The 2020 Nissan Sentra has sharp sedan looks for a sub-$20,000 sticker

• 

  This purple might be my favorite color for the new 2020 Nissan Sentra. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

Depending on what you read, you might think it’s impossible for car shoppers to buy anything other than crossovers. Whether you regard them as hatchbacks with Cuban heels or mini-SUVs, there’s no denying that Americans have embraced this latest automotive form factor with gusto. “Why can’t we still have sedans,” the Internet asks. “And make them cheap while you’re at it,” it demands. Well Internet, Nissan has been listening—meet its latest Sentra sedan, which goes on sale in late January starting at just $19,090.

America might be giving up on the sedan, but it’s a body style that has been kind to Nissan over the years—it has sold more than six million Sentras since the nameplate first appeared 38 years ago. The company says that compact sedans are still the third-largest market segment here in the US, hence spending the money to develop what is now the eighth-generation Sentra, now on an all-new platform.

Visually, the new Sentra is very much of a piece with Nissan’s other sedans. Between the chrome V-motion grille at the front and the floating C pillar at the back, knowing which Nissan sedan you’re looking at is very much a matter of scale. To be specific, this one is 182.7 inches (4,641mm) long, 71.5 inches (1,816mm) wide, 57 inches (1,448mm) tall, with a 106.8-inch (2,713mm) wheelbase. Exact weight depends on the trim—the Sentra SV is lightest at 3,044lbs (1,381kg); the SR is the heaviest at 3,084lbs (1,399kg). Whether you find the shape attractive will be a matter of personal taste; all I can say is that it works for me.