Unless something changes drastically, the 2023 Nissan Sentra DET Concept shown off at SEMA is only a concept car and not destined to be sold publicly.

This new Sentra Concept grabbed our attention with dynamic graphics and NISMO touches that make us think of the Toyota GR Corolla, which plays in the same sandbox, sort of. Unlike the Corolla, this new Sentra isn’t planned for production, but maybe it should be. When competitors provide exciting new performance models, such as the Honda Civic Si or Volkswagen Jetta GLI, it only seems right that Nissan should step up and compete with these other names with a hot compact sedan.

What made Nissan think to make such a car?

Although we could simply say that Nissan was tired of being left out of the fun and chose to make a more powerful and fun Sentra than what’s offered, that’s not actually the case. The inspiration for this new Sentra DET Concept comes from the Sentra motorsports series raced in Canada. This racing series has all cars equipped to the exact same specifications, which is a Sentra equipped with a factory-tuned 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 149 horsepower. These engines make use of a 6-speed manual transmission, which is something offered for Canadian Sentra models.

These specialized Sentra for the racing series also come with an adjustable coilover suspension, an adjustable anti-roll bar, a set of 18-inch lightweight racing wheels, and 4-piston 14-inch front performance brakes. SR models receive upgraded rear brakes as well.

Going inside, these racing Sentra models have a six-point roll-cage, six-point racing harness, FIA seats, a pit speed limiter, a fire suppression system, and a rearview camera, which is active during racing. These qualities make for an interesting and useful racing car for this series and provide the inspiration for the Nissan Sentra DET Concept.

Is DET an important part of this car’s name?

The standard Nissan Sentra powertrain in the United States is the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine mated to a CVT. This powertrain is good for 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. The new motor placed in the concept version brought to the SEMA show has modifications which are spelled out with the DET meaning. This acronym stands for Dual overhead cam, Electronic fuel injection, Turbo.

This name takes us back to performance engines found in past Nissan models from the 1980s and 2000s, such as the Silvia, Pulsar, and 180SX. For this new Sentra concept, this engine should make much more power than the standard version.

What are the upgrades for this new engine?

The new Nissan Sentra DET Concept receives several cool upgrades to make it more powerful and fun. Some of these improvements are:

• Garrett G25 660 turbocharger
• Garrett intercooler
• WPC treated internals
• Manley pistons
• Eagle rods
• Turbosmart Vee Port blow-off valves
• Bosch EV14 secondary injectors
• DeatschWerks in-tank fuel pump
• AFCO radiator
• 10:5:1 compression ratio
• Quaife QDF9M automatic torque biasing limited slip differential
• McLeod lightweight flywheel and sport clutch kit
• Motec M122 ECM
• Upgraded motorsports firmware
• NISMO B18 Sentra cat-back exhaust

These improvements should give us a faster and more fun car to drive in this specialized Sentra wearing NISMO garb.

Harnessing the DET power upgrades

Any car can have tons of power and engine performance features, but if the suspension, steering, and braking systems can’t handle the power, it’s wasted.

The new Sentra DET Concept has an upgraded performance package with a set of prototype NISMO B18 coilovers with twin-tub shocks and linear-rate springs, a prototype NISMO sway bar kit, NISMO multi-function blue sport mirrors with carbon mirror covers and NISMO door protectors.

The new wheels for the Nissan Sentra DET Concept are NISMO LM-RS6 18×8.5 wheels that can be had in either Satin Black or Bronze. A set of Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD09 wheels are wrapped around these wheels. The front and rear brake calipers come from the Nissan Z sports coupe, with CZP lightweight Z rotors.

Going inside the car, we see a set of Recaro Sportster CS front seats and a NISMO GT Urethane shift knob, giving the interior of this Sentra the performance look desired.

A few unknowns about this concept car

Nissan hasn’t released power figures for this new turbocharged engine, but an educated guess would put it in the 200 to 220 horsepower range. It could reach twice that with some additional upgrades, but 220 horsepower would make sense for a production version of the Nissan Sentra DET Concept. Currently, Nissan doesn’t intend to put this car into production, but could they at least put the upgraded engine in the Sentra lineup? We’ll have to wait and see.