2021 Nissan Sentra

The 2021 Sentra (second year of the B18 generation launched for 2020, a carry-over year) uses one engine, the 2.0L naturally aspirated four at 149 hp, near the bottom of the sedan band.

146 lb-ft from the same 2.0L, modest for the class.

Slow for the segment; instrumented tests of the 149-hp CVT car land between 8.5 and 8.9 seconds, so the midpoint is used.

Quiet and smooth at a cruise, but the 2.0L feels strained and buzzy under hard throttle and has little midrange punch for passing.

The Xtronic CVT is smooth and simulates steps, but it drones and flares under heavy throttle.

Every 2021 trim is front-wheel drive only; there is no AWD.

A single 2.0L/CVT/FWD powertrain with no turbo, hybrid or electrified option, while the Corolla and Elantra offered hybrids in 2021.

Competitive economy for a non-hybrid compact sedan; the 2021 figures are 1 MPG below the later refreshed car.

29 MPG city for the volume S/SV trims.

Strong highway figure for a gas compact.

A small tank limits range even though economy is good.

Low running cost on regular fuel at EPA's current price basis.

Runs on regular unleaded on every trim.

The 2021 Sentra 4-door FWD carries a 5-star NHTSA overall rating; the frontal sub-score is the weak leg at 4 stars because the passenger side rated only 3 stars.

The 2021 Sentra earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick (not TSP+), with Good in both small-overlap tests, the original moderate-overlap and side tests, roof strength and seats; the award applies only with the SR Premium's Acceptable headlights, and the later updated side test (applied back to 2020 models) rates only Acceptable.

Safety Shield 360 is standard on every 2021 trim including the base S — AEB with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and high-beam assist — which Nissan billed as the most standard safety features in the class. Adaptive cruise is missing on the S (standard from SV) and there is no lane centering on the volume trims.

The standard system rates Superior vehicle-to-vehicle and Advanced in the daytime pedestrian test; the 2021 rating set carries no nighttime pedestrian result (IIHS added that test later, and later Sentras rated only Basic in it), so it sits in the upper-middle band.

Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on every trim, and standard rear automatic braking adds real intervention in reverse; blind-spot coverage is alert-only, with no steering/braking correction or safe-exit alert.

Lane departure warning is standard, but the volume SV has no lane centering; steer-assist via ProPILOT Assist was at most a top-trim option on the B18 and is not part of the core 2021 package.

The volume SV includes Intelligent Cruise Control, a capable radar ACC, but a combined steer-and-follow highway assist is not on the volume trims and the base S has conventional cruise only.

No hands-free driving on any 2021 Sentra; Nissan's hands-off ProPILOT Assist 2.0 was limited to the Ariya/Rogue-class products, never the Sentra.

The volume S and SV halogen reflectors and the SR's LED reflectors rate Poor; only the SR Premium Package's LED projectors reach Acceptable. High-beam assist is standard, but no configuration earns Good.

Forward sightlines are clean thanks to a low cowl, but the high beltline, raked rear glass and thick C-pillars limit the rear-quarter view; standard blind-spot warning helps, and the Intelligent Around View Monitor is available only on upper trims.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good+ — shallow lower anchors with low attachment force and wide clearance, easy-to-find tethers — though compact-class rear legroom limits it to two car seats in practice.

Standard five-passenger compact sedan on S, SV and SR.

Competitive front headroom for the class; the Premium-package moonroof reduces it.

Generous front legroom at the top of the sedan band.

Fastback roofline keeps rear headroom merely average; taller riders brush the headliner.

Typical compact-sedan rear legroom, well short of Civic/Jetta stretch-out space.

Class-typical trunk — larger than Corolla/Mazda3 sedan, smaller than Civic and Elantra.

Conventional console bin, door pockets and cupholders plus a 60/40 split-fold rear seat; competitive but nothing clever.

Standard Zero Gravity front seats are widely praised and the rear bench is plush; power driver's seat only with Premium packages.

Independent multi-link rear suspension delivers a comfortable, well-damped ride; SR's 18-inch wheels firm it up.

Calm at a cruise, but road noise and engine/CVT drone under acceleration make it slightly noisier than average.

Heated front seats come only with SV/SR Premium packages and the heated wheel only on SR Premium; no ventilated seats or rear vents.

The 2021 Sentra S started at $19,410 before destination, making the redesigned Sentra one of the least expensive compact sedans of the 2021 model year.

The SV is the volume trim (adding alloy wheels, ProPILOT Assist, intelligent cruise and dual-zone climate); at about $21,400 delivered it undercuts volume Corolla LE, Civic LX and Elantra SEL trims.

The naturally aspirated 2.0L four is cheap to service and routine costs sit slightly below the compact average, with the Xtronic CVT as the main out-of-warranty risk. Sources disagree widely, so a mid-range estimate consistent with the rest of the B18-generation Sentra scorecards is used.

Because the 2021 model is now five years old, retention is observed rather than projected: the pandemic-era used-car spike kept the 2021 Sentra's value unusually high, though it still trails Corolla and Civic.

Nissan's New Vehicle Limited Warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles, the segment floor shared with Toyota and Honda and well short of Hyundai/Kia.

Powertrain coverage, including the CVT, is 5 years / 60,000 miles, the segment minimum versus Hyundai/Kia's 10 years / 100,000 miles.

No complimentary scheduled maintenance is included; owners get roadside assistance for the 3-yr/36k basic term and, new for 2021, a NissanConnect Services trial on SR — the 'basic roadside only' band.

$21,445 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (60% retained, or about $12,867) leaves about $8,578 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,600 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $13,178 in total.

2021 is the second model year of the B18 generation that launched for 2020, and it carries over mechanically (2.0L MR20DD + Xtronic CVT). J.D. Power's owner-reported quality and reliability score for it is 'Great', the strongest signal available. Two things hold it below the Corolla/Civic tier: early-generation steering-linkage recalls, and a steady stream of owner complaints about electrical faults (windows, battery) and false automatic-emergency-braking events.

Scored as the brand looked at the 2021 model year. Nissan was a mid-to-lower-pack mass-market brand on multi-year dependability. It was still carrying the 2013-2018 Xtronic CVT failure population and the class-action settlements that followed, and its later initial-quality surge had not arrived yet. That puts it in the lower half of the mid-pack band.

Three campaigns, and two of them are the same safety-critical steering defect. A bent tie rod can break and cause loss of steering control. It was recalled in 2021 and then recalled again in 2023 over a much larger 2020-2022 population, which shows the first fix did not contain the problem. The third campaign, a rearview-camera harness recall, is lower severity. With no engine, fire or airbag campaign the score stays out of the sub-50 band, but the repeated steering recall puts it at the bottom of the typical range.

The engine and transmission pull in opposite directions. The MR20DD 2.0L four is a low-stress unit with no significant high-mileage red flag. The Jatco Xtronic CVT is improved over the 2013-2018 units that damaged Nissan's reputation, but in 2021 it still had no proven long-term record and it depends on fluid service to last. That is mixed history, held level with the other B18 years.

Reviewers rated the redesigned B18 cabin a clear step above the previous Sentra and upscale for a mainstream compact. SV and SR trims get soft-touch trim on the dash and doors, the SR offers quilted leatherette, and every trim has Zero Gravity seats. Base S trims carry the expected hard plastics in low-touch zones.

The strong owner-reported quality score supports generally solid assembly. Against it, the bent-tie-rod defect was recalled twice across a large early-B18 population, and owners report recurring electrical niggles with power windows. That is solid with scattered complaints, placed slightly below the later B18 years.

This is a brand-level item. Nissan runs one of the larger US franchised networks, comparable in dealer count to Honda, so service access is not a constraint. Service satisfaction runs mid-pack rather than class-leading, which caps the score.

The Sentra is a decades-old, high-volume US compact. Parts share deeply with the rest of Nissan's lineup, the aftermarket is large, and annual repair cost is below the compact average. A CVT replacement is the four-figure outlier in the long-term cost tail and keeps the score out of the upper 80s.

The volume SV carries an 8-inch floating touchscreen; S gets 7 inches. Small by segment standards.

Simple, logical system with physical knobs and climate buttons, but small screen and dated graphics trail Civic and Elantra.

New for 2021, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim — wired only; wireless projection is not offered.

Voice is Siri Eyes Free / Google Assistant pass-through; no factory navigation, so owners rely on phone projection.

Four speakers on S, six on SV; an eight-speaker Bose system is limited to the SR Premium Package.

Analog gauges flank a 7-inch Advanced Drive-Assist Display on SV/SR — partial digital with no full-digital option.

No over-the-air software updates advertised for the 2021 Sentra; updates are dealer-performed.

NissanConnect Services and Wi-Fi hotspot are new for 2021 but only available on SR; the volume SV lacks connected app services.

SV has front USB-A and USB-C plus one charge-only USB-A at the rear of the console; no wireless charging on the volume trim.

Intelligent Key proximity entry with push-button and remote engine start is standard on the volume SV; no phone-as-key.

Rear camera and Rear Automatic Braking standard; Intelligent Around View Monitor only in the SR Premium Package, no automated parking.

No head-up display offered on any 2021 Sentra trim.

IIHS G+ LATCH and a usable rear seat suit child seats, but sedan doors, sloping roof and a 14.3 cu ft trunk limit stroller-and-gear logistics.

Safety Shield 360 standard on every trim is strong for the price, and IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick, but NHTSA frontal is 4 stars and good headlights need the SR Premium.

Plush Zero Gravity seats help, but no rear vents, only a charge-only console-rear USB and a class-average trunk for four people's bags.

Light steering, smooth CVT in traffic and comfortable seats make an easy commuter; the engine strains only when pushed.

About 33 MPG combined on regular fuel is decent but trails Civic, Corolla and Elantra, and no hybrid is offered.

Compact footprint is easy to place, but the ~38-ft turning circle is wide for the class and surround view is SR-Premium-only.

No tow rating and a small trunk; not a work vehicle.

Common in rental and fleet service, but Xtronic CVT durability concerns and a light-duty chassis make it unsuited to hard use.

No onboard outlets, tie-downs or upfit ecosystem beyond a split-folding rear seat.

Zero Gravity seats and ~400-mile range are strengths, but above-average highway noise and ProPILOT Assist limited to SR Premium hold it back.

FWD-only, low-slung sedan with no tow rating or roof rails; pavement-bound.

60/40 split-fold rear seat extends the 14.3 cu ft trunk, but the sedan opening and no rails or hitch restrict bulky gear.

Independent rear suspension and low center of gravity give secure, tidy handling, but it is competent rather than engaging next to Civic and Mazda3.

Light and quick with decent on-center heft but little feedback.

Four-wheel disc brakes with a firm, confidence-inspiring pedal for the class.

CVT is smooth in daily driving but rubber-bands and drones when pushed; the 149-hp engine strains at highway merges.

The 2.0L gets loud and coarse under hard acceleration with CVT drone; quiet enough at a steady cruise.

Wider turning circle than most compact sedans.

Supportive seat, tilt/telescope wheel and simple physical controls; manual seat on the volume SV and thick rear pillars are minor drawbacks.

Pleasant and tidy, but the leisurely CVT powertrain makes it appliance-like; SR adds looks, not performance.

Every 2021 Sentra gets Safety Shield 360 (front and rear automatic braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, high beam assist), and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto became standard on the S for 2021. The S still uses a 7-inch screen and steel wheels.

At $20,335–$22,725 delivered, the Sentra undercuts the major compact rivals trim for trim with a roomy, comfortable cabin and a strong safety suite. Its 149-hp 2.0L/CVT gives up performance to the Civic and Mazda3, and there's no hybrid to match the Corolla or Elantra.

Three trims (S, SV, SR) with a Premium package on SV/SR, one engine, CVT only and front-wheel drive only — a narrow ladder with no manual, hybrid, performance or AWD option.

Sales rebounded about 35% in calendar 2021 to roughly 128,000 units after the pandemic-hit 2020. That is well behind the Corolla and Civic but level with the Elantra, and much of the volume went to fleet and rental.

Nissan's mainstream image is neutral-to-weak, weighed down by CVT reliability reputation and rental-fleet association; the redesign improved perception but it lacks Toyota/Honda loyalty.

Nissan traditionally discounts the Sentra heavily, and early 2021 still saw cash-back and low-APR offers. From mid-2021 the semiconductor shortage shrank inventory and incentives across the industry, so deals were modest for much of the model year.

The 2021 is the second model year of the all-new B18 generation that launched for 2020, on a new platform with an independent rear suspension and current safety tech; no refresh was due until 2024.

Reviewers praised the redesign's styling, comfortable Zero Gravity seats, quiet ride and standard safety content, but ranked it mid-pack behind the Civic, Mazda3, Corolla and Elantra on powertrain and driving refinement. It won no major awards or comparison tests.