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2010 Nissan Sentra 2.5 SE-R Spec V Review (video)

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Justin Pritchard
Sentra SE-R Spec V delivers an affordable performance
My friend Dave is an avid drag-racer who tweaks his own engine and rocks a stripped out, strip-ready Sunfire. He was checking out your writer’s borrowed Sentra SE-R Spec V tester at the local coffee shop one night not so long ago.

The Sentra SE-R Spec V amounts to a machine that pulls off much of the look and feel of a sports car. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com)

“I remember these” he commented.

We’d each honed our way into car-guy territory around the time the last-generation Sentra SE-R hit the scene, remembering it as a sporty and highly-desirable machine that offered plenty of punch while bringing Nissan’s reputation for performance to its most affordable level. Several of our fellow ‘Generation-Y’ friends had owned older copies of the Sentra SE-R, making us a little jealous to say the least.

“185 horsepower still, from that big four out of the Altima?” Dave asked.

“Same engine-- but 200 ponies now” I replied. “Same premise though-- six-speed stick, limited slip, front-drive, handling and braking upgrades, and so on. Great tires, too”.

Young again…
A brief pause after giving Dave my usual walk-around tour had me realize how cool these specifications would have sounded on my old 240SX some 8 or 10 years back.

Ah, to be 18 again.

Effectively, all of the tweaking makes the Sentra SE-R Spec V the hottest factory-stock Sentra model currently available. The jacked-up power, handling and looks are all requisites with aspiring compact tuners across the globe, and they put the SE-R up against pricier models like the Honda Civic Si ($25,880) and Volkswagen GTI ($28,675).

The Sentra SE-R Spec V the hottest factory-stock Sentra model currently available. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com)
Justin Pritchard
Justin Pritchard
Automotive expert
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