Looks rather simple and docile, doesn't it? Well, it is a Nissan Sentra.
A Sentra SE-R, that is. 140 HP and 132 lb-ft of fun. Only, you say?
Imagine how lightweight this car is...you do the math. Plant your foot
down on the pedal, and it pulls all the way to the 7500 rpm redline. In
addition, the SE-R carves up twisties as easily as a lot of sports cars out
there. It can be gentle if you want it to be as well, and then it gets ~30
mpg on the highway. In my book, it all adds up.
Click to see the 'awards'
(Dave B.'s
'The SE-R Homepage')
It graced Car & Driver's
Ten Best Cars list every year of its production(91-94). Despite this, the
SE-R only accounted for about 6%(?) of total Sentra sales. Most of those
SE-Rs are in the hands of real enthusiasts--the ones who may have lusted
after the BMW 2002 or Datsun 510. Not that I was old enough when
those were around, but I've seen the ads and their popularity in
grassroots racing. The other SE-Rs will eventually trickle down into
second- or third-hand enthusiast ownership--as mine did. I say this because of an
experience I had while searching for a used SE-R in Summer '96. A nice young
couple with a newborn had to sell their SE-R--it was the wife's car and they wanted
four doors and more space for the arrival of kid #2. They asked why in the world I
would want their car when I already had my 94 Civic--I mentioned Car & Driver, the
2.0L engine shared with the Infiniti G20, it was all news to them! Turns out the
lady only bought the car because the salesman coaxed her to test drive an SE-R
after she drove a regular Sentra. They had her take that test drive on a twisty
2-lane road, and she was hooked. She never knew anything more from the first day
on. Too bad the car had some body damage.
Bastard salesmen. In Summer '94 my dad and I went car-shopping to replace my junky
Chevy station wagon. First visit was to our local Nissan dealer, who outrightly
ignored my wish to see a Sentra SE-R and shoved a Nissan Altima in my face. I
still remember some of his words: "This car has 150 hp, that's more than the
Sentra. And it's around the same price too. You got power windows, better
styling. . ." They wouldn't let us leave until we agreed to take the car home for
an overnight test drive. It's a nice car, but...not for me. I think Nissan
was probably pushing their salespeople to get the sales numbers out. 2.9%
financing, "affordable luxury car", etc. Next day, ended up at the Honda dealer
and found a Civic for a nice price(again, a nice well-executed car...but IMHO, soul-less and a bore to drive). Only
two years later would I be driving what I originally wanted.
The Sentra SE-R's shape and purpose remind me of the 80's E30 BMW M3, a car I drool
over. Looks a little like the Galant VR-4--sans turbo and 2 doors. I guess the
Taurus SHO is similar in purpose, if not in shape. But back down to earth--the
SE-R doesn't have power windows, nice interior, etc. The seats sure are something,
though.
- Ivan
Don't take my word for it--consider these excerpts taken from the SE-R Mailing List.