2019 Nissan Sentra vs Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra ranges have been around for a considerable amount of time, with both vehicles developing a devoted customer base. For the past several years, neither model has undergone a large change in design or engine, instead getting a variety of tweaks and improvements year-on-year.

Despite this, both the 2019 Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra offer a variety of benefits for people looking for compact sedans; in the case of the Corolla, there’s also a hatchback variant that might interest some drivers. Much of this has been because of both manufacturer’s having an ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ mentality.

While many who already have the 2018 variants of the vehicles mightn’t see too large of a benefit with the new models, there are still a few benefits for buyers looking for a small sedan. That said, many potential buyers may wonder what the differences between the two are to help them decide between them.

While there are a variety of similarities, there are a few notable areas where they differ significantly. If you’re looking to choose between the 2019 Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla, it’s worth taking an in-depth look as to what these differences are.

The Powertrain

Engine power is something that every car buyer will put a significant amount of emphasis on, and it can have quite a role in which vehicle they buy. While both the 2019 Corolla and Sentra both offer a 1.8l that operates with four cylinders, there’s a difference in how much output the cars provide.

The base Toyota Corolla offers 132 hp and approximately 128lbs in overall torque, which is slightly more than the 130 hp and 125lbs that the Nissan Sentra provides. The difference between the two is also highlighted in how many miles per gallon that both vehicles have.

The Corolla takes the back seat here, as it offers 28 mpg in the city and up to 36 mpg on the highway. The Sentra, on the other hand, offers 29 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. While this may not be a large difference between the two, it can certainly build up over time, which makes the Nissan Sentra the better choice in this regard.

On top of this, the Sentra does have another advantage when it comes to engines, with this coming in the form of a turbocharged 1.6l engine, although it also works on four cylinders. While this is only available for a few of the more high-end trims, it does offer quite a significant amount of power.

This includes 188 horsepower alongside 177 in torque, making it the more powerful engine when compared to almost all of the 2019 Corolla trims. However, this option still offers somewhat fewer miles per gallon than the Toyota Corolla and boasts 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

If you’re looking for a more eco-friendly vehicle, the Corolla LE Eco trim is much more efficient and has both a normal and ECO driving mode, which helps it stand out much more. This offers considerably more miles per gallon than the Nissan Sentra, as well as the majority of the Corolla’s other trims.

According to the EPA, the LE Eco trim offers up to 30 mpg around the city and up to 40 mpg on the highway.

Both the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla offer optional manual transmissions with their base engines, although the models can also come with a CVT automatic option. The automatic option comes as standard with the majority of the trims that are available, although it’s no longer available with the Sentra SR Turbo.

If you want a turbo engine with a manual transmission, then you’ll need to go with the Sentra’s NISMO trim, which can be much pricier than many people might be comfortable with.

Both of the vehicles come with the same warranty as standard, although the Corolla does have the added advantage of the ToyotaCare. This will take care of most of the maintenance that you’ll need to have done over the first two years or 25,000 miles.

If you’re looking for the more efficient care for an affordable price, then the 2019 Sentra may be the better choice, thanks in large part to its fuel use. However, it does lack much of the power that the 2019 Corolla offers. As such, you’ll end up needing to sacrifice on either performance or fuel efficiency when making a choice.

Drivability

There are quite a considerable number of similarities between both the 2019 Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra. Some of the more notable of these include a rearview camera, Bluetooth hands-free calling, and a full-color touchscreen. While many of these have come with the Corolla for years, they’ve only been implemented recently with the Sentra.

However, it’s when you get into the details that the differences begin to become apparent. For example, while both come with an audio system as standard, the Corolla’s is undoubtedly much better; there’s a 6-speaker sound system available here while the Sentra only offers a 4-speaker system.

Since the Sentra is making up for lost time in not having these features, it offers a few extras on top of what it shares with the Toyota Corolla. For example, it includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both of which come with each trim as standard. This is in stark contrast to the Corolla, which offers neither on any of its trims.

There are a variety of other differences in the interiors of both vehicles. While both cars are somewhat large for their categories, the Corolla offers much more legroom, especially in the back seat. As a result, it could be more of a family-friendly car than the Sentra, as it provides roughly four inches of extra room in the back. This could make it a much more comfortable drive.

In terms of the materials used in the vehicles, both feel somewhat cheap, especially in the base models. However, the luxury aspect of the cars is highlighted with the more high-end trims, although both the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla are on par with each other in this regard.

This is primarily because there are a variety of features that both cars have in common. Some of the more notable of these include premium audio systems, a moonroof, and heated front seats.

Both the 2019 Corolla and Sentra have a few optional upgrades to them, although these are somewhat pricier on the Nissan. As such, you could get more value in this regard with the Toyota.

Since there are quite a significant number of similarities between the two, then many potential buyers would be forgiven for having difficulty choosing between them. With the few differences between them, however, the 2019 Corolla looks as though it’s the better choice of the two, especially when it comes to being a family-friendly vehicle.

Safety

Safety features will be one of the more critical aspects when you’re comparing the 2019 Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra. While you might expect that both sedans would come with a large number of similar features, this isn’t the case, though there are some minor similarities.

The 2019 Sentra comes out the worse in this comparison, as the Corolla has significantly more features. Many of these stem from the Toyota Safety Sense technology suite, which comes with each of the manufacturer’s cars as standard.

There are quite a significant number of features here that are either unavailable for the Nissan Sentra or only come as an upgrade, which can prove to be quite expensive. Some of the more notable of these include a Pre-Collision System that offers a built-in Pedestrian Detection and a Cruise Control system that's much more dynamic than others.

This doesn’t mean that both of the vehicles don’t have some similarities between them. Instead, they both offer high beam lights that adjust automatically. The Sentra also has a few safety features that may not apply to the Corolla, which many people may want to take advantage of.

These include monitoring for your blind-spot, a cross-traffic system in the rear that provides an alert when you're crossing lanes, and a few others. However, it should be noted that these are optional extras, with many of them proving to be more costly than many people may expect. While some may come as standard with the high-end trims, you mightn’t find all of them as standard.

As a result of this, the 2019 Toyota Corolla is the standout when it comes to safety features, which could make a significant difference when you’re choosing between them. Alongside many of the other features that are on offer with the Corolla, this may be the more family-friendly option.

Which Has the Best Value?

There’s quite a notable difference in price between the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla. The base Corolla, for example, has a starting price of $19,630, while the Sentra starts at a noticeably lower $18,785.

This price difference is also seen across both car’s trims, with all falling in the low to mid $20,000 range, with the more luxurious and expensive trims still costing below or around the $25,000 mark. It should be noted that these prices are exclusive of any optional extras that you could take advantage of.

While the 2019 Toyota Corolla is certainly the more expensive option between the two, determining which has the better value is slightly tricky. This is primarily because the 2019 Nissan Sentra’s upgrades and variants can be quite costly.

Much of this can be seen with the Sentra’s turbo variants, which have traditionally been features that many buyers would look for. The cheapest model of Sentra that you can get the turbo engine with is the SR Turbo model; should you choose the trim and add in the upgrade, then it should set you back about $23,565.

While the turbo engine is something that comes highly recommended, the price is somewhat off-putting and couldn’t be justified. There’s also the fact that the 2019 Toyota Corolla typically offers more miles to the gallon than the Nissan Sentra. As such, it can be a much more cost-effective car to run long-term.

All of this could mean that, while it’s the more expensive option, the Toyota Corolla could provide much more value for money. This is especially true if you’re looking at the higher-end trims that are available.

That being said, if you’re looking for the base model without many of the optional extras and upgrades, you could be better off with the 2019 Nissan Sentra. When it comes to figuring out which of the two cars are offers more value, it boils down to which features you place the most emphasis on and whether you can justify their price.

In terms of cost of ownership, then the 2019 Corolla also wins here, thanks in large part to the differences in both vehicle’s warranty. Though both cars offer a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty coupled with a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, the Toyota Corolla goes a step beyond this.

The majority of this is seen in ToyotaCare, an extra warranty that comes as standard with many of the manufacturer’s vehicles. With this, the Corolla gets a 2-year/25,000-mile free maintenance plan without any additional cost to the buyer.

There are a few benefits to this, including having wheel alignments, oil changes, and filter replacements covered, among others. As such, buyers shouldn’t be out of pocket too much when driving the car.

Coupled with the various features that come with the Toyota Corolla, then this could provide much more value for money than the Nissan Sentra. This is especially true when you factor in that the difference in price can be less than $1,000, depending on which trim you choose.

Which is Better?

There are a variety of factors that you’ll need to look at when deciding which is better between the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla. Alongside this are the features that will matter to you most and whether you want to keep the price down as much as possible.

If you’re looking for a no-frills, budget-friendly compact sedan, then the 2019 Sentra is the better choice for you. For a car that offers much more value for money and a variety of features, however, then the Corolla is the clear favorite here.

While it does have its shortcomings, the 2019 Corolla is a much more well-rounded vehicle when compared to the Sentra. Alongside this is the fact that it’s a much more practical car, and has more space and comfort available for larger groups.

This could make it a better choice as a family-vehicle, which is primarily where it outshines much of the competition. The variety of safety features that come with the Toyota Corolla as standard further enhances this family-friendliness.

Outside of being the more budget-friendly car, there are few reasons why the 2019 Nissan Sentra stands out. Even in this regard, it may not provide the most overall value for what you’re getting with the car.

Because of that, the 2019 Toyota Corolla may be the better sedan to choose. The only major downside to the vehicle is that it offers less fuel efficiency, which could make it the more expensive car to run long-term. Outside of this, it’s the more versatile and practical vehicle, especially for families.