Join our Nissan Forums for free today to discuss Nissan cars, Nissan, Skyline, Maxima, Sentra, Altima, SILVIA, 240sx, 350zx, Stanza, Nissan trucks, Murano, Titan. Get indepth unbiased information on the Nissan Versa from Consumer Reports including major redesigns, pricing and performance, and search local inventory. Get the latest indepth reviews, ratings, pricing and more for the 2017 Nissan Versa from Consumer Reports. Nissan Versa Manual' title='2007 Nissan Versa Manual' />Used 2. Nissan Sentra for sale Pricing Featuresmore about this model. Nissans 2. 00. 7 Sentra SE R has a legacy to carry on. When the first generation SE R was released in 1. Today, the 1. 99. SE R is remembered as the car that Nissan got right in every way. With the introduction of the third generation Sentra SE R, Nissan is hoping to get it right again with the high performance Spec V. But following the same formula isnt going to be easy. Thats mostly because the new Sentra shares a chassis platform with the upcoming Nissan Rogue crossover SUV, so its even taller and wider than the Acura TSX and Mazda 6 midsize sedans. Its hard to call the Sentra Spec V a sport compact sport midsize just sounds wrong, yet its clear that Nissan is hoping this car will compete with the Honda Civic Si, Mazdaspeed 3 and Subaru WRX. The rest of the formula. The Spec V is one of two Sentra SE R models. Its a dedicated high performance package, with more power, a six speed manual transmission and a special chassis calibration. The conventional SE R also has a uniquely tuned engine although with 1. CVT and a chassis thats not meant for maximum attack. Thanks to a base price including destination fee for the SE R Spec V of only 2. Nissan has nailed the low bucks budget of most of its SE R buyers. But when it comes to styling, the new Sentra doesnt live up to the SE R formula. Well admit that the original Sentra SE R couldnt exactly be called striking, but it had excellent proportions that gave it a purposeful look. This 2. 00. 7 Nissan Sentra looks confused. Its arched roof and short rear deck seem awkward at best, and even a lowered suspension and big wheels cant disguise the look of a utilitarian commuter car. The heart of the matter. Visipics Portable. With 2. 00 horsepower and 1. Spec Vs revised DOHC 2. The long stroke engine has enough torque to motivate the chassis in engaging ways, while now a screaming 7,0. The QR2. 5DE engine doesnt pull with the same fervor at 6,5. Theres lots of power under the curve, so its very drivable no matter how many revs you have on the tach. Samsung S5610 Manager more. Of the two Sentra SE R models, only the Spec V gets a six speed manual transmission with an optional helical limited slip differential. The Spec V also has a special suspension setup with harder bushings, more aggressive strut and damper tuning, a ride height thats 1. Theres a strut tower brace up front, plus an interesting V shape chassis brace between the rear dampers that means you have to sacrifice the base Sentras fold down rear seats. There are summer spec 2. WR1. 7 Continental Sport. Contact. 2 tires at all four corners. The Spec V also gets big 1. SE R. On the road. Drive the Spec V at 71. Its steering and brakes keep up with the cornering demands and the chassis tuning feels appropriately sporty. Once you start turning the screws, however, it becomes evident that the Sentra chassis suffers from crossoveritis. Like a crossover, the Sentra has a long 1. Theres no shortage of cornering grip, but you will feel plenty of body roll because of the cars crossoverlike height. The Spec V also rides pretty busily on city streets especially at the back of the car, although when youre driving fast on less than perfect back roads, youll discover theres a good compromise of spring and damping rates. Thanks to its limited slip differential, the Spec V is especially adept at putting the power down through tight low speed corners. Just be sure youve got a good grip on the wheel, because the combination of the engines considerable torque at wide open throttle and the helical type limited slip differential will lead the Spec V to carve a line that might require you to unwind the wheel at the exit of the corner. We were able to find a good driving rhythm in the Spec V, and it probably was as quick as a Civic Si over most roads. The SE Rs steering feel and overall composure arent as refined as those of the Honda, however, and youll notice this as you approach the limits of the chassis. At least part of this equation is the Spec Vs weight. At 3,0. 80 pounds, this car is 1. Civic Si sedan and about 3. SE R Spec V. We also couldnt get along with the awkward shift action of the Spec Vs six speed manual transmission. The shift lever is right where you want it, high up on a console next to your hand. But the cable operated shift action is a bit balky and it takes a lot of effort to move the lever laterally across the shift gate to grab another gear. We also had one of the transmissions shift cables come loose from its mounting bracket. A roadside repair saved the day. On the track. Despite its composed personality, the Spec V has respectable performance on the test track. It hit 6. 0 mph in 6. Honda Civic Si sedan. The Honda hit 6. 0 mph in 7. The Spec V split the slalom cones at 6. Subaru WRX, although this is slower than many cars in the class, probably a function of the Sentras size. At the same time, the Spec Vs grip on the skid pad is very good at 0. These big brakes stopped the Spec V from 6. Civic Si sedan. Spartan but functional The SE R interior has a few touches to remind you this isnt your mothers econobox. We like the comfortable cloth upholstered seats, although the bolsters arent supportive enough. The good news is that the Spec V is genuinely capable of carrying four medium size people in reasonable comfort. We loaded someone 6 foot 2 in the back, where he complained of limited headroom but found the legroom adequate. With 9. 7. 7 cubic feet of passenger volume, this is a spacious package. The stereo controls are easy to figure out and the huge center mounted volume knob offers satisfying punch when the car is optioned with the eight speaker, 3. Wallace &Amp. Rockford Fosgate audio system, which includes MP3 capability. The rim of the leather wrapped steering wheel nicely fills your hands, and its trimmed with red stitching just like the seats. The front seatbelts are also red not the kind of style choice wed make. Does it matter With decent performance numbers, real world usability and competitive pricing, the Spec V comes closer to the magic SE R formula than we anticipated, given its size. The only real obstacle facing the Spec V is the fact that its arched roof line and tall profile scream frumpy commuter car much louder than its low profile tires and semi sporty exhaust note declare it an official sport compact. Nissan tells us that about 1. Sentra sales have traditionally been SE R models, and the high intensity Spec V has comprised the majority of that number. SE R enthusiasts are clearly a dedicated crowd, and well see if they start hanging wings and spoilers on the Spec V or get used to crossing over to its newly adult personality. Second Opinion. Executive Editor Michael Jordan says Like the Dodge Caliber, the Sentra lives on top of a platform thats really meant for a crossover sport utility, so its no wonder that its proportions look like theyve been stretched out of shape as a result. Unfortunately, the SE R Spec Vs personality also feels as if its been stretched out of shape. All the performance numbers look pretty good, and Nissan has shown us plenty of compelling video of the SE R Spec V being tested at the Nrburgring. Weve driven the Spec V at a racetrack ourselves, and can report that its terrifically stable in long, sweeping bends. But like the Renault Mgane from which its derived, the Sentra always feels a little too big for what its trying to be.