Tough Crowd Comparison Test: Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

The Spec-V in this test had seen better days. The gearbox was full of crunch and the engine full of ping. On the dyno, we had to roll onto the throttle gently to avoid a strange, transient knock problem. Regardless, power output was among the healthiest we've seen for a Spec-V. The crunchy gearbox added a lot of time to the quarter mile, however. We saw 15.9 seconds with this car, but have seen 15.5 from healthier examples.

Despite numerous personality faults, the SE-R Spec-V continues to be a favorite. It is, in many ways, clumsy, but it tries so hard, we can't help but like it. The

B15 Sentra chassis' inherent limitations start with its non-adjustable beam rear suspension that has 0.25 inch of toe-in. The design makes the rear very stable, and big tires, aggressive spring rates, and a large rear anti-roll bar, which is integral with the rear beam, do a good job of making the Spec-V rotate, but the shock valving makes it all feel very clumsy. The Spec-V sometimes bobs and pitches, and sometimes just sticks. Learn the suspension's quirks, however, and there's a lot of grip and a confidence-inspiring demeanor to the Spec-V.

The piece that makes the schizophrenic suspension workable is the standard helical limited slip that lets the front wheels claw around the corner every time. With the substantial torque of the QR25DE, you throw the Spec-V into a corner and simply mash the gas.

All the Spec-V's personality is under the hood, where the big, smooth 2.5-liter and very short-geared six-speed make the car explosively torquey. First and second gears are so short, accidental burnouts are possible, and starting in second is a realistic alternative (rumor has it first and second will be taller on 2003 models, which will be available as you read this). All that torque, however, leads to disruptive torque steer.

As enjoyable as the big 2.5-liter's torque is, the aggressive fuel-cut rev limiter at 6200 rpm smacks you at every shift. The SRT-4 handles its 6000-rpm limit much better, closing the electronic throttle first and only smacking you with a fuel cut if you still refuse to shift. Unlike the German drive-by-wire cars, there's no throttle lag and no vagueness to the throttle action on the Spec-V. Use the gas and the brake at the same time, however, as left-foot brakers tend to, and the ECU drops to a maximum of 25 percent throttle. This makes the brakes feel extra grabby when left-foot braking. None of the other drive-by-wire cars do this.

Best Feature: With gobs of torque and really short gears, this would be a peg-legging slob without a limited slip. The smooth, seamless helical LSD does a brilliant job of putting the power down under any conditions.

Worst Feature: We could have put the Frontier-meet- potato styling here, but we're not fashion critics, so let's talk suspension. It feels like the ride and handling guys got in a brawl and everybody lost.

Base Price: $17,199
Measured horsepower at the wheels: 146hp @ 5700 rpm
Curb weight as tested: 2,750 lb

First three things we'd modify

1: Header
The close-coupled cat is so close to the exhaust ports that all the pre-production cats disintegrated from the heat. Production cars weren't supposed to have this problem, but we know of a few that have. That's enough to make us want the stock manifold and cat replaced with a header. Getting more than 10 hp would be nice, too. Hot Shot and Nissan Motorsports both have headers (same one); AEBS has one enroute.

2: Balance Shafts
The QR25's balance shaft assembly sits in the oil pan thrashing about at up to 12,000 rpm. Removing them frees about 9 hp, adds a quart of oil capacity, reduces oil frothing, and has remarkably little effect on the smoothness of the engine. Jim Wolf Technology has a kit that replaces the assembly with a windage tray.

3: Cams
There aren't any in production yet, but we've tested some JWT prototypes and they're impressive. With these three mods, you can make as much power as any naturally aspirated SR20 could hope to, and vastly more torque.