CAR & DRIVER TESTED THE MP3 (numbers inside)

[preluderican007]

Car & Driver November 2001
(Tested a Yellow MP3) Bad-Ass Car
Car & Driver testd the MP3 along with the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, Dodge Neon R/T, Subaru Impreza 2.5RS(nonturbo), and VW Jetta GLS 1.8T. Sorry guys but our car was the slowest out of the bunch.
0-60 in 8.3 seconds
1/4 mile in 16.5 seconds
0-100 in 25.3 seconds
Good news is our car came in FIRST PLACE overall. All the judges said the same thing great ass handling, the shifter was the smoothest and best engaging, the body looked the best, but lack in power. Hey if we had and extra 30hp from factory or a Japanese spec FS-ZE we would of dominated I believe.

Omar
preluderican007@aol.com

 

[APEXistud]

Even with the the extra numbers, I still think the Spec V would beat the MP3 in the straight 0-60 and 1/4 mile sprint. The fact that it has the limited slip, will give it better traction off the line. Damn Nissan their aftermarket is gonna blow ours away too. :mad:

 

[70]

Yeah, but according the Sport Compact Car, the SE-R Spec V isn't really that much quicker than the regualr Sentra, even with the big horsepower and LSD..

 

[mx6929]

Please read my signature.

 

[preluderican007]

Sorry to inform you but the Nissan Spec V is garbage. It did the 1/4 mile in 15.7 seconds and did 0-60 in 7.4 seconds which was the same number a Sentra SE-R tested in March 1991 (yes March 1991). Nissan expected the Spec V to hit 0-60 in less than seven seconds. The tranny is whats messed up the car i bet you the regular sentra with 5-speed will go faster than the spec v, noones tested that one yet. Nissans probably afraid it will go faster than the spec v. Hahahahah

 

[OceanPark]

My brother drive the Sentra SE, it is not that slow in my opinion. At least it goes faster than my MP3. I believe both Spec V and SE are using the same kind of tranny.(Direct cable link or something)
I think we shouldn’t judge the Sentra by only magazine data. Let’s wait until the first Sentra Spec V is on the road, and we’ll see.

 

[PaulMP3]

when i was lookin for cars i test drove a sentra se 5 speed. it was definitly quicker then ours. it just felt way peppier but the transmission was weird, it just didnt have a good feel.

 

[Antoine]

The spec v should be quick...BUT something is holding it back...transmission...gearing...something is.....175hp and and LSD...6 speed....common it has to be faster...maybe they rushed it to production...cost cutting problems?

The mustang cobra had a production prob that was holding back horsepower...the owners complained and they finaly did something about it...maybe thats whatz going on in nissan's case ???

Yeah, wait till they show up on the streets...can't wait for a MP3 Vs Spec v story

 

[NYCZMP3]

AT FIRST I WAS GOIN TO BUY THE SPEC-V...I WAS SO AMP'D ON THAT CAR T WASN'T FUNNY..THENI WENT AND SAW THE PRICE..IT WAS AROUND 25K(WITH EVERYTHING)...HTE PRICE DIDN'T HOLD ME BACKIT WAS THE FACT THAT IT WAS GOING TO COME OUT AT THE END OF SEPT (WHICH TURNED OUT T0 THE END OF OCT)..I GOT THE MP3 BECAUSE IT CAME OUT FIRST AND I HAD THE MONEY SO I HAD TO SPEND IT..THEN WHEN THE NEW SPORT COMPACT CAME OUT THIS MONTH I SAW THAT THE CAR WAS ONLY 16,999 FOR THE SPEC-V AND WAS TRULEY HURT...CAR WIT MORE HP..AND A LOT QUICKER FOR LESS MONEY 10K LESS THAN I PRICED IT OUT 3 MTHS B4...I HTINK THEY TOOK SOME STUFF OUT ON THAT CAR BECAUSE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DO REVIEWS ON THE CAR SAY IT BASICALLY SUCKS!....WHICH MAKES ME VERY HAPPY BEACUSE IT IS AN UGLIER CAR THAN OUR FASTER YES BUT MUCH UGLIER....I THINK NISSAN DEFINATLEY TOOK SOME s*** OUTTA THAT CAR AND NOW LOOK AT THE REVIEWS...MP3 NEEDS MORE HP BUT STILL HOLDIN IT DOWN....HAVE YET TO SEE A COMPACT CAR THAT LOOKS AND HANDELS BETTER THAN OURS...

 

[OceanPark]

Yes, the Sentra have a weird transmission, but it works tough. In the other hand, I notice a major problem on our protg, something is making me hard to shift from 1st to 2nd gear at a high rpm.

 

[mx6929]

I don't know why either?! I have posted this problem since I had difficult time to do so. Especially HIGH RPM from 1st to 2nd. Like something block it!

 

[Adam3482P]

I have no problem going from 1st to 2nd at high rpms,catches nicely!

 

[mx6929]

but do you pull hard to shift from 1st to 2nd in high rpm or just as smooth as usual?

 

[OceanPark]

Mine is still very hard after I put 7000km on my car. I talked to my salesman about this problem, he said since the protg isn't design for racing, there is nothing he can do about it.
However, he said double clutch would help you to shift smoothly. Yet, this seems useless to be when you are reaching at high rpm. (Double clutch at 6000rpm, then up shift? )

 

[MalkavianMP3]

At high RPMs in basically any car you have to put some extra power into your shift. What happens when you push the clutch in is: your engine is still being fed fuel so it slows down slower than the transmission. and if you shift at 6000 rpm you're still losing some of your power potential. I shift just before 7000 rpm in first and second. Second gear in an mp3 is good for about 60 mph. Third is good for just above 80 mph and fourth is good for about 105-110 mph. If you go to the MP3 performance forum, I put a post on double-clutching correctly. You might want to check it out if you haven't already done so. And the blockingyou feel may be a gear-lock device that is used to keep the driver from downshifting into that gear at too-high a speed(keeps you from blowing your tranny apart). The topic was origonally started by enry.

 

[initialRES]

Can any of you get the tires to spin when you shift to second? I noticed that the MP3 wouldn't spin when I took it from first to second. That could be because of the great suspension but maybe not. Have any of you gotten them to spin?

Also, I didn't really notice a problem from first to second in my friend's MP3.

 

[OceanPark]

Malkavian: I am talking up shifting, not down.