Does anyone like the 2013+ Nissan Altima 2.5?
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I have one. No problems to date. Reason for purchase was mpg. Best highway mileage was 38.8. Rides well.
I'll personally never own another new(er) nissan since a majority of them are mexican made junk now days.
Our first endeavor was a new 2012 Versa, just got it for a commuter car for me mainly (drive ~100miles a day) and it went all of 7500 miles before the POS mexican/Renault built engine was making so much noise it was unbearable and when I took it in the dealer decided to replace the shortblock. We get it back about a week later and all is well for another 7-8000 miles before ABS light comes on and engine starts making the same noises...
I take it to my dealer again and tell them I'm giving up, its a lemon and I want something done about it. So being a sucker I let them talk my wife and I into a 2013 Sentra, a seemingly better upgrade, much nicer ride, more options etc.
Fast forward to now, this car has 27000 miles on it and has a obnoxious "clunking" noise in the rear whenever you drive on gravel roads, tires are all worn out unevenly, transmission (its a 6 speed) has a very notchy 2nd gear shift and the cars best MPG average is barely more than what I get from my 1995 Honda Civic!
Its getting sold now and I'll never buy another one!
Our first endeavor was a new 2012 Versa, just got it for a commuter car for me mainly (drive ~100miles a day) and it went all of 7500 miles before the POS mexican/Renault built engine was making so much noise it was unbearable and when I took it in the dealer decided to replace the shortblock. We get it back about a week later and all is well for another 7-8000 miles before ABS light comes on and engine starts making the same noises...
I take it to my dealer again and tell them I'm giving up, its a lemon and I want something done about it. So being a sucker I let them talk my wife and I into a 2013 Sentra, a seemingly better upgrade, much nicer ride, more options etc.
Fast forward to now, this car has 27000 miles on it and has a obnoxious "clunking" noise in the rear whenever you drive on gravel roads, tires are all worn out unevenly, transmission (its a 6 speed) has a very notchy 2nd gear shift and the cars best MPG average is barely more than what I get from my 1995 Honda Civic!
Its getting sold now and I'll never buy another one!
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I've never ridden in one, but Altima sedans are very popular around here. It seems like I see at least as many of them as I do Camrys and Accords, and certainly more than Fusions or Malibus. I think it's somewhat regional, though; I don't notice nearly as many relative to other cars when we travel out of state.
Awkward styling, extremely poor reliability in general, extremely poor reliability of their glorified snowmobile transmissions - NO THANKS!
I like the Versa and Note ... but they just aren't reliable at all.
Rented a 2012 Sentra a few months back. The 2.0L 4 cyl engine made more noise than my old Jeep 4.0!
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I've never ridden in one, but Altima sedans are very popular around here.
They are popular because you can lease them for $100 a month.
I like the Versa and Note ... but they just aren't reliable at all.
Rented a 2012 Sentra a few months back. The 2.0L 4 cyl engine made more noise than my old Jeep 4.0!
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I've never ridden in one, but Altima sedans are very popular around here.
They are popular because you can lease them for $100 a month.
I have an '04 Altima 2.5 in my signature. I love my '04 and would keep it forever if I could. But, living in the Salt Belt, that's not gonna happen!
I want to like the new Altima and am sorta ready for another car in this segment(my favorite segment). There are some things holding me back from the '13-present Altima! The CVT and the Reliability! I love the idea of the Altima's very good MPG, quiet interior, pleasing style(To ME), good view outward and comfort but, I don't want to get bit with a bad tranny!
This segment is loaded with very good cars and I don't think there is a DUD in the bunch, just some better than others! I'm still looking long and hard before I make my final choice as there are some good ones!
I want to like the new Altima and am sorta ready for another car in this segment(my favorite segment). There are some things holding me back from the '13-present Altima! The CVT and the Reliability! I love the idea of the Altima's very good MPG, quiet interior, pleasing style(To ME), good view outward and comfort but, I don't want to get bit with a bad tranny!
This segment is loaded with very good cars and I don't think there is a DUD in the bunch, just some better than others! I'm still looking long and hard before I make my final choice as there are some good ones!
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I drove an Altima sedan as a loaner when I purchased my Regal, and rented an Altima coupe while the Buick's hood and roof were being repainted. Nothing exciting about either one, but then I don't like foamy black interiors. The coupe seemed more than willing to rev and run. But I hated the "St. Joseph's child aspirin" orange of the instrument lighting, and neither rode as well as either of my Buicks.
Maybe the Infiniti version of the Altima is better?
Maybe the Infiniti version of the Altima is better?
My wife liked the 2.5 SL a lot. It is actually pretty quick for a 4 cylinder midsize. She just liked the V6/lower mileage 200S a lot better for less money.
I like that they are gradually steering away from that mustard yellow instrument panel lighting. That color may have some benefit for night vision or something but it was ugly.
There's a lot of little nit-picky things that I don't like. The floor mounted parking brake for instance. It's in the center on the coupe. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a safety recall on that floor mounted bracket. The stamped steel edges are razor sharp. They will mutilate you if you contact them wrong.
I've had a couple puke up an Evap CEL at about 40K mi. Of course I got blamed for that. It's nothing my install work did and it got warrantied. But you'd be surprised how reluctant people are to take in their cars for warranty work. No CVT problems to report.
It rides and handles okay. Little sportier than the Sonata. Better sprung than the Optima. It's no Passat or Mazda6 but it is good.
I like that they are gradually steering away from that mustard yellow instrument panel lighting. That color may have some benefit for night vision or something but it was ugly.
There's a lot of little nit-picky things that I don't like. The floor mounted parking brake for instance. It's in the center on the coupe. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a safety recall on that floor mounted bracket. The stamped steel edges are razor sharp. They will mutilate you if you contact them wrong.
I've had a couple puke up an Evap CEL at about 40K mi. Of course I got blamed for that. It's nothing my install work did and it got warrantied. But you'd be surprised how reluctant people are to take in their cars for warranty work. No CVT problems to report.
It rides and handles okay. Little sportier than the Sonata. Better sprung than the Optima. It's no Passat or Mazda6 but it is good.
I love the Fusion and Mazda6 styling but, their back seat room/comfort is lacking and the 360* view outward in the Fusion isn't enough for me! Where as the Subaru Legacy, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata my top the list for outward visibility!
I also like the new Camry styling but, they have to do better with their MPG. It's improved enough for me in terms of it's ride/handling combo and I love a quiet interior!
I love good driving dynamics but, they don't have to be at the level of a Mazda 6 either.
It seems as I have a lot of test driving to do!
I also like the new Camry styling but, they have to do better with their MPG. It's improved enough for me in terms of it's ride/handling combo and I love a quiet interior!
I love good driving dynamics but, they don't have to be at the level of a Mazda 6 either.
It seems as I have a lot of test driving to do!
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Altima is USA made IIRC. People here swear by them. Im only getting 22 MPG ave in my rogue- well below the rated mileage. The CVT is a gas sucker. My wife gets over 28 in the winter and 33 ave in the summer on the Subaru Forester - but that has a 6 speed MT.
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Originally Posted By: zach1900
You rented 2012 Sentra recently?!
Yes. >50,000 miles. Original (bald) tires. Smelled like an old Subway sandwich was in the trunk (it was not), engine was noisey. I think the CVT was broken. Engine sounded awful.
Got better mileage running around Manhattan than it did on the highway
You rented 2012 Sentra recently?!
Yes. >50,000 miles. Original (bald) tires. Smelled like an old Subway sandwich was in the trunk (it was not), engine was noisey. I think the CVT was broken. Engine sounded awful.
Got better mileage running around Manhattan than it did on the highway
So, here's why I ask. The other day, I drove a 2014 Altima 2.5 S sedan, and it literally made me motion-sick as I was DRIVING. Didn't think that was even possible. When I tried to figure out why it did that, the conclusions I came to were so alarming to me that I felt like I must be wrong in some way, so I wanted to ask others for feedback.
Normally, the goal of chassis tuning is to filter out unpleasant body motions and vibrations, while preserving a few key attributes that give you an intuitive sense of what the car is doing. That way, the car rides smoothly without requiring constant thought to drive. This Altima was something like the opposite. The chassis tuning filtered out EVERYTHING, including useful information -- except for some excess body motion that happened at seemingly random (i.e. unintuitive) times. The steering communicated some useless vibration, but not cornering loads. It's like the whole thing was designed to feel like a driving simulator in a sensory deprivation tank on a gently moving boat: no useful information about your environment; just some disconcerting movement. In other words, a recipe for motion sickness in a nutshell. I'd be fine if the car were simply not a driver's car; it just seems like Nissan was actively trying to make it bad.
The rest of the car seems fine to me. Can't argue with the fuel economy. The interior was relatively low-rent, but not offensively so for the segment. The engine was (just barely) powerful enough for normal driving. The CVT was great for the car's purpose IMO. Torque steer was nonexistent. Braking and roadholding seemed fine. And of course the ride was impressively smooth. But the experience of driving the car was awful.
I wanted to drive the car because it was the only car that ever made a friend of mine throw up after riding in it. Another friend said it was the worst car he had ever driven. At the time, I scoffed at them for being automotive snobs. I still think they have no idea how lucky they are if a 2013+ Altima is rock bottom for them. But on the details, I feel forced to agree. The last car I drove that behaved this poorly was a Lexus RX330, which was almost 10 years older and had that pointlessly high center of mass. How Nissan gave the latest-gen Altima the same attributes -- let alone why -- is beyond me.
What gets me is that Nissan KNOWS how to do vehicle dynamics. The Z, the GT-R, the Infiniti G, their race teams... They have the expertise, and I don't for one second believe they kept it away from the Altima development team. All I can think is that they intentionally CHOSE to set the car up in that utterly boneheaded way, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.
There must be legions of people who think it's okay for a car to bob around on the road and make you to drive entirely with your eyes, as long as it soaks up bumps. Is that true? Either way, my mind is blown.
Normally, the goal of chassis tuning is to filter out unpleasant body motions and vibrations, while preserving a few key attributes that give you an intuitive sense of what the car is doing. That way, the car rides smoothly without requiring constant thought to drive. This Altima was something like the opposite. The chassis tuning filtered out EVERYTHING, including useful information -- except for some excess body motion that happened at seemingly random (i.e. unintuitive) times. The steering communicated some useless vibration, but not cornering loads. It's like the whole thing was designed to feel like a driving simulator in a sensory deprivation tank on a gently moving boat: no useful information about your environment; just some disconcerting movement. In other words, a recipe for motion sickness in a nutshell. I'd be fine if the car were simply not a driver's car; it just seems like Nissan was actively trying to make it bad.
The rest of the car seems fine to me. Can't argue with the fuel economy. The interior was relatively low-rent, but not offensively so for the segment. The engine was (just barely) powerful enough for normal driving. The CVT was great for the car's purpose IMO. Torque steer was nonexistent. Braking and roadholding seemed fine. And of course the ride was impressively smooth. But the experience of driving the car was awful.
I wanted to drive the car because it was the only car that ever made a friend of mine throw up after riding in it. Another friend said it was the worst car he had ever driven. At the time, I scoffed at them for being automotive snobs. I still think they have no idea how lucky they are if a 2013+ Altima is rock bottom for them. But on the details, I feel forced to agree. The last car I drove that behaved this poorly was a Lexus RX330, which was almost 10 years older and had that pointlessly high center of mass. How Nissan gave the latest-gen Altima the same attributes -- let alone why -- is beyond me.
What gets me is that Nissan KNOWS how to do vehicle dynamics. The Z, the GT-R, the Infiniti G, their race teams... They have the expertise, and I don't for one second believe they kept it away from the Altima development team. All I can think is that they intentionally CHOSE to set the car up in that utterly boneheaded way, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.
There must be legions of people who think it's okay for a car to bob around on the road and make you to drive entirely with your eyes, as long as it soaks up bumps. Is that true? Either way, my mind is blown.
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
I'll personally never own another new(er) nissan since a majority of them are mexican made junk now days.
I agree. If for some reason you have to have a Japanese branded car, why not get a good one, like a Honda or Toyota?
I'll personally never own another new(er) nissan since a majority of them are mexican made junk now days.
I agree. If for some reason you have to have a Japanese branded car, why not get a good one, like a Honda or Toyota?
Right! I have read mixed reviews on this current generation Altima. Some reviewers like and others say, it's a step backward! I have to see for myself!
This newest generation Sentra isn't getting any rave reviews either. Every review I have read or watched on YouTube says the same thing...looks better on paper than it performs!
Style looks good and has a large back seat(larger in fact then both Altima & Maxima). But, the rest of the car isn't up to the competition...they(reviewers) all say!
This newest generation Sentra isn't getting any rave reviews either. Every review I have read or watched on YouTube says the same thing...looks better on paper than it performs!
Style looks good and has a large back seat(larger in fact then both Altima & Maxima). But, the rest of the car isn't up to the competition...they(reviewers) all say!
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
There must be legions of people who think it's okay for a car to bob around on the road and make you to drive entirely with your eyes, as long as it soaks up bumps. Is that true? Either way, my mind is blown.
GM, Chrysler, and Ford sold millions of sedans to these same people. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. How you describe this Altima is exactly how I describe a Ford Panther or a big GM B- or D-body, or an older Chrysler New Yorker. When I was learning to drive, and was at my grandparents' in Arkansas, I had the choice of an '83 Ford LTD or an '87 Mercury Topaz. All signs pointed to me preferring the Ford: V-8 engine, big and comfy, etc. But I couldn't like it. I found myself drawn to the Topaz instead. From early on in my driving career, I found myself preferring smaller and lighter vehicles.
I do observe that many of the newer Altimas around here are being driven by Red Hat Society types (older ladies). This may be the closest analog that's sold today to the body-leaning isolation chambers called the Crown Victoria/Town Car and Delta 88/Caprice Classic. Again, I haven't driven one, so I couldn't say for sure.
On the other hand, there's a certain set of drivers who couldn't fathom how or why someone could put up with the attributes that you like in a car. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
There must be legions of people who think it's okay for a car to bob around on the road and make you to drive entirely with your eyes, as long as it soaks up bumps. Is that true? Either way, my mind is blown.
GM, Chrysler, and Ford sold millions of sedans to these same people. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. How you describe this Altima is exactly how I describe a Ford Panther or a big GM B- or D-body, or an older Chrysler New Yorker. When I was learning to drive, and was at my grandparents' in Arkansas, I had the choice of an '83 Ford LTD or an '87 Mercury Topaz. All signs pointed to me preferring the Ford: V-8 engine, big and comfy, etc. But I couldn't like it. I found myself drawn to the Topaz instead. From early on in my driving career, I found myself preferring smaller and lighter vehicles.
I do observe that many of the newer Altimas around here are being driven by Red Hat Society types (older ladies). This may be the closest analog that's sold today to the body-leaning isolation chambers called the Crown Victoria/Town Car and Delta 88/Caprice Classic. Again, I haven't driven one, so I couldn't say for sure.
On the other hand, there's a certain set of drivers who couldn't fathom how or why someone could put up with the attributes that you like in a car. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
See, here's what gets me: I think the current Altima would be BETTER if it had the body roll of an '80s American luxo-barge. As uncommunicative as those things were in most ways, they at least gave you some sense of what was going on. Usually, what was going on was the car complaining about anything but cruising in a straight line -- but hey, fair enough. At least the car's reactions were intuitive. Turn at any real speed and it rolls. Hit the brakes and it dives. Accelerate hard and it squats. All of the car's moves feel about as laborious as they are. Makes sense!
The current Altima doesn't even give you that. All you get is the occasional slow wobble during direction changes or over undulations in the road. This HAD to be a conscious choice by the designers, because nothing is that smooth and that roll-resistant by accident. It takes a lot of work -- which means someone, somewhere, made the choice to tune out everything BUT the MOST disconcerting body motions. It's infuriating.
The current Altima doesn't even give you that. All you get is the occasional slow wobble during direction changes or over undulations in the road. This HAD to be a conscious choice by the designers, because nothing is that smooth and that roll-resistant by accident. It takes a lot of work -- which means someone, somewhere, made the choice to tune out everything BUT the MOST disconcerting body motions. It's infuriating.
Yeah, this is what the Camry always was! And, they weren't that bad! Just not a good a the other entries in it's category in driving dynamics. I don't think that the new gen Altima is quite this way but, a real test drive will tell!
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