Perhaps the two biggest challenges in the auto industry today are how to sell electric vehicles profitably and how to offer customers affordable vehicles. With the average transaction price of new vehicles recently topping $50,000 for the first time ever, nearly a quarter of new car buyers have loans of seven years or longer, and nearly 20% had new car payments of at least $1,000 per month. In fact, even average prices for used cars have hit $30,000. Those numbers just aren’t sustainable, but there are still a few options out there for buyers who want a new car warranty but just need something more attainable. Two of the best are the Nissan Kicks and Sentra, and we recently tried the redesigned 2026 Sentra.
Let’s be clear right up front: the Sentra is not now and never has been a premium or luxury car. But that’s actually OK. Just because a car will almost certainly never appear on the concours lawn at Pebble Beach, that doesn’t mean it can’t still be a very good, very capable piece of basic transportation that you probably won’t be embarrassed to be seen in unless you let it degrade to a condition comparable to Jackson Lamb’s Honda Civic.
I get to drive a lot of very expensive cars, trucks, and SUVs. But most people can’t afford most of what comes through my driveway and just need basic, reliable, affordable transportation to get around. Enter the Sentra.
The 2026 Sentra is mostly new but not all-new. Pretty much every component you can see or touch has been reworked, while pretty much all of the mechanical bits underneath are carryovers, and frankly, that’s just fine. The previous-generation Sentra wasn’t a bad car. It wasn’t a great car either, but it was just fine. For those with an even tighter budget, the smaller Versa was a perfectly decent little ride that could be had for under $20,000, although it is apparently going away soon if production for the US hasn’t already ended.
The new Sentra is a decent improvement in terms of style, handling, and interior relative to the 2025 model. As with the last edition, this one is only available as a four-door sedan with a fastback roofline. There’s a new interpretation of Nissan’s V-motion grille theme, but the chrome surround is gone. There are diagonal slashes that spread outward from the center. The top SR trim has this whole area done in black to contrast with the surrounding bodywork. Other trims get this area partially in body color.
There are slim headlamps and a slender chrome trim piece that sits just below and runs to the Nissan badge in the center. It’s a handsome look overall and doesn’t scream, “This is all I could afford!” Nissan even has a few fun colors in addition to the usual spectrum of monochromatic tones, most notably Scarlet Ember (a lovely red), Energetic Ember (which is decidedly more orange), and Bluestone Pearl. Those who opt for the SR can also get a two-tone with a black roof, which looks particularly sharp against the Scarlet Ember.
The mechanical aspects of the powertrain have been carried over for 2026, including the naturally-aspirated, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which delivers 149-hp and 146 lb-ft of torque and continues to be mated with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT. Like other aspects of the Sentra, it’s not going to blow anyone away with its overall performance, especially if you’ve spent any amount of time with an EV. It doesn’t have that instant response of an electric motor, but it’s absolutely adequate and will meet the daily driving needs of pretty much everyone, including being able to merge into highway traffic.
While the hardware is carried over from before, the control strategy has been revised and now provides more of a simulated step-ratio feel with the engine revving up and dropping down as the CVT “up-shifts” during acceleration. The result is a much more pleasant feeling than the motorboating effect of a Toyota hybrid.
The experience is further enhanced thanks to some structural upgrades by Nissan to the chassis to eliminate some paths for both powertrain and road noise transmission through the structure. The Sentra continues with the strut front suspension and multi-link rear layout and disk brakes at all four corners.
The S and SV trims both roll on 16-inch wheel and tire packages, with the base model getting steelies with plastic wheel covers while the SV gets alloys with 205/60R16 all-season rubber. The top SL trim gets some attractive 17-inch alloys with wider 215/50R17 tires, and the SR gets the largest 18-inch wheels in the same 215-mm width.
The Driver’s Space
Besides the sheet-metal, the other notable change is in the cabin, which has adopted a lot of the design features of its contemporaries. That means a large panel atop the dashboard with dual displays embedded behind a single sheet of glass. All four trims get the same 12.3-inch center touchscreen for the infotainment, and SV, SR, and SL trims also get a 12.3-inch instrument cluster display. The base S trim, which I didn’t get to sample, gets a mix of analog gauges and a 7-inch driver information display.
Unlike some other recent Nissan vehicles, including the new Kicks, the Sentra forgoes installation of the full Google Automotive Services package, including maps and the Play Store. It does, however, get Google Assistant for voice recognition as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone projection on all trims. The base Nissan infotainment software, like the rest of the car, is adequate, but most drivers will probably just pair their phones and call it a day. A Qi wireless charging pad is standard on SR and SL trims and optional on SV, and is located at the front end of the console just below a pair of USB-C ports.
Unlike the new Leaf that got push buttons for the transmission selector, the Sentra retains the classic mechanical lever on the center console. The vents thankfully also remain fully mechanical, so the driver and passenger can control air flow without going anywhere near the touch screen.
As expected on a more entry-level vehicle, most of the interior surfaces are hard to the touch, but Nissan has done a nice job on textures and graining so that it doesn’t look exceptionally cheap. The designers behind the interior of the new Toyota Rav4 might want to bring in a Sentra to evaluate and take some lessons from. Thankfully, Nissan is continuing its recent trend of scaling back on the piano black with the Sentra being limited to the panel around the shifter and the buttons around the centrally located volume knob. The climate controls are unfortunately activated through a touch panel below the volume knob.
It’s 2025, so that means even the most basic S trim of the Sentra gets a comprehensive list of drive assist features, and that’s a great development to see. Every new Sentra has a long-range front radar and two short-range rear corner radars to enable adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, and cross-traffic alert. Forward-facing cameras enable automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning and prevention, and traffic sign detection. Ultrasonic sensors contribute to parking assist and rear auto braking if something is behind you. For the first time, the Sentra is also available with Nissan’s hands-on, ProPilot Assist that blends the adaptive cruise control and lane centering. ProPilot is standard on the SL and optional on the SR.
The Sentra continues with Nissan’s “zero-gravity” seats which, despite the name, still allowed me to feel the force of gravity, but were comfortable and supportive nonetheless. The rear seats are also roomy enough for a pair of full-size adults and offer plenty of head and leg room for my 5-foot-10-inch frame. The rear seat backs fold down flat in a 60/40 split. I generally prefer hatchbacks on smaller cars, especially modern versions with fastback profiles because the sedans tend to have tiny trunk openings even if they have a bunch of space inside. The 2026 Sentra’s trunk opening is two inches wider than before, and the Sentra can now easily accommodate a typical 55-inch TV without any fancy maneuvering.
On the Road
I headed out from the hotel in Scottsdale in a grey SR with the black roof and drove into the mountains that surround the Valley of the Sun. In the city, I was reminded again how much easier it is to drive a compact car like the Sentra in an urban environment than it is to maneuver a big SUV – plus, it’s a lot easier to see out of.
As we sat at a red light, I noticed a visually-impaired woman crossing from my left as she strayed out of the crosswalk and tapped the side of the Sentra with her white cane before realizing where she was and walking around the front of the car. The light had already turned green for us by this point, but I waited until she was all the way across the intersection before proceeding. Had this been a high-riding SUV or truck, she might have been much closer to the vehicle before realizing what it was and where she was, and the driver might not have noticed her presence.
Once out of the city and into the Tonto National Forest, it became clear that despite the Sentra having essentially the same core hardware it has had for the past six years, the engineers have been doing some fine-tuning on it. Like most modern cars, the Sentra has electric power-assisted steering (EPAS). When EPAS systems first hit the market in the mid-2000s, there were a lot of well-justified complaints that it felt numb and offered no feedback about what the wheels were doing. While fans of the legendary BMW 3 series models like the E36 (I’m looking at you, Car and Driver editors of the ’80s and ’90s) will likely still dismiss a car like the Sentra, the steering actually feels pretty good now. No, it’s not a sports car, but there is some feedback when you get into twisting mountain roads, and the steering is nicely weighted.
Around those corners, the Sentra will still understeer at the limit, but let’s be realistic, most Sentra drivers aren’t going to use this car that way. At up to 8/10ths, it’s pretty well balanced and delivers a good mix of body control, ride quality, and nimbleness. If you need to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a squirrel or a cat, the Sentra isn’t going to snap at you. If you’re using the Sentra as a commuter car or to make a few extra bucks picking up rides using one of those apps, neither you nor your passengers are likely to feel particularly punished.
The updated control software for the CVT also contributes to a much better on-road experience. With only 149-hp, this isn’t a speed demon, but 0-60 mph in under 8.5 seconds is perfectly adequate.
The 2026 Sentra is offered in four trims starting at $23,645, including the $1,245 destination charge for the base S trim. The pretty much loaded SL will cost $29,235 delivered, while the SR with all-weather, premium, and moonroof packages slips just under $30K at $29,845 delivered.
Fuel efficiency is projected to be 29 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined, which is in the same range as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra with a 2.0-liter and CVT. However, all three of those competitors are also available with hybrid powertrains that push combined fuel economy up to the 48-50 mpg range. The hybrids are a few thousand dollars more, but if you want maximum fuel efficiency in this size class and form factor, Nissan just has nothing to offer right now.
For those who want the sportiest feel in this class of car, the Civic and Mazda 3 are also a step beyond the Sentra, and the Mazda has by far the most impressive interior, along with options for turbocharged engines and all-wheel drive. But it’s good to have choices, and the 2026 Sentra is absolutely an option that gives car buyers a really decent car that they probably won’t regret and a fantastic value, especially in the context of where the car market is in 2025.
A shame the economics/market don’t justify a proper SE-R version anymore. But overall, doesn’t seem too bad at all. With the Altima going away, the Sentra has to do all the 4 door sedan lifting now. Hopefully it helps keep the lights on.
“Around those corners, the Sentra will still understeer at the limit, but let’s be realistic, most Sentra drivers aren’t going to use this car that way.”
Have you ever actually seen a Sentra on the highway? They are all driven that way.
I’d make a few styling adjustments, but looks-wise I like it better than a K-4.
I’m a fan of Nissan’s current design language.
“another website” has the SL trim vs. the SR trim review here. The SL looks better and is more mature and handsome. Not a bad job really. Exterior piano-black trim on the SR is a bad idea.
You motorboating son of a bitch. You old sailor, you.
Too bad it comes with black wheels.
The overall shape of the Sentra is ok, but as is usually the case these days, the details are wanting.
It seems that the only Japanese car company that can make consistently good-looking cars across the product line is Mazda.
Sorry, showing my age and limited experience with automatic gear boxes here … but what does B mean on an automatic gear shift lever?
I know R is for racing, but B, that is a new one….
In my day yank cars used to have R N P D 1 2 ….
That is BREAK mode. It allows owners to decide when and where their Jatco CVT will fail.
I say it’s the BORING mode, but with a CVT it’d all be B’s, even reverse.
B is the new L, but it doesn’t make sense on a pure ICE car, only hybrids/EVs. Gives you more regen when you release the throttle.
In my Prius v, ????️ (B) is for engine braking. I tend to use it when going down steep hills–gas is certainly cheaper than brake pads.
The one bummer is that the engine goes up to x revs, and uses the extra to start charging the HV battery, but once the HV battery is fully charged, the revs suddenly jump much higher now that it can no longer offload the energy to the battery. Still, it takes a particularly long hill to do that.
Nissan CVT will continue to be problematic. Do they even have the cash for a truly clean sheet design at this point? No more bandaid fixes.
Honest question: Is it really as bad as a Ford PowerShift? Would doubling the service interval on it increase the odds?
“Is it really as bad as a Ford PowerShift? “
No.
And with the Nissan CVT, being aggressively strict with the service interval and sticking to the ‘severe service’ schedule should mean it lasts a decently long time in most cases.
But personally, if I was getting a CVT, I’d rather have a rock solid Toyota/Ford eCVT over the Nissan-style CVT.
I had a Sentra as a rental car a couple months ago and I thought “wow-this is a perfectly nice and adequate car, and I have no idea why you would buy one instead of a Honda Civic“. But consistent with the thesis of this review, I like that this car exists, and it does seem like Nissan has addressed the things that made the Sentra feel markedly inferior to the competition, namely, the droney, thrashy drivetrain and associated NVH.
Finding a balance between over and underwhelming is not easy. I think the Nissan Designers got it exactly right.
In a couple years, picking a Sentra that the rental car company is done with would probably be a great buy for a lot of people.
assuming they have fixed the reliability issues with their CVT.
This was my experience with the last several Nissan rentals I’ve had, notably the Sentra and Altima. They are fine, but I cannot think of a reason to buy the Nissans over their competitors. Hopefully Nissan figures out some way to keep up with the competition so cars like this remain in existence.
Stopped reading at “CVT”
Come on, Nissan! By now you should be fully aware your CVTs are the complete opposite of a selling point. Regular torque converter automatics have gotten pretty good and incredibly reliable. I don’t know what kind of hostage situation Nissan is in with Jatco, but it’s going to be their nail in the coffin.
They really need to Make and eCVT if they are going to stick with these things. just to get the stigma off of the brand when a CVT is mentioned. Probably won’t work, but it could also have the desired effect of a few more MPG in town and avoid “upgrading” the car to a motorcycle sized engine with a Hair Dryer attached to it. the best thing they could do is hold onto the NA 4 cylinder and pull a decent auto from a parts bin. nobody at this price level requires 10 gears to shudder around on because of cheap programming, they just want something that will go A-B for 150,000 miles reliably and cheaply.
Exactly. Modern automatics are almost always locked in gear so they don’t feel slushy like they did 20+ years ago. 5 or 6 forward gears should be enough and cheap with probably identical efficiency and much, much better reliability, driver engagement and, like you said, none of the stigma.
Nissan could swear on their mother the CVT in this Sentra is flawless and I still wouldn’t touch it. A lot of family members and friends come to me for car recommendations and I always steer them away from any CVT-equipped Nissan. It’s a default at this point.
We like the 6-speed automatics in our 2015 Cruze 2LT and 2024 Trax LS. Zero problems in 10 years and 90K miles with the Cruze and 2 years and 5600 miles with the Trax.
We wouldn’t have bought either of them if they had a CVT.
I mean, the big asterisk with an eCVT is that the design can only work with a hybrid setup…so if this Sentra is ICE-only, it just won’t work.
I do love the eCVT in my Prius v, though.
that is correct, the first part of this is to go mild hybrid with an eCVT to try to get some street cred back along with reduce fuel consumption and probably what at least feels like a bit more acceleration. But then I said, “the best thing they could do is hold onto the NA 4 cylinder and pull a decent auto from a parts bin.” basically the most reliable 4-6 speed auto Nissan has access to bolted to the NA 2.0 is hopefully the recipe for a bigger, more desirable Mirage replacement. yes small cars are low on the market scale, but they do still have a market that is going unfulfilled for the most part. Especially if they are in the 20K price range when new.
They love me. Is that not enough for you all?
We love you too, just not when you do your impression of the Challenger.
Nothing personal, man (or machine?)
The Mazda 3, Elantra *Hybrid*, Kia K4 GT-line, and VW Jetta are the only vehicles in this class that aren’t equipped with a CVT, only 2 of which aren’t base models. Why should Nissan invest in designing an conventional auto for this application when they’ve successfully faked gears to eliminate drone?
JATCO is Nissan’s own creation. I think a lot of the CVT problems come from larger more powerful cars (149hp isn’t really pushing it) and lack of maintenance, and they were way more problematic before ~2014
Modern transmissions are not so much designed as they are purchased and adapted, so the cost of swapping them is not as high as you might think. Few (if any) manufacturers are going through the trouble of designing their own transmissions from scratch.
I compare the CVTs to the start/stop fad. It’s efficiency for the sake of complying with regulations but in the end it tends to 1. Not be as efficient in the real world as it was on paper and 2. Creates problems and maintenance costs that didn’t exist, possibly making them worse for the environment long term.
I mean, how many broken Nissan CVTs are leaking toxic fluid in junkyards and landfills vs how much they saved on fuel compared to a traditional auto?
In a lot of the world like Asia, CVTs are used because they’re cheap and get the job done. They don’t run into the same reliability problems experienced in the US because engines in those markets are smaller, and the rest of the car ages out by the time issues occur because they travel shorter distances; US drivers hit 100k miles faster than drivers in most other countries hit 100k kilometers.
With the new Murano they’ve started adopting the (flawed) ZF 9-speed for their larger vehicles, but I still don’t think it’s needed in a Sentra, Versa, or Kicks.
Nissan probably used the fuel economy gains from the CVT on saving money by not having to implement additional efficiency features elsewhere, especially their engines. They only started using fancy downsized turbo engines as the primary powertrain in the past couple years, way later than everyone else,even Toyota.
As a non-US citizen I can tell you Nissan CVTs also built that reputation here. The Nissan X-Trail and Quashquai/Rogue which are very popular models here have seen their used prices plummet and justifiably so because the CVTs are almost guaranteed to blow up. Same goes for the Sentra and the R52 Pathfinder. It’s a shame because they can be had for so cheap and offer so much car for the money, except that you’re buying a ticking time bomb.
CVTs are also lighter than ATs, which might be a factor, but then again slimming weight down doesn’t seem to be a priority for manufacturers anymore.
Jatco is 75% owned by Nissan and 15% by their alliance partner Mitsubishi. The rest is owned by Suzuki.
I mean, auto stop/start might not have any significant difference for you or I at the pump, but when you look at the collective effect of every single car with it, I bet it makes a noticeable dent in terms of fuel not used.
those other brands don’t have quite the failure record. Even if the Toyota CVT was supplied to Toyota it would take a lot of time for the stigma to fully fall away.
I suppose if Nissan out a full 100K no questions asked warranty on all CVT’s built after whatever point they actually improved the Nissan CVT. that might go somewhere towards rebuilding the reputation, but on the years they got sued for and lost the extended warranty only went to 84 months and 84K miles. Strangely, 80k miles is fully in the red zone for most CVT life estimates from Nissan.
I think at this point it’s not worth trying to save their reputation on CVTs, either move to the ZF 9-speed for the larger/non-hybrid vehicles and spend on developing a good hybrid transmission for hybrids (or on EVs).
The only selling point Nissan needs is, “We finance anyone with a pulse”.
I can tell you were whelmed by the Sentra.
As a press event, with no base model S to test?
To make the claim of “basic transport” and without the most basic model, they’re really trying to upsell us – or to hide that basic model as they’re not terribly proud of it.
I’d malign the missing 6MT SR model, which would have been worth it for the free marketing of press photos alone – but I suspect they just want to showcase what they want to sell us.
Counterpoint- it’s a chonk, it’ll look ridiculous on the 16″ wheels most buyers will get, and fake rear quarter windows are stupid. Underneath it’s all leftovers that have been warmed up for the third time because there’s nothing else in the fridge. It doesn’t need to be great but literally every other option in the category is better than this.
Counter-counterpoint
16″ wheels means affordable tires: I’m happy to see wheel sizes shrink a little.
Absolutely agree,I learned that lesson the hard way.
+1. Wheel/tire shrinkage also keeps (replacement) costs lower. The low-profile look just doesn’t fit with the reality of many streets and roads.
Counterpoint, it’s a Nisssan. 16″ wheels are a downsize from the assortment of 18″ temps it will likely be rolling on in 5 years.
Hey, Sam forgot to mention the most valuable consideration for the Nissan buyer… does it come with a “temporary” spare?
More importantly, HOW MANY “temporary” spares does it come with? If it’s less than three that would be a popular option.
Other reviews have shown it does not, but there’s likely space for one.
Would it have really killed Nissan to offer up a manual? Their janky CVT’s are the very reason I’d never shop for a modern Nissan.
Sadly yes. Developing a Manual with modern stuff like accident avoidance isn’t free. And Nissan can’t afford to develop cars that will sell in the dozens at best.
The manual from the last gen model could have easily been carried over. The cost to do that would have been minimal.
Also note the platform this is on is the same platform as many other vehicles in the Nissan-Renault world that still have the 6-speed manual available in some markets… one example being the current Nissan Qashqai which is still sold with a manual in some markets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault%E2%80%93Nissan_Common_Module_Family#CMF-C/D
So it’s not even like they’d have to restart manual transmission production. It’s still in production.
It’s just a lack of willingness to try going after more sport-oriented drivers.
Yeah, but the take rate on manuals is so low, that they wouldn’t be able to afford to print custom window stickers.
(or more importantly, repeat EPA mileage testing).
I think if they made a manual SE-R with a 220+hp version of the MR18DDT engine, I think that not only would it would sell, it would sell at a premium.
And it would also improve the image of the Sentra.
To get a small fun manual performance sedan, you have to go to… ummm… the Civic SI sedan which only has 200hp… And that sells for US$31K.
If they merely match Honda’s price while offering more power, I bet they could make some decent money even if it only makes up 5% of sales.
They have the transmission, they have the engine and it’s on a chassis that supports both.
20-30 years ago, Nissan would easily be able to sell this car. Nissan was the car company that made sleepers like the original SE-R and the Maxima with the 5 speeds and the like. The customers knew that Nissan had some gems and the dealers knew how to sell them.
I don’t know if the dealers would know how to sell it, not sure if Nissan knows how to market it. What cars are the dealers going to order, what colors, what packages etc. Years ago, I remember a Nissan Dealership in the area I lived sold Nissans and Mercedes. Now, the local one is basically a giant BH/PH used dealership that sells new Nissans for the few people with good enough credit to afford a lease. I don’t think they would have a clue on what to order for a Civic SI/ VW GTI challenger, nevertheless know how to sell it.
I think Nissan first has to rebuild to where they aren’t a running joke about temporary spares, piano boxes, and mis-matched doors before they can go back to being the king of the sleepers from the 90s.
Or, they could gamble and just go for it and see what happens. Which would be my hope, but not expectation.
Maybe. Nissan is near bankruptcy and they would lose money on a manual.
No this is an important part of the review, as most Nissan drivers I’ve seen will absolutely use the car this way.
Ok all kidding aside (sort of), this seems to be perfectly cromulent transportation. I’m certain I’ll rent one at some point and perhaps pick it among the sea of Hyundai Elantras just to try something different.
I think the drivers are better at not crashing with understeer, thanks Nissan for keeping the rest of us safe!
I understand all the positives in the article, but until Nissan can prove that its version of the CVT holds up better, just nope.
Ugh, fake shifting. Just let a CVT be a CVT.
This sounds like a good option for a cheap by 2025 standards car. My only hangup would be that I need to see data showing that Nissan has gotten their shit together with non-planetary gear CVTs. Otherwise the Sentra falls into the cheap lease only category for me.
Thankfully, Nissan is continuing its recent trend of scaling back on the piano black with the Sentra being limited to the panel around the shifter and the buttons around the centrally located volume knob
So, all the places that are regularly touched are still Piano Black. Grrrrr…
….while adding Piano Black to the front and rear bumpers, the fake window behind the rear doors, the spoiler and the roof.
Not exactly a win.
Point of order; interior piano black trim tends to be acrylic trim with underpainting or printing, or even solid gloss black acrylic itself. It’s very soft which is why it collects all the crud and scratches.
The exterior black panels (on, say, the bumpers, rocker panel extensions, or spoiler) may actually be painted black plastic or a different plastic material entirely with different wear characteristics. It would be no different than if the car was using body-colored trim painted black.
The one area where I’ve noticed materials similar to “piano black” is pillar trim, but that varies greatly depending on the manufacturer.
I call for an appeal from the decision of the chair. Regardless if the exterior front and rear are true “piano black.” The front grill already looks like crap in the pictures. The mere movement of air rushing past it appears to have scratched it.
However I did enjoy reading about this everyday boring car!
You’ve described every car with a black painted exterior in existence. That’s the trouble with black: it shows every flaw in the paint and doesn’t hide any dirt (though I will say water spots have tarnished that grille more than scratches).
The front grill looks like a giant piece of piano black plastic…. In the photos its already scratched… REALLY Nissan? Also due to the CVT, this would never be on the shopping list. It does have a great low starting price, just needs a 5spd or a regular automatic transmission.
I am curious if anyone has advised their elderly parents in buying a new (or newish) vehicle.
Having a hard time finding a car that I think would work for my parents. Touchscreens, fake buttons and anything techy is a real negative even though I realize all new cars have too much tech.
I was hoping this new Sentra might be a viable option for them, but it won’t know how simple it is until I sit in one.
I think a used car is a best option, but having a new vehicle with a warranty is very reassuring.
(Posting it here because I think it might be a good topic for a future Autopian article, but also assuming I am not alone in being in this situation)
In general, if tech avoidance is the very top priority, I’d be looking to the last year of a generation, not the first year of a new one. In other words, see if you can find a 2025 Sentra rather than a 2026.
What kind of car do they have now? They might want something familiar to their old car so they don’t have to relearn as much. Even with the tech in new cars you can still find trends that continue within the brands, such as Mazda putting more emphasis on driver engagement and Buick putting comfort first.
My mother drives an older Impreza, which is honestly the perfect car for her because no real vehicle functions need the touchscreen. All the heater controls and stuff have their own buttons.
A used Subaru, before they went with the massive touch screen, but newer than what she currently has is my default pick.
In my experience the top priority for elderly parents is easy ingress/egress, which means a CUV.
I’m not 60 yet but am starting to think my next vehicle will be a CUV. Getting in and out of my wife’s minivan is so much easier than my sedan.
I honestly never thought about them getting a minivan, even though I love how much room they have. I am going to have to remember this. They don’t want anything big, so it would have to be an older model (less tech and hopefully smaller). I know Mazda used to make that old MPV or something which was a small minivan.
Minivans are shocking small feeling to drive. They don’t feel like driving a big CUV. The lack of long hood makes it feel a lot more compact.
My mother currently has an older Impreza, so a slightly new Legacy or Outback would probably be perfect (slightly larger and slightly higher up). Except that she has stated she doesn’t want anything big. And climbing up to get into a vehicle is a no-go. Getting them to go visit a dealership is like pulling teeth.
Rent a car for a day and have them drive it, see how they like it. Rental agencies will have the brand new stuff, and Turo will have just about anything else you might consider.
Not a bad idea, but it would be great if they could just go to a CarMax which has so many different models that they can simply sit in. Within the first minute of getting into a car, they would scratch off a ton of vehicles from their list. Then when they are down to 1 or 2, we could consider renting one for them to drive for a few days.
AARP actually does review cars. They like the Forester because of the visability and big doors to get in and out. I don’t remember any of their thoughts on the touchscreen but Subaru is general below their peers in that infotainment stuff.
My mother already drive an Impreza. My go-to pick is a slightly newer Impreza. Or Legacy/Outback. Forester is another decent pick too. Just had to be old enough to not have those massive touchscreens that the newer ones do.
Crosstrek would probably bridge that gap as well. That & Impreza through 2023, and Forester 2024, had a “normal” screen and would be a good position agewise. Legacy/Outback had that big touchscreen since 2020MY so that might get too old.
I’ve had similar thoughts whenever my parents car shop again. HVAC controls are one thing, shifter is another (pass on dials, buttons, or monostable, but most budget options don’t have those) as well as instrument cluster (digital is fine but should still have a traditional dial-style view).
Hyundai/Kia keep a good amount of physical controls, but the newer base digital gauges might be too busy at least with the tach and the hybrids have nontraditional shifters.
Honda seemed to learn their lesson and the newer interiors are simple and functional again but then there’s Honda pricing.
I would keep far and away from any Hyundais and Kias for other issues. I don’t care how much they have tried to polish their image over the last few years, they have some terrible engineering on some of their 4 cylinder engines and their dealerships treat all their customers as if they are low-rent buyers since that is where the brand was marketed at years back.
Just speaking to the ergonomic side of things. I wouldn’t either, I know more people that have had some kind of issues with 2010s-era H/K products than any other brands. And the thefts still tend to be an issue as it seems like the majority of stolen car posts that pop up Nextdoor are an H/K model.
And because of the thefts, the insurance on those are super high.
So even if they were the perfect car ergonomically, I would stay away no matter what.
They can polish a turd, but its still a turd. At least most of them.
I would totally get a Stinger though. Hell yeah. But the Stinger is an oddball in their lineup (in a good way).
My parents aren’t even that old, but at this point I’m praying someone develops something along the lines of “Jitterbug – The Car” or maybe a Jitterbug trim level? I think a lot of us are already used to operating as an IT department for our parents, but now that responsibility has spread to my parents operating their car.
I don’t like this very much and would like it to stop.
I would love that. But things are going in the opposite direction, unfortunately.
I don’t expect it to stop.
The day my parents end up with a car where the glovebox is opened by the touch screen… God help me.
Yeah, mix in the issue that my parents aren’t native English speakers, and this problem gets 10x worse.
It is infuriating what the Teslafication of the automobile has created for consumers. All the dumbest fucken tech that no one asked for, but that makes people go “wow” upon first glance, but is infuriating to use when traveling 60 mph down the highway.
Could how ignorable/non-critical the touchscreen is be a factor? The current Honda interiors all have touchscreens, but their HVAC controls are 100% physical knobs and buttons, lights & wipers etc. are all still physical as well, and you don’t need to interact with the touchscreen to do anything but use AA/CP and maayyyybe for the AM/FM radio (but the steering wheel should have play/pause & seek controls).
Yeah, if regular vehicle controls are normal buttons, it would be fine. My mother drives an older Impreza which has normal buttons, but the touch screen is just for the radio and back up camera. She basically never bothers with the radio.
Older Hondas have typically also had simple controls like Subaru.
Yes. My parents recently bought a 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and my in-laws bought a 2025 Escape. Ages range from 70 to 80. The moms can deal with smartphones OK – the dads both hate smartphones with a passion and neither can figure out how to even text.
None of them have an issue with the touchscreens in their new cars. Yes we had to pair their phones but they do fine with using the touchscreen for navigation, calls, and HVAC once it was set up.
My parents switched from a Prius to a RAV4 because they had a hard time getting into and especially out of the Prius. The in-law made the move from a sedan to a CUV for the same reason earlier (father-in-law is 80 with a bum knee)
Safety systems are KEY. We encouraged them to keep auto braking, lane centering, and the parking sensors on. Both parents have had the autobraking kick in and keep them from rear ending a car. My father won’t keep the lane centering on because he likes to drive with the left fender right on the center line and the car keeps trying to put him back in the center of the lane. He says the car is wrong not his driving.
I need my parents to clarify if sitting up higher is better or worse because I’ve gotten mixed responses from them. Their current Impreza is a fairly upright car, so not sure if that’s an issue. I can’t imagine them stepping up to get into a crossover would be easier. Seems counterintuitive, but if that’s what they want, it’s fine.
My mother can barely use her jiggerbug type of flip phone. She has no experience with this stuff so she ain’t learning it now with a touchscreen on a car. A language barrier makes things more difficult as well. So a touchscreen with only the most basic functions (i.e. radio and backup camera) is needed for my parents.
My mother, who knows absolutely nothing about cars, has always like the RAV4, but I honestly think it is too big for them. They should at least try it, but I can already hear them complaining about it being huge.
Can we leave the Jalopnik-style snarky and non-helpful comments over there please?
I don’t think this is snarky. The People don’t want to fund it here, it’s a matter of record, and that means nearly everyone *needs* a car which is relevant to a review of less expensive options. If you’re reading more into a single sentence statement of fact it says more about the reader than the author.
Agreed, it is a basic truth that we won’t spend the money on public transport. Perhaps if we discussed more often we could effect change. Ef knows it’s damn crowded on those roads and am hour or more stuck in traffic is a drag
The implied context that it is some kind of failing that we don’t fund mass transit, or that it would be desirable to do so, is more specifically what I’d prefer not to see.
Curious why you think it’s not? Are you suggesting we should be ok with choked roads? As much as I like cars… everyone having one is neither sustainable nor good for anyone’s commute.
Ah yes, reminds me of one of my favorite Onion headlines: Report: 98 Percent Of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation For Others
I for one would love it if other people took public transit.
That is a political opinion, one that is treated as sacrosanct here, and I think it would perhaps be helpful to realize that not everyone shares that opinion. That maybe such opinions need not be part of car reviews here.
“The implied context that it is some kind of failing that we don’t fund mass transit…”
Which is exactly what it is.
I’m perfectly fine not funding failing, mass transit boondoggles.
Which is weird since it works where it has been funded.
Not just in big cities such as NY, Chicago, SF, Seattle or LA….
…but also towns such as Las Vegas (the Aria Express, the Mandalay Tram and the Treasure Island Tram)
Or Richmond VA – rated 4th best city for public transit – where GRTC busses are at no additional cost to riders.
Even Palm Springs has a “free” shuttle system called “The Buzz” which brings tourists and locals to the main entertainment/dining/shopping part of town.
My friends and I used the bus system in Ocean City, Maryland this summer on vacation. It was amazing and saved us so much stress and driving.
Those don’t meet the definition of “failing” then do they? That also contradicts the “refuse to fund public transit” sentiment that the author and majority of the commentariat here have. It’s almost like the USA is an expansive country with vastly different public transit requirements across states and cities.
And what keeps public transit systems from succeeding?
9 times out of 10 – it’s funding.
Citation? Of course if we had unlimited resources we’d be able to build the utopian society you desire. I highly doubt that would match the society I desire so I’m going to leave this discussion at that.
Compared to many other countries (and many that are considerably less wealthy than the US), we have lousy public transportation. Given that not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford a $50,000 new car (or a Viper – whether new or used)… the comment is neither particularly snarky nor “unhelpful.” Sorry it ruffles your feathers.
Nah. It’s a helpful to acknowledge that in a functioning society, many people who drive economy cars (and frankly cars of all sorts) would be better served with quality public transit.
I stopped going to Jalopnik because the site blasted me with adds and turned my phone into a space heater. Not because I had any particular problem with their political commentary.
I completely agree. There are plenty of political commentary sites out there. Put those comments elsewhere. I want to read about cars!
The economic conditions that give rise to a need for a basic economy car are well within the scope of an article about said economy car.
If there is a desire to read about the car and not at all about why it is needed, who it is for, where it stands in the greater marketplace, then perhaps just read the spec sheet.
Good writing incorporates more than just the specs. I think the overall piece is well-balanced without at all being preachy. If the reality that poor people exist and create a need for a low-cost car is just too much for you to bear, that sounds like a personal problem.
I however, have no issue with being very political about this. Cars are too expensive because of greedy shitstains that run these companies. They cater only to their shareholders, the customers can suck it or walk if they don’t like it. You’ll buy a bloated, overpriced pickup truck that you can drive to the office, or a bloated overpriced SUV that you can do the same thing in.
The conditions that permit such greed to exist are fully endorsed by those in charge of our government. They are bought and paid for by the highest bidder so that large corporations can do as they please. They’ll squeeze every last penny out of the customers and if anything goes wrong, they’ll just fold the company under the protection of bankruptcy, skipping off to the bank with everything they can carry.
There, I feel better.
I have no problem with reading this sort of thing in the comment section, despite my wholehearted disagreement with much of it. My problem is only finding such sentiments in the articles on a site that I support with my actual dollars.
Lest you think this is some one-sided thing, I’d have the same complaint if the preachiness came from the other political direction. But the very idea of a right-leaning review being published here is so laughable that it should tell you something.
Suppose a review said something like: The vehicle comes with extra ride height, suspension clearance and big chunky tires, which are becoming desirable for navigating America’s ever deteriorating roads.
Would that be politically neutral enough?
I guess I’d prefer the focus to be on the vehicle, and the extraneous commentary almost never adds anything of value for me. What, besides groupthink approval or virtue signaling, is added to the piece by the words after the last comma?
I mean, without the second half of Andy’s sentence, it’s literally just a list.
Come on now V10, in the same ways people can be a little hot on what people like and don’t like here, is comparing the inclusion of any sort of commentary to a post here akin to “groupthink” or “virtue-signaling”? For that sentence, the author is only establishing cause and effect.
In the case of the article, cars are the alternative to public transportation. I know this, because my wife bought a new Corolla back in 2012 after 6 months on the underfunded and unreliable bus where we lived. She wanted to make the bus work, and in a place with a different mindset, it would have.
A Sentra really is an alternative to public transit for a lot of people.
Again, just trying to picture in my head what the commentariat’s reaction would be if an even vaguely conservative-coded opinion was dropped as an “obvious truth” by an author in a review (as opposed to a Morning Dump or specifically political story).
The screeching that ensues here when Elon Musk is reported on factually is wild. Imagine an article praising him, even faintly? Like come on, groupthink is not an inappropriate description of what’s going on here. Look at the replies to my post if you need any more evidence.
“But in a country where most politicians and taxpayers are unwilling to fund basic, reliable public transit” is not just a dry statement of fact. It’s a slanted opinion, written to sympathize with only one side of a political debate. The paragraph it’s snipped from would have conveyed exactly the same relevant information without it being included. The fact that it still was bothers me.
If I said: “Our road infrastructure is crumbling because too much of our tax revenue is devoted instead to $50 billion trains to nowhere in California”, that is also factual but clearly not unbiased.
The authors are entitled to their views, as are we all, but my preference on a site I pay for is not to have them included in articles.
“the car website i choose to spend a few dollars a month on said we don’t spend enough taxpayer money on busses and i don’t like it” is such a diaper baby opinion i can’t believe you’re sharing it with your chest
Yeahhh, I’m not quite sure this is the right attitude either.
I’m sorry, did I ask for your opinion either?
no but it’s here for free- you don’t have to worry about spending your actual dollars on it, what a steal
I’d be totally cool with an author lampooning poorly-thought-out expensive trains, even though I love me some trains. If it made sense contextually.
And I’m going to have to disagree, if the writers here stopped giving me their views, I’d leave. I just don’t really see why I’d bother reading anything without a human element to it, whether those be opinions, analysis, even their biases. Sometimes I wished they gave us more personal insights. I’m not exactly a STICK TO SPORTS type. And if I disagree with the author’s slant… so be it?
Ehhhhhh, I don’t know about that. Regardless of what you opinion is, that quote you snipped there is simply a fact. Sure there’s the implication of an opinion there, maybe, but it doesn’t say “idiot politicians and idiot taxpayers” for instance. This statement on it’s own is a fact, whether we like it or not.
I wouldn’t find much of the writing here particularly engaging if the writers felt the need to edit things down so much that they can’t even mention the state of public transit whilst writing about affordable cars. The people writing about cars here, obviously love cars. But a review of the Sentra with literally no nuance or consideration for the world that exists around it is… well, a Consumer Reports article.
I agree. I don’t think it was about public transportation so much as framing the needs of an undeserved population that the Sentra might be able to serve.
Thing is that public transportation doesn’t work in many communities. My city is spread out like someone trying to use one pat of butter to cover 3 slices of toast. There are tons of places to work, each on with about 100-1000 employees, there isn’t one place with 20,000 employees. These offices are scattered around like Johnny Appleseed was drunk that day and tripped over a rock. Around these places are subdivisions, apartments, shopping areas, etc. Just on my street, there are people that go 8 different directions to work for 6 families. There’s not even a reasonable option to carpool.
My city grew up during a period where everyone had a car. It’s a patchwork quilt on Meth (in some areas literally) of zoning and layout where businesses bought cheap land from a farmer, converted it to something else, without any consideration of how people might get to somewhere else if they didn’t have a car.
The only way to make Public Transportation workable would be to buy up the land from everyone in the entire city, knock everything down and start over again. Which makes the budget to do that well beyond unreasonable.
real dodge owner take here lol, lmao even
Personally, I think Public Transportation is over-rated for the mid-21st century. Public Transport works when everyone works in a certain area (say a giant factory or a major shopping/business district downtown).
Things are changing. The big thing around here is “mixed usage” places. We have communities being built that have shopping, entertainment and places to live all within easy walking distance.
We have friends that live at one of these communities. They have a car, but haven’t driven it regularly since they moved there. The man has a “WFH” job as an accountant and only occasionally has to go to the office for some mandatory meeting. The wife is 100% remote and their daughter works at one of the stores there when not talking classes online. (The only challenge they face is that they have two dogs with a combined weight of well over 300 lbs that could obviously need more room to exercise.)
I think these places will become more and more commonplace. Mass transportation isn’t required when a community is 100% walking friendly. These communities and their remote workers will reduce the demand on roads for the more commonplace suburbia that dominated 20th century city planning.
Mass transit will have its place in larger higher population density, just like cars in places with lower population density, but more and more Americans will just walk for life and only occasionally need transportation in/out of these mixed used communities.
I assume you are focusing on city busses and maybe light rail and subways only as “public transit” also includes commercial aviation:
https://aviationinfo.net/do-planes-count-as-public-transport/
Those will be quite relevant for the foreseeable future as it’s pretty hard to cross an ocean any other way. Same with getting across the US, sure you can drive but its going to take a.lot.longer..
I don’t agree however that public transit is losing relevance. If you think traffic and parking in big cities is insane now imagine if EVERYONE who needed to go more than a mile on a daily basis had no bus, trolley or subway to use but was forced to take a car. Even if those cars were ride shares that’s still a LOT more cars on the already crowded roads.
Will mixed usage and WFH be enough to cull that? One can hope but I doubt it. there is still the issues of parking and weather.
Agree that planes, light rail, cars, rail lines, and other forms of transportation will remain important, but it won’t be as critical a problem as it is today because of WFH and mixed usage communities.
My city’s population is growing. Perhaps by 2050, there will be around twice the people living there. But I doubt we will need twice the road capacity or a major upgrade in public transportation.
The reason I say this is that we have seen a 10%+ increase in population and a reduction in traffic. The reason isn’t public transportation, it’s the impact of WFH.
Will this completely offset the population growth for the next 50 years? No idea, but it has so far and I think other communities will see this influence.
I doubt it but I’m happy to be wrong. I am big fan of WFH but there are powerful forces of darkness whose livings are dependent on office drones and will do (and have been doing) whatever it takes to force workers back into cubicles. Traffic congestion, increased fuel use, increased wear and tear on vehicles and roadways, poorer public health, and of course overvalued commercial property values, those and more social detriments are someone’s money stream.
There’s a big thing of a lack of trust that drives this. But that will change. The drivers will be:
Do I think the majority of people will be regularly WFH in my lifetime. I doubt it. But I think more and more will do WFH over time and our infrastructure will remain right on that “creaking but still somewhat functional” place it is now.
Unfortunately that is balanced by:
Big oil seeing lower revenue from less commuting.
Big auto seeing lower revenue from fewer sales of vehicles and parts.
Big government seeing diminished tax income from commercial properties and lower employment of everyone whose jobs depend on office work.
Big construction seeing less demand for commercial office and retail space, less road repair and upgrades.
Big real estate seeing less revenue from dropping commissions on the sale of commercial RE.
Big restaurant seeing less revenue from commuting workers.
Big custodial services seeing less revenue from empty office parks.
Managers who liked the way things were.
Companies that own their own buildings and want to make sure the values don’t drop.
(This is not a comprehensive list. I’m sure I missed a few.)
Industries who depend on office work will continue to force their own workers back to the office and continue to exert pressure on government to shape policy to make sure other industries less dependent on RTO do the same. To them WFH for the rank and file is an anathema, a herecy that must be stamped out at any cost, (preferably those costs are to be paid by others).
Only the elites should be afforded the luxury of choice of where and when to work because their time is FAR too valuable for sitting in traffic like some filthy worker animal.
I have a more optimistic view. Because I am more pessimistic about politicians keeping up with road demand that a growing population will need to keep up with everyone going to the office like it’s 1960.
Sorry to burst your optimism but the solution being foist by TPTB to THAT issue isn’t WFH. Its not even to fix the roads. No, the “solution” is to harness those crowded, poor quality roads as a selling point for office drones to buy massively profitable off roading big trucks and SUVs so those broken drones can fantasize the dream of being top dog in blue sky country even in the midst of oppressive, gritty bumper to bumper downtown traffic.
If anything I think the lower end drones will eventually be required to start paying a pretty penny for the luxury of parking those beasts in their employer owned parking lot within waddling distance of their cubicle or be forced to take public transit to the office from wherever they manage to squeeze in. That’s how it is if you work at a university and I’m kind of surprised that nonsense hasn’t spread further.
Like it or not it’s a statement of fact and one very relevant to the topic here.
“Can we leave the Jalopnik-style snarky and non-helpful comments over there please?”
No.
I’m pretty sure the commentary on here will prove just exactly why that transaction price has climbed. I’m sure there will be no shortage of “Nissan energy” comments to follow. It’s not that affordable good cars don’t exist it’s that we’re far too caught up in this notion of keeping up with the Jone’s to get out of our own way.
Just to make a comment about inflation and memory and all, that $23,645 is equal to $19,111 in late 2019. That $29,845 is the same as $23k in 2019. That’s a ton of car for the price, not perfect, but solidly good enough.
The world needs more “good enough”, I say.
I’m OK with the new Nissan corporate face, but the Leaf did it right, not… this. Making the entire front bumper piano black is not design.
Its not too bad, I think. There are other versions of that grill that were shown on the initial release. Some have a lot less black. I do think the Leaf is better looking overall, but also more generic. This is different enough to be a little interesting.
I am curious how that piano black front will look after a few years in the Florida sun and 50,000 miles of smashing into insects. Will it be easy to keep clean and shiny?
From what I’ve seen on ~2014 refresh Corolla grills (earliest piano black bumper I can think of), they seem to hold up decently well. A different commenter noted that gloss black on the exterior is often paint, while it’s usually scratch prone acrylic used in interiors.
Plastic tends to hold up better than metal in those areas because plastic is flexible and bends, while metal dents.
But you do have to keep up with the cleaning.
You aren’t easily getting 5 years of caked on ‘squito guts off. :puke:
Many of those who will buy a Sentra will do so because of loan qualification reasons.
Perhaps, but if so, it is way better to finance 25K than 40 or 50K. Also that orange color is fantastic. I am do gd sick of grayscale and platinum variants and black in the upper Midwest snow/salt region looks like crap
Instructions unclear, 96month financing on a Ram1500 or Jeep Royale with Cheese.
You can also finance a $25,000 Mazda 3 S Sedan – which is just a better car overall.
OK, point was credit score <600? Debt to income ratio out of whack? Stay in the affordable lane, with a new car with a warranty. Hell, even if you can afford more for an appliance keep it cheap. Little Mazda (in that divine red) or a Sentra in orange? Seems brilliant to me. More disposable $$ for toy car
At least if someone needed or wanted a sedan then they still have a few choices out there.
Oh, and its not an Altima.
With Altima being discontinued, be ready for Big Sentra Energy.