08 Altima Observations

[The Critic]

I went to the local Nissan dealer today as my friend wanted to test drive an Altima Coupe. She drove the Altima 2.5SE 6MT sedan and the Altima 3.5SE V6 CVT Coupe.

Here were my observations

Sedan:

- Materials and assembly of the center stack were substantially better than the Camry. The seat material seemed about the same as the LE Camry. Seat belt felt a bit cheaper.

- Driving position was OUTSTANDING. The steering wheel went "up" another inch and as a result, my knees did not rub on the wheel, at all. The Camry could not do this...the steering wheel just wouldn't go up that high.

- Handling was much better than the Camry.

- Engine was coarser sounding, but seemed to have a bit more low-end torque than the Camry's 4-cyl. Friend said the clutch was very light compared to her 02 Celica.

- Car was not as quiet as the Camry.

Coupe:

- Leather seats were firm, bolsters were good...almost the perfect seat.

- VQ35 engine had a very distinct "growl" when it first starts...didn't care for it.

- CVT transmission does a very good job of simulating actual gears...and was pretty good I must say. When given 1/2 to 2/3 throttle, it kept the RPM just over 3k. 3/4+ throttle, 4-5k range.

- Less body roll in the 3.5SE coupe than the sedan. Chassis felt very "tight," not quite as tight as the 3-series.

Thought you folks may be interested.

 

[ryansride2017]

Thanks for the reviews. Now go drive the new malibu and tell me how it compares to the Altima, as i am dying to know.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Interesting observations. I am not surprised that it handled better than Camry. Afterall, the Camry is mainly built for comfort and total isolation from the road (and Lexus takes it even a step further). What I am surprised about is that you found the materials and assembly better than Camry. That's a great improvement for Nissan. The materials in my '03 Sentra were very poor. But on the new Sentra they've improved, and I'm glad their other models are getting better as well.

BTW, did you actually drive the 2.5SE MT?

 

[Chris142]

I'm more intrigued to know how you got out of the stealers lot after test driving 2 cars.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
BTW, did you actually drive the 2.5SE MT?

No, my friend did. Wasn't really interested in a manual.

Quote:
I'm more intrigued to know how you got out of the stealers lot after test driving 2 cars.

Not all dealers are desperate for sales.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
What I am surprised about is that you found the materials and assembly better than Camry.


I dont doubt it, the materials and assembly on my wife's mother's 01 camry are poor and discolor readily in the tropical sun. Their equivalent age accord has similar external sun issues, but the inside exhibits none of the degradation that the camry does. Regardless of tint level (not a discernable difference), where the car is parked during the day, etc., this is unacceptable.

Toyota took a bad turn sometime after 1994, at least based upon my personal experiences.

JMH

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yeah, I recall driving an '00 Camry rental... the interior materials appeared rather cheap. On the other hand, my sister has an '05 Corolla (european version) and I must say the quality of materials is very good. Too early to tell how it'll behave over time though.