Not everyone wants to drive an SUV. Sometimes, the humble compact car is the better tool for the job. The advantages aNot everyone wants to drive an SUV. Sometimes, the humble compact car is the better tool for the job.The advantages are numerous. Not only are compact cars more affordable and offer better fuel economy, they also tend to drive better than their high-riding siblings. The pickings are slimmer now than they were a decade ago, but there are still eight new compact cars available on the market. We decided to just make it easy and get every single one together for a week—yes, really. We also brought along regular AutoGuide contributor Jeff Wilson to make it all possible. Strap in for our 8 Compact Car Mega Comparison, brought to you by Weathertech.8th Place: Nissan SentraImage: Kyle PatrickSometimes during these comparison tests, one competitor simply has no hope. In those circumstances each of us who drive the sad sack feel there’s very little to redeem it, and we end up grumping if we get stuck with any more seat time than necessary.Let’s be clear here and say that despite accumulating the fewest points in this test, the Nissan Sentra was never that car, always feeling like it deserved to be a at this party. It might sound like a cop-out, but amongst this collection there truly are no bad cars, just some that are exceptionally well-rounded, vaulting them to the top.During the test Kyle remarked, “It feels like Nissan benchmarked the last generation Civic and successfully reached that goal. The problem is that Honda brought out a new Civic.” It’s a sentiment that affirms the Sentra as a decent choice for someone looking for new affordable transportation, but it falls short in some key areas that hold it back in the ranking.2025 Nissan Sentra SR Premium: All the Detials2025 Nissan Sentra SR Premium: All the DetialsA Lack of Power HereImage: Kyle PatrickMost notably, the Sentra’s drivetrain received the lowest score in the test. Its engine—a 2.0L inline four-cylinder unit—lacks displacement, turbocharging, or a bump from a hybrid system to keep it competitive with every other car in this group. Its meagre 149 horsepower wasn’t the lowest of test, but the two cars delivering fewer ponies (the Corolla and Elantra), receive a boost from hybridization to make them livelier around town.The Sentra’s tepid 146 pound-feet of torque meant it was particularly weak-kneed when pulling away from a standstill, made worse by its soul-sucking continuously variable transmission. Nissan has been doing a good job of replacing its CVTs with traditional automatics in many of its models, and the Sentra would benefit from that change too.Still, when not measured directly against the other cars in this test, the Sentra is a perfectly capable daily driver, managing to keep up with the flow of traffic just fine. Its ride comfort and handling rated mid-pack, and its efficiency bettered just about everything that isn’t a hybrid.Great Looks, Dated TechImage: Kyle PatrickWe especially liked the Sentra’s styling, too, with the radiant blue paint being nicely contrasted by the black roof and blacked-out five-spoke wheels, and the red SR accent badges help give it an overall sporty look. Best of all, it’s well-proportioned and doesn’t fall into the wildly over-styled trap that Kia and Hyundai’s stylists seem stuck in.Inside, the Sentra’s agreeable looks continue with clean, simple design elements that, frankly, look like they’re several years old (they are). There’s decent room for passengers up front and in the back seat that’s comparable within the group, if not class-leading, but its infotainment screen is small, and there’s no wireless charging or connectivity—two popular features these days. The Bose sound system is okay, and while we appreciate the 360-degree camera view, the resolution on the screen is so terrible, it almost negates the feature’s value.Our SR Premium trim is the top-of-the-line for Sentra, which means there’s no way to add more tech that the other competitors have. Even having the lowest* as-tested price in the US ($29,120) and second-lowest in Canada ($33,793 CAD) doesn’t help make the Sentra a strong enough value to rate it any higher in this test.