1. Overview
2. Gallery
   • Photo Gallery (31)
   • 360° View
   • Video
   • Web Videos (134)
3. Trims and Specs
   • Select a Trim (8)
4. More Resources
   • Related News (0)
   • Other Expert Reviews (6)
   • Consumer Opinions (458)
   • Car Tweets
   • Q&A (79)
5. Next Steps
   • Get Nissan Insurance Quotes
   • Get Nissan Financing Quotes
   • Check Local Classifieds
   • Find a local dealer

     Select State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Select City
     

     See all Nissan dealers

April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/nissan_sentra_2002

  Bengt Halvorson
EditorBengt Halvorson

Much to our delight, carmakers have rediscovered that small cars sell—and bring younger buyers into the fold—if they’re fun to drive. In the Eighties, there were plenty of ‘pocket rockets’ such as the Toyota Corolla FX-16, the Volkswagen GTI, and the Dodge Omni GLH. These were great examples of how behind-the-wheel excitement was added to bland, bread-and-butter models.

While there were few options five years ago, there are now, once again, many choices in the small, pocket-rocket category. There’s the Mazda MP3, the Ford Focus SVT, the Mitsubishi Lancer OZ, the Subaru Impreza RS (the WRX is a league ahead), the Dodge Neon R/T, the VW GTI, and even the new Mini Cooper.

What makes it even better is that each of these machines has its own distinct character. From the outside, the Nissan SE-R Spec V is a bit of a plain-jane, but inside and behind the wheel we found it extremely competent and a riot to drive.

While the base Sentra is an ordinary, unobtrusive small car that tries to take after larger sedans in terms of styling, features, and ride comfort, the sporty SE-R model—and especially the edgy, track-tuned Spec V package—has several important differences that make it considerably more exciting.

Most notable is the new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Nissan says that many design elements have been borrowed from its renowned family of V-6 engines. It has a compact counterweight system to reduce the vibrations that normally result from large-displacement engines such as this, and chain-drive system replaces a conventional timing belt for reliability.

Jaguar logo Much to our delight, carmakers have rediscovered that small cars sell—and bring younger buyers into the fold—if they’re fun to drive. In the Eighties, there were plenty of ‘pocket rockets’ such as the Toyota Corolla FX-16, the Volkswagen GTI, and the Dodge Omni GLH. These were great examples of how behind-the-wheel excitement was added to bland, bread-and-butter models. forum While there were few options five years ago, there are now, once again, many choices in the small, pocket-rocket category. There’s the Mazda MP3, the Ford Focus SVT, the Mitsubishi Lancer OZ, the Subaru Impreza RS (the WRX is a league ahead), the Dodge Neon R/T, the VW GTI, and even the new Mini Cooper. What makes it even better is that each of these machines has its own distinct character. From the outside, the Nissan SE-R Spec V is a bit of a plain-jane, but inside and behind the wheel we found it extremely competent and a riot to drive. While the base Sentra is an ordinary, unobtrusive small car that tries to take after larger sedans in terms of styling, features, and ride comfort, the sporty SE-R model—and especially the edgy, track-tuned Spec V package—has several important differences that make it considerably more exciting. Most notable is the new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Nissan says that many design elements have been borrowed from its renowned family of V-6 engines. It has a compact counterweight system to reduce the vibrations that normally result from large-displacement engines such as this, and chain-drive system replaces a conventional timing belt for reliability. Much to our delight, carmakers have rediscovered that small cars sell—and bring younger buyers into the fold—if they’re fun to drive. In the Eighties, there were plenty of ‘pocket rockets’ such as the Toyota Corolla FX-16, the Volkswagen GTI , and the Dodge Omni GLH. These were great ...