Compare the2023 Nissan SentraVS 2022 Acura ILX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Acura ILX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sentra are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ILX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 ILX 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 ILX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Sentra SR offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The ILX only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sentra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Acura charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Monitor on the ILX.

The Sentra’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The ILX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sentra and the ILX 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, rearview cameras 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 Acura ILX:

	Sentra	ILX
	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 Acura ILX:

	Sentra	ILX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	234
Hip Force	422 lbs.	487 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	324
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	64 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	699 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	160	299
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	660 lbs.	945 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sentra the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The ILX last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much 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 ILX 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 Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 39 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Acura.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra gets better mileage than the ILX:

		MPG
Sentra
	S/SV 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/39 hwy
	SR 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
ILX
	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/34 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Sentra uses regular unleaded gasoline. The ILX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 Acura ILX (3). This means the Sentra produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ILX 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 ILX doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sentra stops much shorter than the ILX:

	Sentra	ILX
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver

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 ILX doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Sentra has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the ILX; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sentra’s wheelbase is 1.5 inches longer than on the ILX (106.6 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the ILX.

The Sentra’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (61.2% to 38.8%) than the ILX’s (63% to 37%). This gives the Sentra more stable handling and braking.

The Sentra SR handles at .88 G’s, while the ILX A-SPEC pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver 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 ILX 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 ILX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sentra a Mid-size car, while the ILX is rated a Compact.

The Sentra has 6.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ILX (96 vs. 89.3).

The Sentra has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 3.2 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the ILX.

Cargo Capacity

The Sentra has a much larger trunk than the ILX (14.3 vs. 12.4 cubic feet).

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

Ergonomics

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 ILX’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Sentra detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The ILX doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

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 ILX doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Sentra owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Sentra with a number “5” insurance rate while the ILX is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

The Sentra will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sentra will retain 47.23% to 47.81% of its original price after five years, while the ILX only retains 44.39% to 46.52%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sentra is less expensive to operate than the ILX because typical repairs cost much less on the Sentra than the ILX, including $41 less for a water pump, $270 less for a starter, $140 less for fuel injection, $31 less for a fuel pump, $181 less for front struts and $285 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Sentra will be $6441 to $9190 less than for the Acura ILX.

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 ILX isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Nissan Sentra outsold the Acura ILX by over 12 to one during 2022.