Wardlaw
2022 Nissan Sentra Review and Test Drive
In college, I had a terrible car that required constant repair to the tune of hundreds of dollars every month. Finally, tired of the hassle and expense, I bought a new car. It was basic and impressed exactly nobody, but the monthly payment was affordable, it got good gas mileage, and it had a warranty. I drove it for years, and it broke down only once over 115,000 miles of ownership.
The 2022 Nissan Sentra is that kind of new car, only better. It has a genuine sense of style. It has a decent package of infotainment technology and safety features. It is roomy and comfortable enough to serve you for years. It gets good gas mileage and it has a warranty. And in the right trim level and color, it might even impress somebody.
One of four sedans that Nissan sells in a country where people love SUVs, the 2022 Sentra slots between the smaller and more affordable Versa, and the larger and more expensive Altima. The Maxima sports sedan is the top dog in Nissan’s sedan lineup. As such, the Sentra is sized and priced competitively; following its 2020 model-year redesign, it is arguably the most stylish of all of Nissan’s sedans.
That’s especially true when you upgrade to SR trim for its stylish wheels and available black roof paint. Now for 2022, the Sentra SR Midnight Edition adds some pizzazz with an ever-popular blacked-out appearance. However, that’s not the version I test-drove in Southern California for this 2022 Nissan Sentra review.
Instead, Nissan provided a Gun Metallic (dark gray) Sentra SR equipped with a black roof, optional black 18-inch wheels, a Premium package, carpeted floor and trunk mats, and door sill plate protectors. With all of these extras, the test Sentra wore a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $27,200, including the $1,095 destination charge.
Christian Wardlaw
2022 Nissan Sentra Review: The Design
I am not a fan of black wheels, so I’d stick with the standard SR for its attractive machined-surface wheel design and save myself a few hundred bucks at the same time. With its larger and shinier wheels, LED headlights and fog lights, dark chrome grille, rear spoiler, and subtle body kit, the Sentra SR hints at a more entertaining drive without making any promises — a good thing since all versions have the same powertrain.
The Sentra’s interior offers a genuine sense of style for a compact car. Three large, round, center air vents anchor the cabin, while sport seats with orange stitching and a flat-bottom steering wheel add some personality to the Sentra SR.
The quality of the interior materials is what you expect to find in a small, affordable vehicle. The test car’s Premium package swaps the SR’s standard cloth seats for Nissan’s Prima-Tex simulated leather upholstery and equips the car with a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a power sunroof. The Premium package also adds appealing technology upgrades.
Though the Sentra includes a healthy amount of standard technology, the traditional analog gauges, physical knobs and buttons, logical layout, and clearly marked controls make it easy to operate the car from the get-go. Interaction with the touchscreen infotainment system is minimal, and you can shift gears, adjust the stereo volume, tune the radio, or change the cabin temperature without looking away from the road. Imagine that.
Nissan employs its signature Zero Gravity seat designs in the Sentra. That means they attempt to replicate the neutral spine posture that space’s weightlessness provides astronauts, and the seats certainly are comfortable, front and rear.
All three trim levels include a driver’s seat with manual height adjustment. A power driver’s seat is optional with SV and SR trim. The test car had the power seat, and the impressive adjustment range suggests that people of widely varying heights can dial in a suitable driving position. Unfortunately, the front passenger’s seat height is fixed but is nevertheless satisfying, thanks to the Zero Gravity design.
The test car had effective dual-zone climate control, a heated steering wheel, and heated front seats. I didn’t require those during sunny, warm spring days in Los Angeles, revealing that synthetic leather doesn’t breathe well. Nissan also declines to provide air conditioning vents for rear-seat passengers. So if you get into a Sentra SR Premium while you’re sweaty, you will probably emerge from the car that way.
The rear seat offers an elevated position with good leg support and decent legroom, headroom, and foot room. A center armrest contains cup holders, and there are several storage spots and a USB charging port in the back. Storage is also good for the driver and front passenger. Large cup holders multi-task for drinks and smartphones, but the Sentra does not offer a wireless charging solution.
Christian Wardlaw
The trunk is enormous for the compact sedan segment, offering 14.3 cu. ft. of cargo space, and a 60/40-split folding back seat expands utility when necessary. However, there isn’t an interior trunk lid pull, so when closing it, you must put your fingers on the dirty exterior of the car.
2022 Nissan Sentra Review: The Technology
Every 2022 Sentra has a touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a hands-free text messaging assistant. Choose the Sentra SV, and the touchscreen grows from a 7-inch display to an 8-inch display while adding satellite radio. NissanConnect subscription services (including access to a Wi-Fi hotspot) and an eight-speaker Bose premium sound system are optional for the SR trim level.
The test car had the infotainment system with all of the upgrades, yet the menus’ and features’ breadth and depth are pretty shallow. Navigation is unavailable; Nissan apparently assumes that most people prefer to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. A standard voice recognition system makes it easy to talk to Apple Siri or Google Assistant, and because they recognize and respond to naturally spoken language — they work just as you expect them to. Wireless smartphone charging is not available in the Sentra, but with SV and SR trim, you get several additional USB ports.
The infotainment display screen offers smartphone-style swipe and scroll capability, and you get a power/volume knob, a tuning knob, and both physical and virtual shortcut buttons to access the main menus. A driver information display between the analog gauges also offers access to data and programmable vehicle settings. The Bose premium sound system lacks clarity, but there is depth to the bass, so it doesn’t sound tinny.
When it comes to safety, Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard equipment. This collection of driver-assist systems includes forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert with automatic rear braking. Additionally, every 2022 Sentra has automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, a driver monitoring system, and a rear-seat reminder system.
That is a generous number of standard safety features, leaving few upgrades as you climb the trim-level ladder. Get the Sentra SV, and the car comes with adaptive cruise control. The Sentra SR with the Premium package adds a surround-view camera and an SOS emergency assistance button on the ceiling, which is part of the NissanConnect Services Security package. That collection of connected services also includes automatic collision notification and alerts related to vehicle speed, curfew time, and surpassing specific geographic boundaries.
Since the 2022 Sentra is unavailable with Nissan ProPilot Assist, a semi-autonomous highway driving system that pairs adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance, we don’t have much to report regarding the driver-assist features. However, the adaptive cruise control works smoothly, the lane-departure warning system issues a subtle vibration through the steering wheel, and the blind spot monitoring system’s visual warning glows brighter when you signal a lane change, but there is another vehicle nearby. My only complaint concerns the numerous false lane-departure warnings on scarred or repaired pavement.
According to crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Sentra earns a Top Safety Pick rating. However, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) testing reveals an unimpressive three-star frontal-impact crash-test rating for the front passenger’s side of the car.
2022 Nissan Sentra Review: The Drive
When you buy a new 2022 Nissan Sentra, it will have a 2.0L four-cylinder engine under its hood. The engine makes 149 hp at 6,000 rpm and 146 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, which is on par with most rivals. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is standard, with programmed ratios to make it sound and feel more like a traditional automatic transmission. The CVT feeds power to the car’s front wheels.
In most driving situations, the Sentra offers enough power to scoot about, and the CVT draws no undue attention. The drivetrain can drone a bit when accelerating hard to enter a freeway, but otherwise, you’ll barely notice it. The Sentra is quiet, too, on most of the surfaces comprising my testing loop.
If you choose to drive this car with enthusiasm, especially in the mountains, the modestly powered four-cylinder engine and CVT feel and sound like they’d rather be doing just about anything else, even when you switch into Sport mode. That’s a shame because the Sentra’s ride and handling are excellent.
All trim levels include a sophisticated independent multi-link rear suspension design, and the SR trim adds 18-inch wheels with wider, lower-profile 215/45 tires. In addition, Nissan uses Active Ride Control and Intelligent Trace Control to smooth the ride and improve the handling through subtle application of the brakes. They add a layer of refinement and sophistication to the car’s surprisingly composed dynamics in all driving situations.
Unfortunately, though Nissan touts the Sentra’s dual-pinion electric steering design, it often feels numb and artificially heavy in your hands. Also, while the tested Sentra SR includes rear drum brakes and its braking system performed well during testing, the base Sentra S comes with yester-tech drum brakes at the rear wheels.
Regarding gas mileage, the official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy rating for the Sentra SR is 32 mpg in combined driving. I averaged 29.6 mpg on my evaluation route, though that figure is lower than usual due to heavy traffic on the highway portion of my drive. You can easily expect this car to average more than 30 mpg in combined driving.
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Is the 2022 Nissan Sentra a Good Car?
Nissan’s approach to the Sentra is curious. Every one of this car’s rivals offers something extra to entice customers, whether that’s more power, greater efficiency, a hatchback body style, an AWD system, complimentary maintenance, a long warranty, or generous trial subscriptions to connected services. In the face of this, Nissan appears to be less competitive.
With that said, the Sentra is a Top Safety Pick according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests. It gets up to 33 mpg in combined driving according to EPA fuel economy ratings. Plus, it has an accommodating back seat and a roomy cargo space in the 14.3 cu. ft. trunk.
However, the three-star NHTSA crash-test rating for front passenger safety in a frontal impact collision is concerning.
Nissan Sentra Competitors for 2022
The 2022 Sentra faces several compelling rivals in the compact car segment, including the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta. Each one offers something more than you’ll find in the Sentra.
Nissan Sentra Features
Highlights
Nissan employs a back-to-basics approach with the 2022 Sentra. Stripped down to the essentials, the car delivers what most people want from a compact car most of the time. Primary purchase drivers include attractive prices, stylish design, and lots of standard technology.
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2022 Nissan Sentra Safety Features
- Intelligent Forward Collision Warning: Standard feature that senses two vehicles ahead to warn the driver when a collision could occur and has pedestrian detection capability
- Automatic Emergency Braking: Standard feature automatically brakes the Sentra to avoid a collision or slow the car before impact
- Blind spot monitoring: Standard feature warns the driver when other vehicles are in the Sentra’s blind spots
- Lane Departure Warning: Standard feature warns the driver when the Sentra wanders from the intended lane of travel
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert: Standard feature warns the driver when other vehicles are approaching from the sides while the Sentra is reversing
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2022 Nissan Sentra Technology Features
- Easy-Fill Tire Alert: Standard feature that makes it easy to keep the Sentra’s tires properly inflated
- Infotainment system: Standard 7-inch and available 8-inch touchscreen display
- Smartphone integration: Standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity
- NissanConnect: Connected services offering features such as Wi-Fi with a paid subscription
- Intelligent Around View Monitor: Available surround-view camera system*
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2022 Nissan Sentra Interior
- Cloth seats: Standard feature
- Simulated leather upholstery: Available feature*
- Genuine leather upholstery: Available feature*
- Heated front seats and steering wheel: Available features*
- Premium sound system: Available eight-speaker Bose sound system*
Christian Wardlaw
2022 Nissan Sentra Specs
- 2.0L four-cylinder engine
- 149 hp and 146 lb.-ft. of torque
- CVT
- Front-wheel drive
- EPA fuel economy ratings of 32 mpg to 33 mpg in combined driving
*Availability is subject to specific trim level selections
