There was a time when the Nissan Sentra had a true hot version to compete with the likes of the Honda Civic Si and VW Golf GTI. The 200-horsepower, manual-shift Sentra SE-R Spec V had its last year of production in 2012, and Nissan itself hasn’t made any overtures about rebooting it. But one particularly ambitious Nissan dealer is taking the initiative to build their own sporty Sentra for public consumption, and I have to say, I really like where their head’s at.
Nick Scherr, aka “NISMO Nick,” is a YouTuber, custom car builder, and Nissan dealer (in that order, it seems like). That makes him uniquely well-positioned to effectively create his own semi-official trim level, as he seems to be doing with this Sentra “SE RS” (Special Edition Rally Sport). This dealer-made edition starts life as a Sentra SR (the second-highest Sentra trim; $25,000 base price), and for an additional $6,995, gets you:
- NISMO Coilovers
- NISMO LM-RS6 Wheels
- NISMO Cat-back exhaust
- NISMO-inspired striping
- Custom interior touches and badging
I can’t find the official Nismo coilovers for the new-for-’26 Sentra yet, but the brand did have a set (adjustable!) for the last-gen car priced extremely reasonably at $995. Same goes for the exhaust ($850 for the outgoing car). The LM-RS6 wheels referenced are great-looking six-spokers, listed at about $330 a piece (varies a little based on size and color). The wheels are cast, not forged, but still SAE-J2530 compliant and factory-backed. I’d say all that, plus good tires, would be about $4,500-$5,000 out the door (I’m sure the new Nismo parts will cost more than what I just listed). So about another $2,000 for dealership installation is not cheap, but really not terrible.
As Scherr shared on his YouTube channel, “the SE RS is designed as a turn-key build, assembled in-house at Pinnacle Nissan [which is in Scottsdale, AZ] and offered directly for sale—no waiting, no aftermarket hassle.
“And this is just the beginning. Coming later this year: a turbocharged SE RS with a 6-speed manual.”
Wait—what was that last line?
Obviously, a turbo and 6MT represent a significantly more complex conversion. It also sounds a lot more exciting than a wheel-and-sticker combo, but we’ll have to wait and see for more info on that one.
Meanwhile, yeah, this Sentra SE RS build sheet isn’t exactly mind-blowing, but it’s not a bad value if the parts are high-quality. Mostly, I’m just excited about the idea because I’m unironically a big supporter of dealers going rogue and making their own trim levels when there are gaps in the market.
Scherr is uniquely positioned to pull this off because he has a decent following, credibility as an accomplished builder, and an actual corporate car dealership to sell these under. It comes off a lot classier coming from a Nissan store than some random shop (I don’t make the rules, that’s just the way it is).
Scherr’s plan is simply to build and sell these as people want them—it won’t be a specific, limited batch or anything like that. Customers will just pick what color Sentra SR they want, let the dealer build it into an SE RS, and the whole package can be financed and warrantied as a regular Nissan. Pinnacle Nissan would be wise to make one or two on spec to post up in showrooms, though.
While, of course, you could get wheels, tires, stripes, coilovers, and a cat-back exhaust bolted up to any Sentra for less than $7,000 (and actually, it wouldn’t be much less if you’re using new, OE-quality parts), the roll-into-financing is a huge part of the value proposition here. It’s far easier to entice a buyer to step up when you’re talking about another hundred or two a month versus seven stacks right now.
My colleague Joel Feder shared this from Scherr: “As a longtime Nissan enthusiast and builder, as well as a dealer, I hear a lot from customers, and I know what Nissan enthusiasts want to drive, which may not be currently available from the factory. I will be building the cars that they are looking for and continue on the tradition of performance and style in a unique Nissan way.”
Sounds like the first examples of the Sentra SE RS are being built right now.
Look, nobody’s saying this is going to light the streets on fire, but I love seeing a prominent dealer flex both business and car-design creativity like this and hope we see more stuff like it. And I really hope Sherr’s able to make the turbo manual model happen!
I’m Building The 2026 Sentra That Enthusiasts WOULD Buy!
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