Compare the2024 Nissan SentraVS 2024 Kia Forte

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
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 Kia Forte 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 Forte 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 Forte doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Sentra SV/SR offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forte 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.

The Sentra has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forte’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sentra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Forte and its not available on the LX.

Both the Sentra and the Forte 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, 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 Kia Forte:

	Sentra	Forte
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Passenger
STARS	3 Stars	3 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	1.1 inches
Neck Compression	93 lbs.	99 lbs.

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 Kia Forte:

	Sentra	Forte
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	196 lbs.	282 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	286
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	89 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	735 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	160	367
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	660 lbs.	750 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Sentra is much safer than the Forte:

	Sentra	Forte
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Injury Criterion	387	812
Head Peak Forces	84 G’s	104 G’s
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	2.4 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	759 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.65 in	2.4 in
Torso Deflection Rate	13 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1762 lbs.
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	182	398
Neck Compression	112 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.85 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.87 in	1.81 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	982 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 165 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Forte last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Sentra’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Forte runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 36 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sentra’s warranty.

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 Forte’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Sentra is faster than the Kia Forte 4 cyl.:

	Sentra	Forte
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.8 MPH	85.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sentra
	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
		SR 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
Forte
	Manual	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sentra’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Forte doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Kia Forte (5 to 7). This means the Sentra produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Forte every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sentra stops much shorter than the Forte:

	Sentra	Forte
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sentra has larger standard tires than the Forte (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 Forte LX’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 Forte LX.

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 Forte 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 Forte 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 Forte base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forte.

The Sentra SR handles at .89 G’s, while the Forte pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sentra SR executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forte (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

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 Forte 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 Forte GT (76 vs. 79 dB).

Passenger Space

The Sentra has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room and 2.2 inches more rear hip room than the Forte.

Cargo Capacity

The Sentra’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Forte LX’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 Forte’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Sentra has a standard Push Button Start that allows you to start the engine without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forte GT Line/GT offers a Smart Key.

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

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 Forte’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

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 Forte doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sentra is less expensive to operate than the Forte because typical repairs cost less on the Sentra than the Forte, including $6 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Sentra, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Forte isn't recommended.

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