Fun But Flawed, The SE-R Spec V Offers Impressive Performance And Excellent Value
Written: Feb 26 '04 (Updated Nov 23 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Strong, torquey engine, solid handling with excellent grip, low price, high fun factor.
Cons: Abundant torque steer, mediocre steering, dated economy-car interior, generally unrefined feel.
The Bottom Line: It's not as sophisticated or precise as its competitors, but the Spec V delivers comparable performance for thousands less. Plus, it provides enough raw enthusiasm to please budget thrill-seekers.
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| drive571's Full Review: 2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R |
My Experience
I test-drove a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V at a local dealership. My test drive lasted about forty-five minutes and covered city streets, the freeway, and winding secondary roads.
Performance
The SE-R's 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine was one of my favorite things about this car. It's a surprisingly strong, gutsy little powerplant, and it felt great whether I was cruising around town or wringing it out the redline.
The key here, I think, is the engine's generous midrange torque. It puts out 180 lb/ft of torque at 4000rpms, and that gives it instant grunt anywhere on the tach. When I put my foot down hard on freeway on-ramps, throttle response was instantaneous--the car lunged forward eagerly, giving me the satisfying sensation of being pressed back in the seat. Its power remained strong and linear at the high end, and all the way to the 6200rpm redline. I loved this engine for its consistency--there were no noticeable flat spots or surges anywhere on the tach, just strong and solid oomph.
Any downsides? Well, the engine isn't the most refined unit out there in terms of noise and vibration--it sounds a bit grumbly and ill-tempered at low revs, and it shakes the cabin a bit at idle, so if you want the last word in drivetrain sophistication, this isn't it.
There's one other downside that's worth mentioning, but is unlikely to be of much concern to most drivers. If you're a "by-the-numbers" kind of enthusiast (or a frequent street racer), you'll likely be a bit disappointed by the SE-R Spec V's 0-60 time--7.4 seconds in most magazines--which is good but not outstanding. Personally, I don't really care. The car feels fast and delivers a satisfying sensation of thrust, and these subjective qualities are more important to me than the on-paper figures.
Transmission/Clutch
The SE-R's transmission has come in for harsh criticism in the automotive press, but on my test drive, I didn't find it unpleasant at all. The SE-R's shifter certainly isn't one of the best, with a hollow, oddly plasticky feel when slotting from gear to gear. But its throws were short, and the gates well-defined, so I never missed a shift or was bothered by the cheap-feeling shift action.
And while the SE-R's shifter wasn't perfect, its clutch was about as close as it gets. The pedal was well-weighted, with a pleasantly short throw and an engagement point that was simultaneously progressive and quick-acting. I never jerked a gearchange in the SE-R, thanks to the clutch's firm and decisive engagements, which made running the car up through the gears a satisfying experience.
Steering/Handling
The SE-R Spec V's handling wasn't perfect, but it was better than I expected. In my test drives of lesser Sentra models, I've been disappointed by the cars' vague and floaty reactions to enthusiastic driving. The SE-R is a whole different animal. Its chassis was eager and capable, although "finesse" was not its middle name.
The suspension felt very firm, keeping body motions tightly controlled and making the driver feel directly connected to the road. Body lean was imperceptible in moderate driving, and the tires gripped the pavement like glue. On twisty roads, the car had a rock-solid feel and displayed an eagerness to change direction that I hadn't expected.
But as I mentioned before, the SE-R's handling wasn't without flaws. While its steering felt tight, solid and firmly-weighted (a pleasant surprise), it displayed an unsettled vagueness around the straight-ahead position, mostly because of the near-total lack of self-centering motion. I've noticed this flaw in other Nissan products, and it gave the SE-R's helm a squirmy feeling of imprecision in the first few degrees of movement. It also aggravated the car's tendency to wander slightly on the freeway.
Further disappointment came in the form of torque steer. When I twisted the steering wheel into corners, I could constantly feel subtle torque effects tugging at my hands--even in normal driving. In harder driving, the gentle tugs became insistent pulls, sapping my confidence in the SE-R's capabilities.
Finally, when pushed to its limits, the SE-R didn't feel quite as stable as some of its rivals (like the Toyota Celica and Acura RSX). The car still felt solid and planted, and its chassis provided loads of grip and much less understeer than I had expected, but the car felt slightly jittery as the tires neared the limits of grip. This may be the fault of the rear beam axle, a less-sophisticated design than the independent rear suspensions in most of its rivals. Whatever the cause, these feints at grip loss--combined with the torque steer--made me a bit hesitant to push the SE-R to the full ten-tenths of its capacity, despite its solid and confidence-inspiring feel right up to that limit.
Ride
Although the SE-R's suspension was set up very firmly, I didn't find its ride objectionably stiff. Much of the credit here goes to the car's stiff body structure (which was something of an enigma to me, as the Sentra 1.8S that I drove recently felt shuddery on rough roads), as well as the surprisingly reasonable noise levels. The SE-R's ride motions were quick and stiff, but it took bumps and potholes with muted "thumps" and no secondary vibrations.
Road noise was noticeable, and the engine wasn't exactly hushed, but the SE-R's noises were generally pleasant-sounding and well-muted. You'd probably find fault with the SE-R's stiffness and noise levels if you were cross-shopping it with Civics and Corollas, but as an enthusiast's car, the SE-R Spec V is plenty tolerable for the daily commute.
Interior
The SE-R's interior came as a bit of a disappointment to me. It's not that the interior wasn't accommodating and functional--it was--but it didn't look much different than the interior of a base-model Sentra whose owner had gone on a shopping spree at Pep Boys. I liked the thick steering wheel and mesh-fabric seats, but the cheap "aluminum-look" plastic trim did the SE-R no favors, and neither did the aforementioned plasticky feel of the shifter.
The sporty touches wouldn't have looked so incongruous if the Sentra had a visually interesting interior to begin with, but the standard Sentra dashboard is a pretty plain and dated canvas to work on. I can't blame the stylists for failing to liven up the dull surroundings sufficiently, but there was no class here--as I looked around the SE-R's interior, I could almost hear some product planner saying, "some plastic stuff here, some chrome there, the kids'll never notice." Oh well. At least it's more interesting inside than a regular Sentra.
And aside from the stylistic complaints, I found a lot to like in the SE-R's interior. The seats were firm and comfortable, and with this proper support, I found the SE-R's driving position (something I complained about in the regular Sentra) very good indeed. Being comfortably propped up, I could establish a near-ideal relationship between steering wheel, shifter, and pedals that was impossible to achieve in the base-model car.
The instrumentation was plain-looking but legible, and visibility was excellent in all directions thanks to the large, economy-car greenhouse. There was plenty of room for front passengers and while the rear seat was rather cramped, it certainly provided more room than any rival coupe. None of this sounds very exciting, but it means the Sentra is a surprisingly practical sports compact when you compare it to its two-door, hatchback competitors.
Practicality
Which brings us nicely to this category. As I mentioned above, the Sentra has plenty of room for front occupants to stretch out, and although the rear seat is tight, its occupants shouldn't complain too much on short trips. The presence of four doors is also a plus, as it makes it exponentially easier for people to get in and out of the back seat. One of my pet peeves about coupes is that, to get at the rear driver's-side seat, you have to fold your chair forwards, forcing you to take a few minutes to search for your just-right combination of fore-and-aft adjustment and seatback angle the next time you get in the car. In a four-door sport compact like the SE-R, that's not an issue.
However, there is one problem with the SE-R when it comes to usability: for whatever reason, split-folding rear seatbacks are not available on the Spec V (and if you're into performance, that's the model you want). This is especially unfortunate because the Sentra's trunk, SE-R or otherwise, is pretty meager. There's more than enough room for the day's groceries, but if you regularly carry bulky items (and being a working bass player, I do), loading the SE-R would become a tedious task of filling up the trunk and then putting whatever's left into the back seat--if it fits. Whose idea was that?
Reliability
The Sentra has typically had very good reliability over the years, but this last year, its rating dropped to Below Average from Consumer Reports. This is too bad, and it took me by surprise given the Sentra's consistently good reputation for reliability. Maybe it will improve this year?
Overall
The SE-R Spec V certainly isn't the most refined player in the sport-compact class, but I found it to be one of the most fun, and outstanding value for the money. The SE-R's torquey engine is a major selling point--it has to be one of the best engines you can get in a car under $20,000, with its eager response and gutsy feel. The car's solid, grippy feel over the road is a plus point as well.
And while the car's flaws are obvious--torque steer, artificial steering feel, plasticky shifter--these somehow managed to feel more involving than annoying. I know it sounds like a cop-out, but in this car, I found that its flaws often added to the fun. Maybe it was the fact that I was battling torque steer while ripping through the gears in what could have been mistaken for a boring economy car, or the tight response that waited at either end of the steering's vague spot. Whatever the reason, when these shortcomings combined with the brawny engine, grippy handling, and rock-solid feel over the road, it gave the SE-R a raw, overtly sporting demeanor that I found very entertaining. It is a rare car indeed whose inherent weaknesses only add to the joy of driving, but the SE-R Spec V pulls it off.
Besides, even if you don't share my subjective impressions--which are highly relative--it's easy to recognize the SE-R Spec V as a lot of go for a very reasonable price. It can run with cars like the Toyota Celica GT-S, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, and Acura RSX Type-S, but with a window sticker of about $18,000, it's priced to compete with the base "commuter" versions of those cars (Celica GT, Eclipse GS, RSX base), which are considerably slower.
So the SE-R Spec V is a good value--but unfortunately for Nissan, it's no longer the best. Since I originally wrote this review, new cars have been introduced that match the Spec V on price and performance, and far surpass it in terms of sophistication--most significantly, the new Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. Driven back-to-back, the Ralliart made the Spec V feel old and somewhat crude--the Nissan's plasticky econocar interior, twitchy on-limit handling, and less-refined drivetrain suffered badly in comparison.
Still, the SE-R Spec V remains a good choice in the sport-compact market. It's fast, grippy, and cheap, and although some people will undoubtedly be put off by its aging design and resulting lack of refinement, others will enjoy the silly grins provided by its fast, flawed performance. I'd recommend putting the Lancer Ralliart on your shopping list too, but the SE-R Spec V remains a strong player in the sport-compact arena, and a worthy choice for those seeking fun on a budget.
Feel free to check out my reviews of some of the SE-R's competitors:
Honda Accord EX Coupe
Honda Civic Si
Hyundai Tiburon GT V6
Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Scion tC
Subaru Impreza 2.5RS
Subaru Impreza WRX
Toyota Celica GT-S
Toyota Corolla XRS
Volkswagen GTI 1.8T
Volkswagen Jetta GLI VR6
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17,300
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Epinions.com ID:
drive571
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 in Cars & Motorsports |
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Member: P.J. McCombs
Location: Berkeley, California
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
New baby at home: a 1999 Mazda Miata in British Racing Green!
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