I took a new $24,000 Nissan Sentra SV on a first drive to find out if this basic yet stylish sedan is a good deal - here's the verdict

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I took a new $24,000 Nissan Sentra SV on a first drive to find out if this basic yet stylish sedan is a good deal - here's the verdict
Nissan Sentra SV

Matthew DeBord/Insider

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Say hello to the new Sentra!

  • I spent a few hours driving the new 2020 Nissan Sentra SV around Manhattan.
  • At $23,860, the compact sedan was an attractive, well-optioned set of wheels.
  • Nissan has kept it simple with the eighth generation of this stalwart sedan, with only one engine available: a 149-horsepower four-cylinder.
  • My first impressions of the new Sentra were solid. Nissan has done a good job of making this car easy to buy - and easy to drive.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Nissan Sentra has been with us for nearly four decades, arriving in the US in the early 1980s and establishing itself as an appealing, entry-level four-door in the years after. But the seventh generation had been around since 2013, and although it received a 2016 refresh, the design was getting on in years - even if it continued to post respectable sales.

Enter the all-new, eighth-generation Sentra, featuring a revamp for 2020 that strives to make it an undemanding yet distinctive choice in a segment that's supposed to be losing out to crossover SUV, but that still has the attention of the major Japanese manufacturers in the US.

Nissan invited me to check out the new Sentra for a few hours in Manhattan, which is admittedly not the ideal motoring environment (I currently have a test car that I'm subjecting to a more strenuous review). Still, it didn't take long to determine that the Sentra's update was thought through in all the right ways.

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Read on to see how the first drive went:

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The 2020 Nissan Sentra that I drove was the mid-level SV trim, with about $2,500 in extras thanks to a "Premium" package. The base Sentra is a bit more than $19,000, but my tester stickered at $23,860.

The 2020 Nissan Sentra that I drove was the mid-level SV trim, with about $2,500 in extras thanks to a "Premium" package. The base Sentra is a bit more than $19,000, but my tester stickered at $23,860.

The paint job was an attractive "Rosewood Metallic." We're looking at the eighth generation of this compact sedan; the Sentra has been in business since 1982.

The paint job was an attractive "Rosewood Metallic." We're looking at the eighth generation of this compact sedan; the Sentra has been in business since 1982.
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It's a pretty sharp-dressed four-door. In profile, you can see that the front end is slightly out of proportion with the rear, but Nissan did a reasonable job of masking that infelicity with angles and character lines.

It's a pretty sharp-dressed four-door. In profile, you can see that the front end is slightly out of proportion with the rear, but Nissan did a reasonable job of masking that infelicity with angles and character lines.

To my eye, the fascia is overdone — a treatment for a bigger car. But the chrome framing of the blacked-out grilled is, at least, a bold touch.

To my eye, the fascia is overdone — a treatment for a bigger car. But the chrome framing of the blacked-out grilled is, at least, a bold touch.
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The LED headlights are part of the Premium package. Just between you and me, I'm tiring of the narrow, slightly menacing vibe. Larger lamps would be a nice change.

The LED headlights are part of the Premium package. Just between you and me, I'm tiring of the narrow, slightly menacing vibe. Larger lamps would be a nice change.

Sedans have lost some of their their mojo in an SUV-mad market, but you can't argue that that four-door rears don't look significantly better. The fastback roofline is the Sentra's best feature.

Sedans have lost some of their their mojo in an SUV-mad market, but you can't argue that that four-door rears don't look significantly better. The fastback roofline is the Sentra's best feature.
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The "SV" trim sits between the base "S" and the top-level "SR" (as it turns out, I later received a tester SR, costing $25,325 with "Premium" options).

The "SV" trim sits between the base "S" and the top-level "SR" (as it turns out, I later received a tester SR, costing $25,325 with "Premium" options).

You could complain that compact sedans sacrifice a competitive edge on crossover SUVs because they offer less cargo space.

You could complain that compact sedans sacrifice a competitive edge on crossover SUVs because they offer less cargo space.
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Fair enough, but the Sentra's truck capacity is adequate: just over 15 cubic feet. In the SR I tested near my home, I had no difficulty packing the boot with groceries.

Fair enough, but the Sentra's truck capacity is adequate: just over 15 cubic feet. In the SR I tested near my home, I had no difficulty packing the boot with groceries.

Let's take a look inside.

Let's take a look inside.
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The quilted leather seats are a snazzy touch. We're not exactly in Mercedes-Benz territory here, but these saddles raised my impression of the new Sentra. With the Premium package, they're heated up front.

The quilted leather seats are a snazzy touch. We're not exactly in Mercedes-Benz territory here, but these saddles raised my impression of the new Sentra. With the Premium package, they're heated up front.

The motif is echoed in the back seat, which is a bench arrangement that can theoretically handle three passengers.

The motif is echoed in the back seat, which is a bench arrangement that can theoretically handle three passengers.
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A long, long time ago, entry-level transportation lacked high-tech bells and whistles. Not so anymore: The Sentra's leather-wrapped, multi-function steering wheel is a button-fest, enabling the driver to control numerous vehicle functions.

A long, long time ago, entry-level transportation lacked high-tech bells and whistles. Not so anymore: The Sentra's leather-wrapped, multi-function steering wheel is a button-fest, enabling the driver to control numerous vehicle functions.

For this trim level, the infotainment system runs on an eight-inch touchscreen. I wasn't able to review every feature, but it covers all thee expected bases: Bluetooth device pairing, USB/AUX connectivity, and my tester had SiriusXM satellite radio (a Bose audio system is also an option).

For this trim level, the infotainment system runs on an eight-inch touchscreen. I wasn't able to review every feature, but it covers all thee expected bases: Bluetooth device pairing, USB/AUX connectivity, and my tester had SiriusXM satellite radio (a Bose audio system is also an option).
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Of course! A moonroof. Nothing crazy, but a nice extra.

Of course! A moonroof. Nothing crazy, but a nice extra.

I've checked out some of the Sentra's competition of late, notably the Toyota Corolla, and on balance I'd say that Nissan has definitely brought a little more fun to the party with the interior.

I've checked out some of the Sentra's competition of late, notably the Toyota Corolla, and on balance I'd say that Nissan has definitely brought a little more fun to the party with the interior.
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Let's pop the hood and check out the motor!

Let's pop the hood and check out the motor!

Nissan is keeping it simple with the engine. There's just one option: a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder that makes a rated 149 horsepower and 146 foot-pounds of torque.

Nissan is keeping it simple with the engine. There's just one option: a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder that makes a rated 149 horsepower and 146 foot-pounds of torque.
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The power is sent to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. The combination yields a good fuel economy: more than 30 mpg in combined city-highway driving.

The power is sent to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. The combination yields a good fuel economy: more than 30 mpg in combined city-highway driving.

So what's the first-drive verdict?

So what's the first-drive verdict?

Basic transportation has come a long way. At around $24,000 on this particular model, the new Sentra is a fantastic, don't-overthink-it choice. As with most Nissans, it's a tad snazzier than a comparable Toyota or Honda vehicle, and while it isn't as much fun to drive as a Mazda 3, it really isn't aiming for thrills.

The idea here is to make it easy to buy a reliable, attractive four-door for well under $30,000, with Nissan simplifying the Sentra in an effort to attract those who want semi-stylish transportation and aren't in the market for a crossover SUV. Obviously, the budget conscious should react well to the sub-$20,000 base price, and Nissan has optioned up the Sentra's platform with enough goodies to justify a few thousand more on the sticker.

I can't avoid my own recollections of first cars when I have a crack at a basic sedan that's as tasty as the Sentra. My first cars had plastic upholstery, lacked power steering, didn't enjoy front disk brakes, were devoid of power, dreamed of cruise control, boasted grabby five-speed manual transmissions with rubbery clutches, had hand-crank windows, and in lieu of infotainment, offered buzzy AM/FM radios.

In that context, the 2020 Sentra felt to me not unlike a 1980s BMW.

The engine is a tad rough, but the CVT didn't bother me too much, and while noise isolation isn't terrific, you can hear yourself think in the Sentra when the speedometer registers above 50 mph.

This isn't a car that one thinks about throwing into corners, but the suspension struck me as capable, and the steering was fairly precise. Not as tight as a Honda Civic, but not as compliant as a Toyota Corolla — that's the Sentra, a middle-ground proposition.

More to come. I'm about halfway through an official road test of the Sentra, and my first impressions have held up.

But for now, if you want four wheels and four doors, the 2020 Sentra fits the bill and takes a lot of the pressure, financial and otherwise, off the table.

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