RAMSEY CORP IS HOME OF GUARANTEED CREDIT APPROVAL! THIS VEHICLE COMES WITH A FREE 3 MONTH WARRANTY EXTENDED WARRANTIES AVAILABLE. Heated Seating 6-SPD 2008 NISSAN SENTRA SE-R SPEC V 3N1CB61EX8L638696 SEDAN 4 DR 2.5L I4 FI DOHC 16V FRONT WHEEL DRIVE This review focuses on the sportiest Sentra trim level, the SE-R Spec V. I already reviewed the regular 2007 Sentra, and that model is mostly unchanged for 2008. For more on the Sentra, read that review or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years. I found the redesigned 2007 Sentra a vast improvement over the prior generation, and I'd hoped the sporty SE-R and full-bore SE-R Spec V (that's spec vee, not spec five) would similarly improve on their forebears when they joined the lineup a few months later. When I track-tested a Spec V in May of last year, I was disappointed (as detailed in the accompanying video). I've now spent a week with a 2008 Spec V in typical use, and my impressions are still lukewarm. Within the affordable compact car class, this subclass of sportified versions has grown, and higher horsepower and capabilities are the orders of the day. Since the previous-generation Spec V's conception, Dodge even turned the Neon into a wild child called the SRT4 a remarkable car with the most power for your dollar when it made its 2003 debut. If Dodge could turn a tragedy like the Neon into that, just imagine what Nissan could do with its newly competitive Sentra. Perhaps I did more imagining than Nissan did. The Spec V is good for many of the same reasons the Sentra is, but it breaks no new ground, failing to keep pace both with long-standing, long-refined rivals like the Volkswagen GTI and with come-latelys like the Mazdaspeed3. To wit: Sport Compact Performance 0-60 mph (sec.) 1/4 mile (sec.) 60-0 mph braking (ft.) Dodge Caliber SRT4 6.4 15.0 @ 97 mph 129 Honda Civic Si 7.2 15.6 @ 93 mph n/a Mazdaspeed3 6.4 14.7 @ 97 mph 114 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V 7.0 15.4 @ 92 mph 142 Subaru Impreza WRX 6.