Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

VOICE OVER: Miranda Lightstone

It might not look that much different than a base Nissan Sentra, but if you spot the SE-R badge (and the little Spec-V tucked beneath it), watch out. This sport compact will turn heads, and its horsepower boost over the SE-R model is definitely adequate. Though design-wise you won't see many changes, it's still an attractive model made for a niche market. Built to appeal to the performance crowd, we discovered that this Sentra has some serious attitude on the road. http://www.WatchMojo.com spent a week behind the wheel of the 2011 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spev-V.

Drive

Drive

Here’s a car that’s designed to hang with the cool kids. Yet, the moment it opens its mouth you realize its really not that cool at all, and its all been a facade from the beginning.

Granted, the Spec-V model gets a 30-horsepower boost over the SE-R model (which is also available with a CVT … I’m sorry, what?) bringing it to 200, but it’s not good enough. The 6-speed manual transmission is responsive and fun to drive, but there’s not enough response from the car itself to make me enjoy driving it.

This is supposed to be a tuner-bred car. This is supposed to be a vehicle you can drive off the dealer and straight into a sport compact performance show. And I think the V-bar and upgraded suspension and bushing rates are the only bits that make this Sentra a truly performance-driven vehicle.

Despite being a front-wheel drive vehicle, the Spec-V handles fantastically. I was instantly surprised with the grip this thing had in corners, no matter how quickly you tried to take them. Roll was nearly non-existent. And while the V-bar between the back seats and the trunk means your Sentra is completely useless for anything other than groceries (there’s no pass through and you can’t fold the seats down at all), at least you’ll be able to handle corners -- bonus.

car review test drive Nissan Nissan Sentra spec-v spec v autos automotive automobiles automaker 2011 Nissan test drive sport compact performance car

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