Cruise on over to Motive Magazine site for a look at Wes Grueninger’s piece on the Nissan Sentra SE-R and it’s legacy. For those of you unfamiliar with this little econobox, the original car was an all-out brawler. An overly-potent four banger up front, independent suspension all the way around, a limited slip nestled in the tranny and disc brakes out back made for a track assassin in secretary’s clothing. In other words, our type of car. Motive was able to scrounge up a ’91 model that wears the scars from 17 hard Chicago winters to pit against the 2008 progeny. How’d it do? Click over to find out. [Motive]
Posted By: Zach Bowman | 3 Comments »
Tags: 1991 1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R 2008 2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V Motive Magazine Nissan SE-R Sentra Spec V
I think of finding some of my favorite 1980s and 1990s cars to drive, to see how they measure up to my memories. Did cars truly have a more direct feel back then?
Sadly, the Motive comparison doesn’t do much for me, since they dodge making a real comparison between the old car and the new one. Instead, they review the beater as a beater, then the new car by itself. Their conclusion, that the field has gotten crowded, so the Sentra fails to stand out, is weak.
Evo did the real deal with their giant test of every M car ever offered earlier this year. Their conclusion: the E30 M3 really was the best M.
During the brief period in my life when cars weren’t a fiendish obsession, I owned an OG Sentra SE-R for a couple of years. Great little driver’s car with a ton of road feel and that screaming twin cam, that of anything I’ve owned came closest to the 83 GTI I had as a first car. I sold it with 25k miles and the same tires and oil it came from the factory with.
I was hard pressed between and EG Civic and an SE-R when it came time to pick up a new steed last go around. I’ve been a Nissan fan since forever, but it’s hard to find one that doesn’t look like Motive’s beater. Not that the P.O.S. Civic looks a whole bunch better, but still.