Compare the2023 Nissan SentraVS 2023 Hyundai Elantra

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Sentra have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Elantra doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Sentra has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Elantra doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Sentra SR offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Elantra only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Sentra and the Elantra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available daytime running lights.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Sentra	Elantra
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Sentra	Elantra
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.2 inches
Abdominal Force	196 lbs.	239 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	345
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	68 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	184
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	660 lbs.	954 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 30 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sentra’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra third among compact cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Elantra isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated below average.

Engine

The Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (149 vs. 147) and 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (146 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Sentra is faster than the Hyundai Elantra:

	Sentra	Elantra
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.8 MPH	87.5 MPH

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Sentra higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Elantra (5 to 7). This means the Sentra produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Elantra every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sentra’s standard front disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The front discs on the Elantra are solid, not vented.

The Sentra stops shorter than the Elantra:

	Sentra	Elantra
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	116 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sentra has larger standard tires than the Elantra (205/55R16 vs. 195/65R15).

The Sentra S/SV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Elantra SE’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sentra S/SV has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Elantra SE. The Sentra SR’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels optional on the Elantra.

The Sentra has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Elantra doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Nissan Sentra has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Hyundai Elantra has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Sentra has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sentra flat and controlled during cornering. The Elantra’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Sentra SR handles at .89 G’s, while the Elantra Limited pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Sentra has an electronically controlled liquid-filled front engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Elantra uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Sentra uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Elantra doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Sentra SR is quieter than the Elantra Limited (76 vs. 79 dB).

Passenger Space

The Sentra has 1.7 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front hip room and 2.8 inches more rear hip room than the Elantra.

Cargo Capacity

The Sentra’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Elantra’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Ergonomics

The Sentra’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Elantra’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Sentra’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Elantra’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

On extremely cold winter days, the Sentra SV/SR’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Elantra doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra third among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Elantra isn’t in the top three.