I usually don’t have many expectations when it comes to the cars I’ll be testing over the year. My editor tosses me the keys to a car, I drive it for a few days, conduct the required tests, and thanks to my years of experience, I feel qualified to deliver a detailed report of my impressions. After all, that’s what they pay me to do.
But sometimes, when my editor tosses me said keys, he accompanies them with a few comments. This week, I’d be driving the Nissan Sentra SE-R and he warned me “careful, this one’s a race car”. It took a few days to realize he was making fun of me.
Not that it’s a low-performance machine, but the Sentra is to race cars what I am to fashion models: a very, very distant cousin.
Charming looks
The Sentra SE-R is a little charmer, though, just not enough of one to be qualified as “sporty”. Just like me: I’ve got the charming face, but you’d never mistake me for a model!
In actuality, Nissan took the ordinary little Sentra and slapped on a couple aerodynamic skirts, 17-inch wheels and a spoiler. Nothing to really set it apart.
Inside, Nissan kept it even more low-key, maintaining the all-black appointments and the far-from-perfect finish. For good measure, the automaker threw in pressure and G-force gauges, in a bid to confirm the sporty intentions of the SE-R.
The steering wheel does offer a nice grip, and the seats, despite the hard-to-set driving position, are fairly comfortable. Too much so, I dare say. The cushioning foam is much appreciated on long drives, but totally inadequate for the least aggressive of manoeuvres.
Kudos to front head- and legroom, however, which is more than sufficient for average-sized people. A few compromises will have to be made in back, though, as the seats are a little tight.
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| The Sentra SE-R is a little charmer, though, just not enough of one to be qualified as “sporty”. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
But sometimes, when my editor tosses me said keys, he accompanies them with a few comments. This week, I’d be driving the Nissan Sentra SE-R and he warned me “careful, this one’s a race car”. It took a few days to realize he was making fun of me.
Not that it’s a low-performance machine, but the Sentra is to race cars what I am to fashion models: a very, very distant cousin.
Charming looks
The Sentra SE-R is a little charmer, though, just not enough of one to be qualified as “sporty”. Just like me: I’ve got the charming face, but you’d never mistake me for a model!
In actuality, Nissan took the ordinary little Sentra and slapped on a couple aerodynamic skirts, 17-inch wheels and a spoiler. Nothing to really set it apart.
Inside, Nissan kept it even more low-key, maintaining the all-black appointments and the far-from-perfect finish. For good measure, the automaker threw in pressure and G-force gauges, in a bid to confirm the sporty intentions of the SE-R.
The steering wheel does offer a nice grip, and the seats, despite the hard-to-set driving position, are fairly comfortable. Too much so, I dare say. The cushioning foam is much appreciated on long drives, but totally inadequate for the least aggressive of manoeuvres.
Kudos to front head- and legroom, however, which is more than sufficient for average-sized people. A few compromises will have to be made in back, though, as the seats are a little tight.
 |
| The steering wheel does offer a nice grip, and the seats, despite the hard-to-set driving position, are fairly comfortable. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |