2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V from North America - Comments

6-Speed transmission is a pain.

Paint is cheap and thin.

The Exterior- They Said.

"The SE-R rear end gets the de rigueur wing that fails to reduce rear-end lift or visually lift the Sentra's droopy butt." - Car and Driver.

"The SE-R and Spec V are no head-turners, but look racier than regular Sentras, with such items as a Skyline-style front fascia with a mesh grille and large fog lights. " - MSN Autos.

"Staying true to the original Sentra SE-R, the newest version has a plain body style that didn't leave anyone on staff stunned by its lines. Mostly inoffensive, it had a few design quirks, such as a character line (on the sides) that looks as if someone erased it where it approaches the front and rear of the car, and a rather dowdy rear end." - Edmunds.com.

"We thought the Sentra SE-R Spec V was a very good-looking car, even if the spoiler and other add-ons are a rather obvious effort to appeal to the more youthful male buyer. The Sentra, without the do-dads, has an understated simplicity. We like it." - Car Talk.

The Exterior- I Say.

While I like the styling of the SE-R and the Spec V, I'm not blown away by it. I personally like the 2003 MazdaSpeed Protégé and the 2002 Hyundai Tiburon GT V6 body-style's. But the Mazdaspeed is as fast and agile as the Spec V for about $2,000 more and the Hyundai is, well, a Hyundai (no offense, but I just couldn't bring myself to own one, no matter how much I liked the styling.) If the front of the SE-R is its greatest asset, its rear-end is its greatest liability. The Spec V's stock rims are also very sharp looking, but their looks come at a price: weight (their about 25 pounds each.) All together, though, the styling generally works. It's aggressive, but not too much so. Somewhat like a well dressed sleeper.

As for my car, I like the extremely glossy finish, but the paint chips too easily. The plastic moldings in-between the front and back doors adhere to wax and make it difficult to remove the left over white haze. And the rear spoiler is a bit noisy when you close the trunk a little hard. I don't even think the spoiler functionally does anything for the car, other than to visually spruce up the rear, so it doesn't matter much anyway.

Before I move on, I have to say that I am very disappointed with the styling direction that Nissan is going towards with the exterior changes made to the 2004 SE-R and Spec V models. They are VERY plain-Jane. I can only presume that Nissan is going for a completely sleeper look to somehow help boost sales. Unfortunately, the pocket-rockets that sell well both look AND act the part. And while the Brembo brake option is a very welcome feature for the 2004 Spec V, they have removed the 2002/2003 front fascia and made it almost completely indistinguishable from the base model Sentra. I can only hope that Nissan's 2005 Sentra re-design will have some of the magic that all its other cars seem to have gotten.

The Interior- They Said.

"And if you do go full-bore and pick the Spec V over the standard SE-R, we hope you like red and orange. In addition to the retina-searing red seat trim, there are also orange gauge markings and red stitching on the steering wheel." - Edmunds.com.

"The Sentra SE-R builds on an already decent interior with seats designed like those in the Skyline. These racer-oriented seats are comfortable enough to spend all day in." - Elephant Scribbles.

"Where I might take some exception to the SE-R is inside, and even then that's mainly because of a seat color: red. The red-and-black cloth seats scream youth, but something a bit more subtle would scare off fewer buyers. We 40-somethings still have to drive the family around in these cars, you know, and just might want more subdued, but sporty, seats. Otherwise, the interior was nicely appointed and laid out. There is some subtlety to other parts of the car, such as red stitching on the black leather steering wheel and SE-R badging on the floor mats." - JS Online.

The Interior- I Say.

For the record, I like the red seats. They are very comfortable, even on long trips (and I've driven three days straight in those seats, twice), and keep you well planted when you decide to toss the Spec V around. The only problem I do have with the seats happens when I bump my elbows on the lateral support under intense performance situations (do mostly to my getting a little too animated with the wheel, having to move my hands around quickly to turn a corner, then fighting the torque-steer, and finally changing the gear all within a couple seconds of each other.) I also don't like how easily someone can snag the black mesh that covers the rest of the seat. But that hasn't happened yet, so that's just an omnipresent irritant when I have passengers in the car.

The rest of the interior is nothing exciting. It's quite utilitarian. All the dials are where they should be. It would be nice if the visual stance of the car was lower and more sports-car-like and not as economy as I know the base Sentra really is. But none of this has hampered my enjoyment of my car. I do like the extra storage compartments that are on top of the center console and above the rear-view mirror.

After a year of ownership, I have noticed that there is a frequent accumulation of film on the front and back windows. I've never had to clean windows so frequently. Also, dust collects in the unique areas of the dash molding, making is hard to get everything. And, with all the tossing around that my car experiences, I wish Nissan had thrown in a trunk cargo net for free.

The Performance- They Said.

"Torque steer, torque steer and more torque steer. The Sentra SE-R Spec V goes sideways more than first-time drifters. On a hard launch the front wheels go nearly sideways forcing one to take hold of the steering wheel like a bucking bronco." - ign.com.

"Nissan set up a small auto-cross course for us, and the Spec V felt right at home. The Spec V will be great for those who want a car that will perform well right out of the box." - Road & Track.

"The SE-R's big four was always on its toes, ready to charge out of a corner in the canyons or pull top gear effortlessly up a long, grinding uphill stretch on the freeway. Throttle response is crisp from idle to redline, with strong power that starts down low and continues through the mid-range." - Edmunds.com.

"And showing restraint isn't easy in the Spec V. The front strut suspension and beam rear haven't been stiffened very aggressively. Yet the Spec V corners with minimal body roll, is stable in transitional maneuvers, and turns in with real conviction." - Car & Driver.

"While on the skidpad the SE-R was content with grinding its way around, understeering to 0.88 gs of lateral acceleration. " - Autoweek.

"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." - SportCompactCar.

The Performance- I Say.

Before I start, I would like to share my ambivalent feelings toward SportCompactCar. They dog the crap out of the Spec V, but include it on its "8 Great Rides" list. They like the car because, in their words, it tries so hard, but dislike it because it isn't a major change from the original SE-R (which is a matter of opinion.) However, I do find it embarrassing, and also a source of pride, that the prototype Spec V that they used in their recent comparison test (which it finished fifth out of eight cars) was experiencing engine troubles and still managed to beat the Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen GTI 1.8T, and the Hyundai Tiburon GT V6. Now that I've said my peace, I can move on.

The performance of the Spec V, coupled with its price, makes it one awesome vehicle. It isn't the most powerful, or the most poised, but it can accomplish feats that even a well known $25,000 all-wheel-drive, rally breed sports car can't (such as a slalom speed of 68.5 MPH.) Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the Spec V is raw and unrefined. Nissan crammed the 2.5-Liter I-4 from the Altima and the 6-speed from the Maxima into its economical Sentra, tweaked a little bit on the suspension, and slapped on a new front fascia to produce the SE-R and the Spec V. To some, including me, the raucous nature of the Spec V is its greatest appeal. Being unrefined, it is the most like a racecar than its competitors. But, after wrestling with the car for an hour on an auto-cross track, I can imagine that all that strain would take its toll on the driver. For urban racing (of the law abiding type), the Spec V's unruly nature is exciting and only adds to the whole experience.

With the exception of the Neon SRT-4, the Spec V is the quickest sport compact under $20,000. Being a redline-to-redline driver, I enjoy the feeling of rapid acceleration daily. And at the track I was able to get a 15.46 quarter-mile on 3/4 tank of 87-octane gas, with my spare tire in the trunk, in the middle of a 85-degree day, after back-to-back races, while changing nothing more than the stock air filter and transmission gear oil (for synthetic.) And burnouts are stupidly simple, even in second gear. I often burnout unintentionally, which I don't really mind. Just watch out for the rev-limiter, which abruptly shuts the engine down to idle at 6,200 RPM. Talk about a kill-joy to an otherwise completely exhilarating rush from 3,000 RPM (yes, the power band is that flat and that wide.)

There is a caveat to the big-liter-four, front-wheel-drive setup in both the SE-R and Spec V models: torque-steer. If you're not careful, the immense torque-steer will wake you up in a hurry, especially if it's pointing you into the next lane of traffic. This is only a real problem if you are applying full throttle in the first three gears, but if you aren't expecting it, the experience can leave you a little flustered. After you get a feel for it, though, it becomes less of a problem as you start to anticipate the additional force. And while I actually enjoy wrestling with the car every now and again, do not gun the gas in first while taking a tight turn from a stop because you will need a good deal of effort on your part to right yourself without letting off the gas pedal.

Once you get over the shock of the torque-steer, you can then enjoy the Spec V's prowess on the tarmac because its suspension's abilities are many. On dry pavement I have yet to get into a situation that my Spec V couldn’t handle (except when you're using the stock tires on the snow, which is a completely different story.) The feedback you get from the car when you are at the outer fringes of its handling envelope can be a bit numb, sending you false information and making you think that you've reached the end of your handling envelope even though there's a little bit more left to give. And the helical limited-slip front end does wonders to pull you around a corner. I personally avoided a potentially cataclysmic high-speed situation that I'm sure would have been a very painful with complete control and confidence. The car never seemed to do anything, but what I wanted it to do (and I really felt like kissing it in gratitude.)

For my next topic, I get to discuss the bane of my existence: the Spec V's 6-speed transmission. If there was a major weakness to the Spec V, it is its 6-speed. It is clunky, resistant, and crunchy. Before I filled up with synthetic gear oil the transmission was very disagreeable. I would get locked out of second gear and third gear would crunch if I shifted too quickly. But now, after installing the new gear oil, the action is much improved with reduced third gear crunch. I've even tried to learn a better shifting technique, which has allowed me to have near blissful transmission action at the track. Apparently the 2003 transmission has had changes made to it that eliminated many of the problems I've just described (but I can't confirm that.)

For an "economy" car, the SE-R and Spec V get horrible gas mileage. I usually get an average of 20 MPG because I have a very heavy right foot. As I've mentioned before, I'm a redline-to-redline shifter and, if I'm not shifting within microns of the rev-limiter, I rarely shift before 3,000 RPM. But that's me and my Spec V hasn't complained once. On long trips, though, it is completely possible to get as much as 30 MPG if you let your cruise control do all the "talking" to the engine and fuel management system. I was floored to find that I was getting 30 MPG on my way back up from Biloxi, MS to Delaware (with the A/C on all the way.) If you don't use the cruise control, expect about 26 MPG for highway driving.

Conclusions- They Said.

"Nissan did more than merely revive the name with the 2002 Sentra SE-R. It builds on the character of the original, with far more performance." - The Auto Channel.

"If it weren't so muscle-bound, and didn't have such a serious case of torque steer, we'd be happy to recommend the Sentra SE-R Spec V as a nice economy sedan with some extra kick. After all, it does offer strong acceleration, good handling, the promise of reliability, and the practicality of four doors and a good-sized trunk." - Car Talk.

"Aside from all the cold analyzing and number crunching, there was something else that indicated to us who our winner would probably be. During a comparison test, the cars are rotated nightly through the editorial staff, except for the weekend, where a driver has the same car from Friday night through Monday morning. More than a few of us tried to wrangle the SE-R for that coveted time slot, so enamored with the junior sport sedan were we. With a list price of just under $19,000 including a sunroof and an amazing sound system, the thoroughly enjoyable Sentra SE-R Spec V best defines the econosport sedan category." - Edmunds.com.

"SE-R has always been something special for the Sentra. It's not the uber-tossable pocket rocket of yore, but it does make for a great Sentra. Little knit-picks aside, the Spec V is worth the extra few bucks. The Spec V makes driving a Sentra like not driving a Sentra, if you know what I mean." - ign.com.

"Even though this new Spec V is quite a bit more hard-core than the old SE-R, it’s still very manageable on the street. It exhibited little road and wind noise, the engine is never obtrusive and the ride remains compliant. It’s just plain fun to drive. Plus with four doors, you have a sporty car you can deal with everyday." - Road & Track.

Conclusion- I Say.

It slices and diced, and will cut through a tomato after cutting through an aluminum can! The SE-R and Spec V are just that amazing. And when you get the Spec V for 60 easy payments of only $275 a month, you'll wonder how you ever managed to live your life without it!

Well that about covers it. I've tried to address many of the kind and not so kind comments that have been said about the SE-R and Spec V so that new owners and potential customers can get a feel for what it's like to own one of these cars for a while. Personally, I love the car. And if you are looking to buy an SE-R or Spec V, I'd go used because they don't retain their value very well (being almost completely ignored by the public because Nissan refuses to advertise properly will do that to a car.) You can get a 2002 Spec V for around $14,000! That's just too good of a bargain for such a rare find. And it does have its problems, as every car does, but you end up getting a whole lot of car for just pennies on the dollar. And that will only make the satisfied grin you get driving around in your SE-R or Spec V that much bigger!

Excellent review. I like the fact that you compare industry high points and low points to your own, direct experience. I am an '02 owner and my feelings pretty much match yours. This is the most fun I've had with any car -- I even traded in my WRX to buy this as the WRX was riddled with problems. I actually got a useful tip from you in regards to the gear problems. I will try synthetic gear oil as mine is quite clunky through the first three gears, and sometimes difficult to get into Reverse. I'm going to have the dealer check the synchronizations, but will definitely try the synthetic gear oil. Thanks for your write-up, it was very informative and well written. If you have time, please send me an email with the gear oil you used since it sounds like it's working well for you. Email me at mjensen@chulavista.lib.ca.us

Mike.

Synthetic oils can void your warranty if used under 20,000 km. bull$&^# but if Nissan has an out they will take it. Make absolutely sure that the right oil is used. some oils are not compatable with the materials in our gear box and will cause deterioration.

I got 3,000 km more to go and its synthetic all the way around.

I thoroughly enjoyed your comments about the Spec V. I love my 02 Spec and wouldn't trade it-especially the seats :-). I did want to add on to the synthetic oil comment and suggest motor mount inserts which are easy to install, inexpensive ($58 or so), and eliminate the crunch all together which is really the only problem I've had with the car to date (with the exception of small vibration at idle). Thanks.

The Sentra SE-R Spec V is definitely one of the best pocket rockets. I have to give props to the safety team with this one. I had a 2002 Spec V and rolled it about 4 times and walked away with nothing more than a few bruises. Now I have a 2004 Spec V and I must say that I like the 02-03 body styling better. All of the after-market parts for this car is nearly endless. I wouldn't pick another sports sedan other than the Spec V.

I loved your review of this great car! I turned 16 in July and I acquired an 05 Spec V for my first car. I absolutely love it! It's quick (I toasted an 06 Si and ran with a 93 5.0, along with blowing the doors off a Jag S-Type), has insane handling and is an all around great car. My friends give me crap for driving a Sentra, but I reply that it's as much a Sentra as an SRT-4 is a Neon. Great Review!