From the August 1986 issue of Car and Driver.

The small-sedan segment of the U.S. car market is starting to look a little like the exits at a theater that's on fire. What we're witnessing is significant overcrowding and cutthroat competition. Although major panic hasn't yet broken out, we're seeing evidence of disorderly conduct and hear­ing cries of "Me first." The rebates, price slashing, and attractive interest rates that were once reserved for expensive slow-movers are now being offered for entry­-level cars as well.

To enthusiasts, the whole subject might at first appear entirely too academic. After all, who cares if another hundred thousand 50-hp wheezers are or are not sold this year? We could do with fewer undertired, weakly sprung lane jammers fouling our fast lines through the off-ramps.

It's important to recognize, however, that the presence of those rolling chicanes is a prerequisite for the continued exis­tence of their sportier derivatives. Look at it this way: If it weren't for the base Mirage, would we have the Turbo? If not for simi­lar econo models, would we have the GTI or the Corolla GT-S or the Escort GT or even the V-6 Cavalier?

For 1987, the latest sport derivative of your basic-transportation box is the three-­door fastback version of the Nissan Sentra. This "sport coupe," as Nissan calls it, shares nearly everything but its bodywork with the rest of the Sentra lineup. The en­tire line has been cosmetically revised for 1987 in order to compete more successful­ly in the market segment that doesn't sub­scribe to the philosophy of zero popula­tion growth.

According to Nissan, the Sentra line ac­counts for more than a third of its car sales in the U.S. As a major moneymaker, the Sentra, the automotive version of sensible shoes, holds a revered place in the Nissan lineup. Therefore, when the time came to refurbish the Sentra family, Nissan ap­proached the program not only with cau­tion but also with a keen eye on shaving ev­ery nickel of cost off the production bill.

As the performance flagship of the Sentra line, the three-door sport coupe got Nissan's interpretation of the go-fast treat­ment. The most striking visual difference between it and the consumer versions is its swoopy bodywork: a fastback rear lid, a sloping hood, and a sharply beveled nose.

In addition, the interior of the SE model is equipped with a sporty driver's seat. Adequate support is provided by a well-­bolstered seat bottom and adjustments for both the lumbar support and the seatback bolsters. Complementing the seat is a moderately thick four-spoke steering wheel, which encourages the proper hand positions and offers a clear view of the instruments.

Under the skin, all Sentras depend on a mix of old and new hardware. The wheel­base has been extended 1.2 inches, to 95.7 inches, overall width is up 0.8 inch, and overall height is down 0.2 inch; the sport coupe is an inch wider and a couple of inches lower than the other models. The front suspension has been carried over, except for the use of a slightly larger anti-­roll bar: Instead of last year's 22.0 mm bar, the sport coupe has a 25.4 mm bar, and the base models have 24.2 mm bars. (Let's keep the hosannas down to a minimum, shall we?) The all-new rear suspension fea­tures struts located laterally by two trans­verse links on each side. An anti-roll bar does double duty by providing both roll stiffness and fore-and-aft location.

The sport coupe's suspension calibra­tions are beefier than those of the other Sentras. The spring rates are stiffer by 24 percent in front and 26 percent in the rear, and the shock damping is roughly 20 per­cent firmer all around. In base XE trim, the sport coupe is shod with 175/70SR-13 tires, while the SE is equipped with 185/60HR-14 rubber, mounted on alloy wheels. Nissan says a sport-coupe buyer has an even chance of getting Toyo Eclipse tires or Bridgestone Potenza RE86s. Sure enough, our West Coast car had Toyos, while the car we tested in Ann Arbor rolled in on Bridgestones.

The 1.6-liter, 70-hp OHC engine is car­ried over from last year's lineup. However, while the rest of the line makes do with a carbureted engine, the sport coupe gets throttle-body fuel injection. This fairly ru­dimentary arrangement uses two 35-psi in­jectors mounted above a single throttle plate. An engine computer, fed fuel­-mixture information from an oxygen sen­sor in the exhaust stream, adjusts the dura­tion of the injection to achieve the desired mixture. Despite this technological half­-step forward, the fuelie motor still pro­duces the same 70 horsepower at 5000 rpm as the carbureted engine; torque is up marginal­ly, from 92 to 94 pound-feet. Nissan engi­neers tell us that the injection system was added not to enhance performance but rather to improve drivability and hot and cold starting. They appear to have suc­ceeded admirably: the engine doesn't feel a whit stronger. In fact, despite its optimis­tic "sport coupe" designation, the fastback is the heaviest of the Sentra sedan models and therefore probably the slowest. The weight penalty, Nissan tells us, is a result of the huge expanse of hatch glass.

While not entirely unpleasant, driving the sport coupe is an exercise in contradic­tion. The body and the cockpit say "go," while the rest of the car says "slow." The engine, for instance, revs willingly, if not powerfully, to around 4000 rpm. But once the needle crosses that boundary, the out­put goes as flat as the Cornhusker State. The only things produced between 5000 rpm and the 6500 redline are noise and vi­bration. We're talking 13.4 seconds to 60 mph and a mere 70 mph in the standing quarter-mile.

The chassis, on the other hand, feels fairly competent. It's pretty stiff, without a hint of torsional flex, cowl shake, or rat­tling. But the suspension has too much compliance, and the tires are too greasy to take advantage of this stiff platform. Wound out on the skidpad, the SE gave up its grip at a middling 0.76 g. In daily use at 50 percent effort, the sport coupe feels nimble enough as you take the occasional off-ramp at moderately high speed. But if driven with the enthusiasm implied in its name, the car's econobox origins are an­noyingly apparent, with pronounced un­dersteer and generally sloppy behavior.

Not everything about this car is bad news. The shifter is a slick unit with posi­tive, snag-free engagement. The pedals are well placed for double-clutch down­shifting. The steering rack is direct and lin­ear, if a little limp in feedback. The cockpit is spacious, the seats are very comfortable, and the fit and finish rate very high. To some, the choice of a black-and-white graph pattern for the seat material and door trim might appear a little cheesy, but we're charging this off to Nissan's idiosyn­cratic design philosophy. This is the same styling ethic that brought us silver-and-­blue 280ZXs.

The sport coupe may be the perfor­mance flagship of Nissan's entry-level line, but it really doesn't have much going for it over the rest of the Sentras—or, for that matter, the competition. At $9699 for the full-tilt SE version, this car has more than its share of obstacles to overcome if it ex­pects to win the hearts and minds of sport-coupe buyers. The VW GTI, for instance, lists for $9630, the Corolla GT-S for $9898, the Mirage Turbo for $8209, and the Colt Premier Turbo for $8961. Dollar for dollar, Nissan's competitors clearly hold the horsepower and handling advantages.

In the final analysis, the sport coupe doesn't really need very much to qualify for membership in pocket-rocket society. It already looks the part, and its basic chas­sis is so understressed that it's practically asleep. All it really needs is another 40 hp and some suspension refinements.

In its present form, however, the Sentra SE has no legitimate claim to the "sport coupe" name. The competition is fierce in this market segment, and horsepower parity is a minimum requirement for those who want to make it through the exit doors before the building burns down.

Counterpoints

If this were a homely wart in the proud F-10, B-210, 710 tradition, we'd give it a passing glance and consign it to the lep­er colony. But the new fastback Sentra is a handsome piece that says "Come drive me" in a fresh and endearing way. It's clean and coordinated on the outside, carefully laid out and fully equipped on the inside. Those who shop the entry­-level sporty ranks with an eye for style are bound to take a long, hard gander at the latest Nissan.

If looking is the extent of their scruti­ny, they'll probably drive off blissfully in this sport coupe and be none the wiser. But those who comparo-shop, pore over window stickers, and actually test-drive the leading contenders won't be so easi­ly swayed. The Sentra SE is a shining ex­ample of the new breed of little Japanese cars that are expensive. And driving fun isn't on its options list at any price.

Watchers, keep watching. Shoppers, keep shopping —Don Sherman

The Nissan Sentra SE is a reasonably good car. It's reasonably good-looking, it has a reasonably well-laid-out interior, and it drives reasonably well. Unfortu­nately, there just aren't any reasons to get excited about this car.

For one thing, it's slow. When you stab the throttle, instead of "major mo­tion" you get major commotion. The engine will rev to its redline if so called upon, but there's really no reason to probe beyond about 4000 rpm. After that, all you get is noise. At least it will sound as if you're going somewhere fast.

The Sentra's design is pure blandness. It's not ugly, it's just uninspired. Look at this car, and you'll swear that you've seen it before.

Finally, there's the Sentra's price. For about the same amount of money, you could get a VW GTI—a car with far more character and performance. To me, that suddenly makes the Sentra SE seem decidedly unreasonable. —Arthur St. Antoine

This is the summer of my discontent with Nissan. These days, it's hard to be­lieve that this is the same company that once inspired enthusiasts with such wondrous machines as the 510 and the 240Z. With the exception of the current Maxima, today's Nissan seems more concerned with the appearance of sport­iness than with the nuts and bolts of it.

The new Sentra does little to ease my mind. Nissan's ads suggest that the sport coupe is an economy car with something extra. Its sharp profile and businesslike interior do nothing to dis­suade you from that notion. Just don't go looking for something to pump up your pulse rate once you're out on the road. In the current milieu, it takes horses aplenty to play in the sport-box league. Compared with this sportiest of Sentras, stars like the Honda Civic Si, the VW GTI, and the Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo are Top Fuelers.

Underneath the rakish sheetmetal beats the heart of a very competent economy car, but nothing more. If that's all you desire, you should grab your checkbook. Me, I'll wait for the inspired nuts and bolts. —Rich Ceppos