Once again, Nissan has gone all out for the SEMA Autoshow, and one of the most interesting cars the Japanese manufacturer is offering this year is the Sentra Turbo.
If you're not familiar with the brand, you should understand that the Sentra is what's equivalent to the Civic or Elantra in Nissan's lineup. Unfortunately, unlike its rivals, it doesn't really offer a sporty version. Who knows, maybe the concept presented at SEMA will change things!
Breath-Taking Performance
In its regular form, the Nissan Sentra is a small sedan powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque. Let me tell you that the list of modifications made to the concept presented at SEMA is quite extensive.
Let's start with what's under the hood. The team working on the concept's development completely disassembled the engine block to rebuild it with improved parts. They also added a Garrett G25 turbocharger to the mix. Unfortunately, we don't know the total power output of this new engine, but we do know that the manufacturer paired it with a 6-speed manual transmission, which makes it even more intriguing.
Several other elements have been revised, such as the suspension, where NISMO parts have been added. The same goes for the wheels. The Sentra concept also uses the brake calipers and discs found on the new Z.
NISMO Inspiration
NISMO is Nissan's performance division, and it served as inspiration for the livery applied to the Sentra concept. It features carbon fiber mirror covers. Inside, you'll find Recaro Sporster seats in the front and some NISMO parts, like the gear lever.
A Glimpse of the Future
It's hard to say if Nissan will go further with the Sentra concept or not. It's clear that a more performance-oriented production version of the small Japanese sedan would have some success. Sporty versions of the Sentra have been offered in the past. Maybe we are witnessing the rebirth of the legendary Sentra SE-R or perhaps even the launch of a future NISMO version.
Jean-Sébastien Poudrier