Nissan Channels Rad-Era Performance With Turbocharged Sentra For SEMA
Image: Nissan
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!
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Image: Nissan
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.
Image: Nissan
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.
Image: Nissan
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.
Image: Nissan
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.
