Nissan hasn’t built a sport compact performance variant of its venerable Sentra sedan since the sixth-generation model went out of production in 2012. And it’s a damn shame, too, because the Sentra SE-R was a relatively inexpensive way to inject some performance into your otherwise responsible adult life. Nissan just unveiled its most exciting Sentra in years, a NISMO concept for the SEMA show next week, and it’s a real ripper. It’s not available for sale, but come on Nissan, it could be!
Does it have a stick? You bet your ass it has a stick! Of course you can’t currently order a Sentra with a stick from Nissan (unless you’re Canadian), but it’s SEMA, anything is possible if you dream hard enough. This machine allows you to three-pedal dance with a turbocharged jig, as the engine now sports a giant Garrett turbocharger and a bunch of extra power. Nissan doesn’t give any power figures or much information about the car, really. It looks fun, though.
To support the G25 turbocharger, the car is treated to lower-compression Manley pistons and Eagle rods, a set of Bosch secondary injectors, a Garrett intercooler, and Motec stand alone engine management. The exhaust is a NISMO cat-back, and hopefully sounds good. The transmission features a lightweight flywheel and sport clutch, plus a Quaife limited slip differential to handle the power and keep the revs up.
The suspension is a set of NISMO coilovers and sway bars, available for your Sentra right now. The wheels have been swapped for a set of NISMO-branded six-spokes, black on one side and bronze on the other, wrapped in Yoko Advan Neova tires. Behind those wheels are a full set of Nissan Z calipers and rotors, which is pretty rad parts-binning.
While the garish NISMO wrap is hardly my style, I like everything else about this car, and hope it portends a future packed with sporty Nissans. Personally, I’d love to see this not only built and offered to the public, but to be joined by a Versa SE-R as well. I’ll probably have to keep dreaming on that one. My dreams are even too weird for SEMA and Las Vegas.
