Since I made a rather provocative statement at the beginning of this thread, I ought to quantify it with my first-hand experience.
h:
In late '03, I test-flogged a new one that belong to a rather "distant" friend at college (he was interested in my opinion, so I was pretty much forced into it). I drove it from Kentfield up Mt. Tam and back down to Stinson Beach, over mountain roads that I knew like the back of my hand. It was dry and mild, and the roads were clear enough that I could wind the car out and truly
drive it.
The seats were comparable to the DC4 with reasonable bolsters and lumbar support, but the rest of the interior looked and felt rather cheap.
As I hit the joints and ruts on Panoramic Hwy, bits of the interior squeaked and chirped. :a:
The shifter wasn't as smooth as the Integra; it did not like being rushed.
But above all the low redline of the QR25DE bothered me more than anything else. It would pull strongly, but the combination of short gearing, a recalcitrant shifter and a 6200rpm(?) redline conspired against smooth progress.
There weren't any glaring omissions (aside from that low redline), but I came away from the drive rather unimpressed. For the amount of money Nissan charged, I felt like the SE-R should have been more refined. :shrug:
Now, just to play devil's advocate... I suppose if you upgraded the shifter, removed the balance-shaft assembly and installed the NISMO valvetrain and ECU, along with the usual I/H/E mods, the problems I noticed would be solved.. But since I'm in CA, the majority of those options aren't really practical.
That's just my 2.3¥. For the 11k the dealer is charging for the SE-R, I'd rather have a sedan that is more refined, even if it is slower.