by "LJ909" (lj909)
Published 12/29/2017 at 11:53
by "LJ909" (lj909)
Published 12/29/2017 at 11:53
No Tags
STARS: 8
Last decade before Nissan was taken over by soul sucking CVT’s and crossovers, their SR sporty looking trim had an E in it, as in SE-R. This was when Nissan was still at least trying with performance, unlike now. You could get Nurburgring tuned Sentra SE-R (with a forgettable overpriced turbo SR on sale now as sort of its predecessor) or the short lived Altima SE-R.
Only made with the 3rd gen Altima that was made from ‘01-’06, the Altima SE-R was only available for ‘05 and ‘06. Powered by Nissan’s tried and true VQ 3.5 V6, it had 260 horses routed to the front wheels through a proper 6 speed manual and supposedly was made to take on the front drive performance cars of the time like the Acura TL Type S. Other changes brought to the Altima that made it SE-R spec were 18’ wheels with sticky rubber, upgraded brakes, a stiffer suspension and a high flow exhaust that actually had a good burble to it.
Unique front fascia and a lip spoiler complemented the front and rear. Exterior color choices were limited to gray, silver, red and black. Car & Driver tested it in ‘05 and put down 0-60 numbers of 6.1 seconds and a good .86 g on the skid pad (Motorweek got 5.8).
Inside Nissan attempted to make the cockpit similar to the Z. 3 round gauges over the center dash, largely for show, gave info on oil pressure, voltage and pointlessly instant fuel consumption. Sporty aluminum pedals and thickly bolstered leather sport seats with SE-R embroidered that could be had with either red or gray inserts finished what was otherwise a plain mid 00’s plasticky Altima interior.
If you can find one with good paint or one that’s working its a good performance car many people forgot about. No hard production figures exist but what you can find say that there were 5 thousand made each model year for a total of 10k. Not many in the grand scheme of things.
"MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
12/29/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 1
meh car mondays on a friday now!?
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 3
Nah this was far from meh. Tuned they were actually kind of sleepers.
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
12/29/2017 at 12:14, STARS: 8
It’s so crazy than in the last 10 years 260-300hp has gone from “high Performance sport sedan” to, every single competitor on the market.
"Aremmes" (aremmes)
12/29/2017 at 12:19, STARS: 2
VQ 3.5 V6... actually had a good burble to it.
LOL. VQs have a lot of things going for them. Sounding like rocky phlegm coming out of a chain-smoking Elvis impersonator’s lungs is not one of them.
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 12:23, STARS: 2
Yep it really is. Even crazier when you consider the fuel economy these cars pushing 270-300 horses are putting down. This thing averaged 19 mpg 10 years ago.
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 2
Every non tuned VQ I have heard have sounded good, from Infiniti FX’s to Z’s to this.
"RT" (rt-p)
12/29/2017 at 12:40, STARS: 0
Needs more Bluebird SSS-R.
"Aaron M - MasoFiST" (amarks563)
12/29/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 4
My Dad looked at these back in late 2004...said it was the most uncomfortable car he had ever driven, and sounded like something out of Need For Speed Underground (in a bad way). Ended up buying an Accord V6 6MT.
If you want a FWD VQ-powered sleeper, a 2003 Maxima is cheaper, lighter, has a better chassis, and doesn’t look like a car whose designer fell asleep with a picture of a Celica Action Package under his pillow.
"langadamd" (langadamd)
12/29/2017 at 12:50, STARS: 1
I remember seeing a couple of these a few years ago when I had my Sentra SE-R Spec V. The interior leave a lot to be desired.
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 12:58, STARS: 1
This brings back memories of Gran Turismo on Playstation for me.
"AkursedX" (akursedx)
12/29/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 1
I have been trying to find one of these is decent shape for some time. To me, it’s like a more-current Shelby Dodge Lancer.
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 13:06, STARS: 2
Good luck finding one in good condition with good paint.
"AkursedX" (akursedx)
12/29/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 2
I know. It is quite the unicorn-hunt.
"Sudhi" (sudhi)
12/29/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 0
Here is a similar one ... With some mods... Not the original paint or the bumper/spoiler..
"LJ909" (lj909)
12/29/2017 at 15:33, STARS: 2
If it didnt have the shitty Fast&Furious front bumper and shitty rear wing it would be ok.
"GeneralSnus" (generalsnus)
12/30/2017 at 00:08, STARS: 0
3rd gen TL better than both
"RT" (rt-p)
01/04/2018 at 13:29, STARS: 1
Now this is more like it, it looks like a true performance bargain for US Oppos.
Shame about the interior though.
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
03/10/2018 at 10:04, STARS: 1
which is also cr azy considering the 4g maxima easily topped 30mpg on the highway
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
03/16/2018 at 01:20, STARS: 1
We had an 05, (not the se-r) - always thought they were nice looking cars. The only kinda weird thing about them is the somewhat odd ride - a bit bouncy like you were sitting right over the front wheels.
"Jjj" (jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj)
07/14/2019 at 05:41, STARS: 1
Why does the paint fade away like that o have one but I got repainted