Nissan, Nissan, Nissan. My once beloved company that started churning out rental-car level vehicles for much of the 2010s has drawn me back with a slew of wonderfully executed products over the last couple of years, and the 2026 Nissan Sentra SR feels like the icing on the cake. 

My first car was a 2000 Nissan Altima SE, and that happened because the first new car I remember my family buying was a 2001 Nissan Altima GXE with the upgraded LE package which added 16-inch alloys, upgraded dampers, and an in-dash six-disk CD changer, among other things.

When it came time for me to shell out all of six grand for my first car, it had to be an Altima, and I ignored the clearly resprayed front bumper so I could get the SE trim with those sweet 16-inch alloys, four-wheel disc brakes, trunk spoiler and a chrome exhaust finisher to go along with those so-2000s sporty white-faced gauges. It was manual too, and I loved every bit of that car. It was different from the masses buying up Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys. It was sportier too, with more power than either of those two’s four cylinder variants. 

You see Nissan has always felt like the underdog to Toyota and Honda, and back in the day it offered real value, a little more athleticism and more unique looks for your dollar. The Sentra is a return to form.

No, it isn’t officially the successor to my Altima, but since that nameplate is dead and the proportions are close, it sure feels like the spiritual one. Even the power is damn near identical, with the Sentra offering up 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque, numbers just a hair shy of my Altima’s bigger engine (more on that later).

I’m bringing sexy back

The new Sentra is a looker, especially finished in an unapologetic orange called Energetic Ember, with a black roof and pillars to add some additional flash. The front end is dominated by a massive angled grille that integrates three-element headlights and DRLs, along with the prominent Nissan logo and SR badge.

It looks unique, far more daring than what today’s handsome-but-kinda-boring Civic looks like and looks a generation newer than the current Corolla. You could argue the Elantra offers up similar athletic vibes, but the new Sentra still comes off fresher and slightly more premium in my books. 

The rear three-quarter view is athletic, with the roof looking like it’s pulled back over the car, with the black accentuating an almost coupe profile. Don’t get me wrong, it's squarely a compact sedan, but the blacked-out roof and sharp chrome window trim trick your eyes, making the Sentra’s roofline look more daring than it actually is. The smallest lip spoiler adorns the upright trunk, painted in gloss black to match the side skirt trim and bigger-than-expected rear diffuser.

There’s a very early-2000s visible chrome exhaust tip finisher and the taillights are smoked clear-lens units with a nice “hashed” light signature. My millennial heart is satisfied. 18-inch black and diamond cut wheels complete the athletic look of the SR trimmed Sentra.

An honest interior

Whereas the exterior looks modern and fresh, the interior feels familiar. That is to say that it balances new with old in all the right ways. There’s lots of black plastic throughout the cabin, broken up by orange & white stitching throughout, and some contrasting textures.

Some silver-trimmed pieces help brighten up the somewhat dark interior, as do the interior user adjustable LED lighting strips on the dash and centre console. There’s honest-to-goodness physical controls to control your better-than-average Bose sound system, and a haptic piano black (ugh) touch panel for your climate control functions. 

The two 12.3-inch screens atop the dash add the modern pizazz to the interior. Nissan’s latest UI is functional, if not the most aesthetically pleasing; the resolution could be a smidge higher. It looks considerably more modern than the smaller screens and more basic software in the Civic and feels league’s ahead of what’s in the Corolla. The only one that comes close is the Hyundai Elantra and Kia K4, which may actually outclass it by a smidge, although their interiors are not nearly as nice a place to be overall.

The seats are finished in synthetic black leather with an orange backing you can see faintly at certain angles through the perforations. Solid attention to detail on Nissan’s part. The rear seats feature the same texture and patterns. Space feels adequate both front and rear, although subjectively the Honda Civic has a more airy feel to it, as does the Kia K4, but in real world use, I had no issue lugging my small family around in the Sentra. Trunk space falls about mid-pack among compact sedans, but there’s many competitors that offer hatchback configurations which then dwarf the practicality of the sedan-only Sentra. 

The spirit is strong in this one

It’s no Si or SE-R for that matter, but the Sentra SR feels like old Nissan in all the best ways. Despite not being a true sport trim, there’s at least a sense of athleticism baked into this Sentra, similar to what Nissan used to do with all their products in the 90s and 2000s. It handles competently, with apparent but controlled lean in corners. It also moves with intent despite the 2.0L producing less than 150 horsepower and foot-pounds of torque.

Credit the CVT (can’t believe I’m praising a CVT) for keeping the Sentra in its powerband for longer stretches. I was hoping to see paddle shifters behind the wheel to go along with the Sentra’s fun demeanor but sadly, none were present. You won’t win any races with this Sentra, but the art of driving isn’t entirely lost in this thing.

Wrap it up - value & final thoughts

What you can do is soak up miles in the comfy front seats, turn the sound up and appreciate what an excellent value this new Sentra is, coming in under $33K for a fully specced trim, complete with the eclectic paint and all.

The 2026 Nissan Sentra SR manages to undercut a similarly equipped Civic and Corolla by thousands, and includes unexpected features like a 360 degree camera, those large interior screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Nissan’s ProPilot active safety and drive assist features and a slew of other features to go along with Nissan’s newfound reputation of being a top pick for initial quality and safety ratings. All this to say, welcome back Nissan, I’ve missed you.