Nissan Sentra SE-R – 2008 Preview: The 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R is the latest performance version of the Sentra, continuing a line that started in 1991. It will be available in the standard SE-R and a more potent Spec V. Both will retail for around $20,000, and are targeted at enthusiast drivers who maybe like the Sentra’s mini-Maxima styling, but are put off by the base car’s soft ride and underachieving handling. The SE-R will be available with a 177-horsepower engine and CVT transmission with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. The Spec V ups the power to an even 200 hp, and comes only with a six-speed manual transmission. Both boast improved handling over the rest of the Sentra line, with the Spec V getting additional tuning on Germany’s famed Nurburgring race track.

The Sentra SE-R does battle with an array of tough competitors from around the globe in a hotly contested market. It will immediately appeal to a pre-existing group of loyal Nissan enthusiasts, who will certainly snap up the first examples that become available. Winning over the competition may be more difficult. While the Spec V comes to the table with a solid performance package, including a limited slip differential, special gauges and other interior and handling improvements, it doesn’t out-spec any of its competitors by a great margin, and it’s still wrapped in the Sentra’s sensible-shoes styling. Even Nissan’s “200 horsepower for $20,000” is nothing to crow about, as the Civic Si is virtually the same for the same price, and it’s likely the upcoming 300-horsepower Dodge Caliber SRT4 will at be in the same ballpark.

The 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R front wheels are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. In the standard SE-R, this engine produces 177 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque at 2800 rpm. This version of the engine is connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that the driver can control with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. The Spec V offers a higher compression ratio, stronger rods, a different camshaft profile and other refinements to up the power to an even 200 horses. Torque increases to 180 lb-ft at a much higher 5200 rpm. The Spec V comes only with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission.

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