Grudge Match: B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R vs EJ/EH Honda Civic Si

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Grudge Match: B13 Sentra vs EJ/EH Civic

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YSSMAN

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At the suggestion of others, it's time for another Grudge Match entry. Although there are a multitude of vehicles to go through, I like pitter-pattering around some of the lesser-known, or lesser-loved vehicles out there. So, for this installment, we'll be talking about two of the best sport compacts of the '90s...


B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R
800px-Nissan_Sentra_SE-R_coupe.jpg


It was the first of the Nissans to run the SR20, and with 140 BHP on tap, it was one of the fastest compacts made to the public. With the (at the time) fancy McPherson struts, discs on all corners, and a pretty low weight (2300 lbs), the SE-R was not a car to be messed with.

EJ/EH Honda Civic Si
54764359f86574ebf3604c2dde9e20cebaadeb7.jpg


Well, things get complicated with pinning down what Si exactly to talk about here. Everyone seemed to have gotten a different version, with different bits and pieces, and even had variability between the model designations, despite having nearly the same content (European VTi, I'm looking at you!). Nevertheless, we're talking about the kind of Civic that made Honda famous; Top-notch quality, lightweight performance, and a solid reputation of being a fun car for not a whole lot of money.





So, which will it be?
 
Since I live in the US I'm going with the Nissan. Now If I could get a VTi that'd be my pick.
 
Voted for the SE-R and laughed at the current poll results. :lol: Didn't expect that. But yet, I would take the SE-R any day.
 
Sentra SE-R by a mile. The US Spec Civic Si for that generation was weak, while the SE-R had an LSD option, the SR20DE, and just all around being a beast.
 
I'll go with the SE-R. My friend had an Infiniti G20, which also had the SR20DE. It was a very good engine with plenty of power, right up until it blew up, leaving us stranded on the side of the road. Though to be honest, my friend really wanted a new car, so he stopped maintaining it, which probably led to it's demise.
 
Id go Honda if mods could be considered but stock to stock the nissan would be my pick. Modding allowed and Id have a k20 running that thing like the topsetup car in no time.

What about current generations? Would anyone even consider the current se-r? :lol:
 
Kent
Id go Honda if mods could be considered but stock to stock the nissan would be my pick. Modding allowed and Id have a k20 running that thing like the topsetup car in no time.
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Ah, but I see your K20 and raise you a 20V SR20VE. You could do the engine swap in the SE-R and add cams, exhaust, etc for less than the going price of a K20 and would have one hell of a car. 👍
 
Yeah but mods only go to a car I like and I much prefer the civics style to the sentras. Good point you make though... I wonder why the swap I mention is so popular and the sentra swap flies under the radar (as I have to assume its possible and fairly common).
 
I think the 91-93 Integra GS-R would be a fairer comparison here. They were both limited edition high performance variants of a peasant car, both of them were only available in 3 different colors (red, white and black for the SE-R, red, black and Aztec Green for the Integra), both of them were what people of my generation, who were nearing the age of getting their driver's licenses, really wanted to drive.
 
Kent
Yeah but mods only go to a car I like and I much prefer the civics style to the sentras. Good point you make though... I wonder why the swap I mention is so popular and the sentra swap flies under the radar (as I have to assume its possible and fairly common).
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Not as many Sentra enthusiasts I would imagine. But, within that group there are many swaps, and because the motor is based on the SR20 the swap is really easy. Basic swaps only require some injectors and an RPM switch for the cams.
 
Went Civic, since the VTi was a great car and we never got the Sentra. We did get some hot Sunnys but I was never keen when they were new and they're now driven almost exclusively by utter cretins. I prefer the idea of a lightweight VTEC-powered Civic than its Nissan rival.
 
Friend had a Sentra Se-R a while back, and I remember it was pretty fun to drive. I'm a big fan of the Civic hatches from that generation, but the coupes really weren't anything special IMO. Sentra got my vote.
 
The 5th generation Civic Si that America got was the EH3 - hatchback body style, powered by a D16Z6, which was a SOHC VTEC engine with about 130 horses. No intermediate shaft and no limited slip, nor did it have rear disc brakes. It was mechanically inferior to the B13 SE-R, that's for sure.

Honestly, I would never own any other "old" Civic other than the 1999 Si I had, along with Integra GSRs and perhaps a CRX Si. But in this contest, stock for stock, I would take the SE-R because it's better equipped and no doubt the better performer. The trouble with them is they're almost impossible to find.
 
SE-R. No contest. I owned it's replacement (200SX) SE-R and loved it. This B13 model is all awesome.
 
My brother had two B13 Sentras, albeit in XE and SE form. Despite sharing little with the SE-R, even they were a blast to drive quickly, and I couldn't imagine doing so with that much power coming out of the front end of the vehicle. The SE-R was a ridiculous car for a ridiculous time, and it is a shame that the name means so little these days.

I love the idea of the Honda, personally. I nearly bought a Civic Si hatchback a couple of years back, but it certainly isn't exactly the same thing here. Clearly, the rest of the world got the better vehicle.
 
We only got the B16 engine of this generation in the Del Sol VTEC, which I had. The only other American car to have it was the 1999-2000 Si, which I also had.
 
If anything this might show how much things have changed. Not sure about the new se-r but the 6th gen si has all those mechanical features the old se-r had (which I suspect the current se-r has none of).

Gotta admit though, that sentra must have been great. Its a shame what it is today comparatively.
 
Nissan has kept up most of the traditional SE-R qualities with the newer versions, but it is still a very different vehicle. The B15 SE-R Spec-V was probably the closest the "modern" SE-Rs have come to the original blend, despite losing the SR20 in favor of the big QR25 from the Altima. You still got the overworked suspension, big brakes, and a limited-slip differential. As I recall, the early 2002-2003 SE-R Spec-V's were the bad boys of the sport compact market at the time. I think the only car that was going to beat it in a straight line was the overpowered VW GTI, and you were going to be hard-pressed to find a car at a similar price that would out-handle it.

The jump to the B16 version has otherwise been less pleasant. The increase in size and mass has killed a lot of the performance, despite having the SE-R still be a pleasing option in the compact market. The inclusion of CVT-only performance in the "standard" SE-R is a little crazy, but the SE-R Spec-V gets the limited slip differential, overdone suspension, and I think they strap Brembo brakes on there as well. They apparently have a weird ride/drive trade-off, but I've yet to experience it.

I really wish Nissan would take the Versa and cut the height of the vehicle down by about 5". If they cooked up a radical suspension tune, gave it discs on all-corners, and packed in a limited slip differential, it could be a hell of a spiritual SE-R successor.
 
This should have been the new SE-R when they released the B16? model...

0760101566610756.JPG


If I remember right, this concept car had a turbo 2.5 under the hood, and shares many design cues with the current car.
 
The "classic" SE-R was the best Sentra ever. Never mind that modern Sentras corner better, accelerate faster, have more space and have tons more body rigidity... for its time, the B13 was the big dog.

The old Civic was great, mind you... terrific engine, terrific chassis, arguably one of the most sophisticated suspension to ever go under an economy car, with double-wishbones everywhere... and the B13 SE-R had many issues... lack of wheel travel, gear synchros, oil heat, etcetera...

But the B13 is just plain fun. Which is why it's an icon amongst motorheads in the know.
 
God, the rigidity of my brother's B13s were ridiculous. Compared to the Jetta I had at the time, I was terrified to ride in or drive his cars. Between that, the rather vague gearbox, awkward clutch travel, and having to wind that engine up to eleventy thousand RPM to get anywhere... It was a terrible car to drive.

That being said, it was still a lot of fun.
 
niky
The "classic" SE-R was the best Sentra ever. Never mind that modern Sentras corner better, accelerate faster, have more space and have tons more body rigidity... for its time, the B13 was the big dog.

The old Civic was great, mind you... terrific engine, terrific chassis, arguably one of the most sophisticated suspension to ever go under an economy car, with double-wishbones everywhere... and the B13 SE-R had many issues... lack of wheel travel, gear synchros, oil heat, etcetera...

But the B13 is just plain fun. Which is why it's an icon amongst motorheads in the know.
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Funny thing about those synchro...my 2nd gear synchro went out in my SE-R. :lol:
 
JCE
Funny thing about those synchro...my 2nd gear synchro went out in my SE-R. :lol:
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Funny thing about that is I think mine is going out. :lol: Grinds into 2nd gear a lot unless I slowly rest my hand against the shifter and let it slide into gear. No big deal as I am waiting for funds from Grandparents to get a new car. :sly:

Edit: No 5th gear pop-out though! :dopey:
 
Stock vs stock, B13, but since I like my cars modified, the Civic. It's got a lot more potential in the end. Double wishbone suspension goes a long way.
 
mmh...yeah and no...if you enter a class where engine swaps aren't allowed - well, the B13 won a LOT of SCCA races in it's day.

Then again...the Honda does well on circle tracks...though typically the top cars on those tracks are american FWDs and 4-cyl fox bodies, if a Honda's in the field, it'll usually be near the front
 
Jim Prower
mmh...yeah and no...if you enter a class where engine swaps aren't allowed - well, the B13 won a LOT of SCCA races in it's day.
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I wasn't talking about building a race car for a series. I was just referring to modifying the car at a typical enthusiast level. The potential is there, and a Civic has more of it without getting into extensive suspension modifications.

Jim Prower
Then again...the Honda does well on circle tracks...though typically the top cars on those tracks are american FWDs and 4-cyl fox bodies, if a Honda's in the field, it'll usually be near the front
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I think that has more to do with the drivers than the cars.
 

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