Nissan’s unveiling of an all-new Sentra, entering its ninth generation for the 2026 model year, offers good news and bad.

Let’s start with the bad news since it’s not nearly as bad as the good news is good.

No manual transmission

The bad news is the compact sedan is losing its manual transmission option. Instead, the car will only come with an Xtronic continuously variable transmission.

The Sentra’s optional six-speed manual transmission made it the lowest priced new car you could buy in Canada in 2025 with a stick shift. You can see the 2025 list of cars available with a manual here.

The loss of the row-your-own-gear option shouldn’t come as a surprise as many of the Sentra’s class competitors – including the Corolla, Civic and Elantra – ditched the stick shift years back, unless you move up to the GR, Si or N performance versions of the above cars. The Mazda3 still has a manual transmission available, but only on a single trim of the hatchback version.

In Canada, four per cent of Sentra buyers opted for the manual in 2025, according to Nissan Canada. The stick shift wasn’t even available in the United States.

“Globally, a manual transmission was not developed for the all-new 2026 Sentra,” the company said.

“This shift enables Nissan to focus on delivering enhanced features and value in line with customer demand across the lineup.”

The loss of the stick shift will likely be mourned by only a few potential buyers. A recent analysis by motor1 suggests only 0.7 per cent of car buyers in the U.S. purchased vehicles with a clutch pedal in 2024. That’s in the U.S., but one has to figure the Canadian figures wouldn’t be far off the America ones.

Investment into low-cost cars

Now, the good news.

Nissan’s continued investment into one of its lowest-priced vehicle models is good news for car buyers on a budget, especially at a time when so many automakers have pulled out of the compact car segment.

New and used vehicle prices have risen dramatically since 2019 as car companies have focused on larger SUVs and pickup trucks, and have ditched the lowest-priced models.

About the car

So what’s new on the 2026 Sentra?

The car gets all-new styling on the inside and out.

Exterior styling

It maintains the same proportions as the outgoing model but looks bigger thanks new longer design lines that give it a wider-looking stance. The car also has a fastback-like roofline.

The new V-shaped grille is intended to give the car a sportier and lower-to-the-ground look.

The car is available with 16- or 18-inch wheels.

Available colours include: Imperial Bronze, Atlantic Gray Metallic, Super Black, Scarlett Ember and Fresh Powder; as well as four available colours with the Super Black roof: Aspen White, Bluestone Pearl, Atlantic Gray and Energetic Ember.

Interior design and features

Nissan set out to give the Sentra an open and premium feel.

The car gets dual 12.3-inch displays and a touch-sensitive climate control panel, as well as physical buttons for core functions.

There are also soft touches on the doors.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is standard, but you have to move up to the SV Premium or above grades to get wireless connectivity. The car also has three USB-C-charge ports.

The top-of-the-line SR Premium grade gets an eight-speaker Bose sound system.

Available features include power tilt/slide sunroof, ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel and wireless phone charging.

Powertrain

The new Sentra maintains the outgoing car’s 2-litre four-cylinder engine with 149 hp and 146 lb.-ft. of torque with standard idle start-stop.

The Xtronic CVT has an available Sport mode, excluding on the S grade, which recreates the feel of transmission shifts for a sportier ride.

Nissan said the new Sentra is quieter than the car it replaces and a reinforced unibody gives it six per cent greater rigidity.

The steering wheel’s larger dynamic damper reduces road vibrations, and the car’s new shock absorber valves reduce the noise of the impact of bumps.

On top of that, Nissan reduced the size of body openings throughout the car, which helps reduce road noise.

Driver assistance

The Sentra has available ProPilot Assist for highway driving support, an available Digital Around View monitor with moving object detection for parking support, and standard intelligent forward collision warning, blind-spot intervention, intelligent emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure prevention, high beam assist, traffic sign recognition and more.

Canadian availability

The car will be available in S, SV Premium and SR Premium grades.

The 2026 Nissan Sentra is expected to be available in Canada later this year. Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s sale date.

For updates, visit the Nissan Canada website.

NOTE TO READERS: This article was updated Sept. 24, 2025 to include information from Nissan Canada on the loss of the manual transmission.

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