2021 BMW 5 Series vs 2022 Nissan Sentra

BMW was once known for sports sedans, and the 5 Series was one of the most prolific of those sedans. Sitting between the 3 Series and 7 Series in size and price, previous generations of 5 Series were known for a balance of performance and luxury, with impeccable engineering throughout.

Today, the BMW 5 Series is largely irrelevant. The 3 Series is now so big that there is less reason to upgrade, and most buyers are more interested in SUVs anyway. The competition—including the Audi A6, Jaguar XF, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Volvo S90—has also gotten better.

That doesn’t mean BMW has given up on the 5 Series. The current generation (codename G30) arrived for the 2017 model year, but it gets a midcycle refresh (or LCI, short for “Life Cycle Impulse,” in BMW speak) for 2021. Major updates include a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, a bigger infotainment touchscreen, and subtle styling changes.

The 2021 BMW 5 Series is not like the 5 Series models of old. That may drive away hardcore car fans, but the 2021 model makes a strong case to new-car buyers, maintaining sportier-than-average driving dynamics, along with the tech and luxury features expected of a car in this segment.

A lot is asked of small sedans. It’s not just that they are expected to be competent, affordable machines that can accommodate a buyer on a budget. For the automaker, the small sedan is also the intended entry point for the brand. This is the car that is supposed to convince shoppers to keep buying from them as they move into different vehicles. The 2022 Nissan Sentra is the perfect entry point for Nissan, but it wasn’t always this way.

The 2022 Sentra is two years removed from a significant 2020-model-year redesign. With such a focus on small crossovers and tight competition in the small-car segment, such a redesign sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of new vehicle debuts. So two years into its new generation, how is the Sentra doing? And how does it stack up with a very competitive collection of new small sedans? Read on to find out.