Compare the2023 Nissan SentraVS 2023 Hyundai Elantra N Line

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
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 N Line 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 N Line doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sentra has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Elantra N Line doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 N Line 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 N Line 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 N Line:

	Sentra	Elantra N Line
	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 N Line:

	Sentra	Elantra N Line
	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 N Line isn’t in the top three in its category.

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.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra gets better mileage than the Elantra N Line:

		MPG
Sentra
	S/SV 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/39 hwy
	SR 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
Elantra N Line
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy

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 N Line (5). This means the Sentra produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Elantra N Line every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Sentra has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Elantra N Line doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

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 N Line doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 N Line 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 N Line doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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 N Line.

Ergonomics

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 N Line’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Sentra SR’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Elantra N Line’s projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sentra’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Elantra N Line’s headlights are rated “Poor” to .”

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 N Line doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Sentra SV/SR has a standard Intelligent Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Elantra N Line doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Sentra will be $1740 to $4351 less than for the Hyundai Elantra N Line.

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 N Line isn’t in the top three.