I would agree with Walter on all aspects other than the wheels. Although I have seen some wheels I would like to have on my SE R, I am quite happy with the current ones (that and the wife won't let me get new ones yet anyways). If I remember correctly, when putting my Smoke color next to the Code Red, I did like the wheels better on mine though.
The torque steer did take a little getting used to, and it still surprises me now and again. All-in-all, I'd have to say that I love my new Altima and am very happy with my purchase.
Sorry, Web, forgot to answer your questions.
As for what cars are similar to this car, I can only tell you the cars I was looking at when I bought this one. I had almost decided on an Acura TL when I walked into the airport parking lot and saw six of them on my way into the airport (I have yet to see another Altima SE R on the road). I was also looking at the G35 sedan and the Maxima. I drove an Altima 3.5SL and really liked it until my buddy put me into the SE R. I fell in love and signed the paperwork right then.
As for mods and what not, I've been looking into that myself. What I've found after reading around forums and looking at JWT, it seems that this engine has been out for a while and most current 3rd party mods will also work with the VQ35DE that is in the SE R. For those of you more mechanically inclined than myself, is this true?
Clayton