PHOENIX — Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, no longer offers the Q50 compact sedan. But no worries, the Nissan Sentra SR will do the trick.

Twin 12.5-inch digital instrument and infotainment displays in a 15-inch hoodless screen. Chromed climate vents. Wireless Android Auto and charging pad. Eighteen-inch machined wheels. Stitched leather steering wheel. Fashionable black front fascia and rear diffuser.

I pulled into a service station in my Bluestone Pearl Nissan and a local pulled me aside as I rounded the pumps.

“Excuse me, but what is that you’re driving?”

“The new 2026 Nissan Sentra.”

“It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s $26,000.”

“Even better.”

If you’ve been on Mars for the last 10 years, you would have missed the tech ‘n’ design transformation of the compact car class into the best bargain segment in the industry. Not just the hot hatches that readers of this column know I adore, but sub-$30,000 bargains with technology and design that once was exclusive to luxury cars like Infiniti, BMW, Audi.

Cars like the Hyundai Elantra, Kia K4, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Honda Civic. Sadly, Motown badges like Focus and Cruze long ago left the playing field. In SUV Nation, small sedans have separated themselves from the average ute box with eye-catching design. Add Sentra to that list.

Always a bargain buy, the wallflower Sentra has upped its game for 2026 with a premium wardrobe makeover.

Styling is subjective and my design tastes lean iPhone simple — Mazda3, Tesla Model 3, Porsche 911. My Sentra SR’s signature blacked-out grille lean in the other direction like the Hyundai Elantra N. The Sentra comes at you with attitude — the expressive design sweeps rearward with a McLaren-like (yes, McLaren) blacked-out greenhouse, distinct shoulder line, horizonal taillights and black diffuser. That’s a lot of makeup.

The Sentra saves simplicity for its powertrain. HRRRRRRGGGHHHH!

I flattened the throttle pedal and the ol’ nail, 2.0-liter four-cylinder awoke and we merged into afternoon traffic on the Arizona-101. No turbos here. Or even a higher-output 2.5-liter, 181-horse option like Subie Impreza offers.

You shall have 149 horsepower and 146 torque and you shall like it. That’s half the power of a luxury offering like the discontinued Infiniti Q50. In the digital era, powertrains are the biggest difference between mainstream and premium models.

Even in its mainstream class, Sentra’s four-banger is a reminder that Nissan is about value. While competitors like Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen offer multiple engine options, transmission choices and performance models with racy badges like N, Type R, GTI, GR and Turbo, Nissan sticks to its bread ‘n’ butter.

Nissan’s NISMO badge (see the Z) is there for the taking, but Sentra stays in its affordability lane. Nissan says its broad, 25-54 year-old 50% female/50% male customer wants a tireless gerbil wheel rather than a weekend track beast.

Not that the Sentra is somnolent.

Compact sedans are inherently athletic with their low center of gravity and lightweight chassis. Nissan engineers complemented the 3,153-pound bantamweight with independent front-and-rear suspension and increased chassis rigidity. I flogged Sentra over north Phoenix’s state Route 202, where it proved a playful companion.

Even the continuously variable transmission was smooth. CVTs are the bane of enthusiasts, their sound the auto equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. DROOOOONE! But, like so many things, electronics has made them bearable — like the Sentra with its subtle upshifts. Paired with cabin sound-proofing, the CVT is OK IMO.

Oddly, my sporty Sentra SR Sport didn’t sport shift paddles to add to the fun. But the interior is otherwise thoughtfully engineered with a row of climate vents and healthy console room. Steering-wheel ergonomics are a personal obsession, and Sentra features thoughtful, if not class-leading, tools. Driver aids are raised buttons so I could find them with my fingers without diverting my eyes from the road — consider the right-spoke scroll wheel for navigating the instrument display or left-spoke toggle for adjusting adaptive cruise control.

Speaking of ACC, Nissan’s value-mobile is generous with standard features.

No matter which trim you get — starter $23,645 S, volume SV, SR, premium SL — you’re guaranteed ACC and blind-spot assist — two safety essentials often charged a la carte in luxury vehicles. Climb further up the trim tree and Sentra offers premium features like Bose audio, 360-degree camera, blind-spot intervention and leather seating.

I’d recommend the SR model for its aforementioned wardrobe — plus standard goodies like wireless charging and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

The latter made it easy to navigate Arizona’s tangle of highways and surface streets on a busy workday. As much as I’d like an earth-pawing, high-horsepower Elantra-challenging Sentra NISMO, technology is what makes 9-to-5 commutes comfortable.

That comfort is augmented by one of the roomiest interiors in class. The compact class traditionally offers compact rear legroom (Corolla, Mazda3, VW Golf), but recent-gen models like Civic and Elantra have grown legroom to rival midsize cars.

Sentra has class-leading front legroom as well as rear comfort for six-footers. I folded my giraffe frame into the back seat and sat behind myself with knee-room to spare. In back, the trunk opening has been enlarged and now offers best-in-class low lift height. Good for hauling in, for example, Mrs. Payne’s giant suitcases.

Here again, Sentra cedes territory to competitors by not offering a hatchback version. Buyers will want to divert to the Kia K4 hatchback and Impreza hatch for that option. Neither does Sentra offer an all-wheel-drive variant (Subaru), stick shift (Mazda3), or sippy hybrid (Civic).

Sentra is a meat and potatoes recipe. Now, for 2026, plated with premium presentation.

2026 Nissan Sentra

Vehicle type: Front-wheel drive, five-passenger compact sedan

Price: Base $23,645, including $1,245 destination charge ($31,945 with Premium Package as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter inline-4 cylinder

Power: 149 horsepower, 146 pound-feet torque

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.2 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 3,153 pounds

Range: EPA est. mpg, 30 city/38 highway/33 combined; range, 471 miles

REPORT CARD

Highs: Affordably upscale; standard features galore

Lows: Polarizing fascia; lack of drivetrain/performance options

Overall: 3 stars

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