Had to head to Minnesota for a family function this past weekend so rental car was needed. Full size car booking through Delta.com after purchasing my tickets was stupid cheap at Duluth ($30/day+tax) so I went for it versus having family pick me up as I would be staying at the casino about 10 minutes away and didn't want them to have to shuttle me back and forth.
When picking up the car the agent offered me upgrade options but after I heard Altima I was not interested. Altima's have always proven to be excellent rental cars with excellent fuel economy (2.5 versions) and great comfort and ergonomics, not to mention I have had so many Altima and Sentra rentals over the years I am used to all the interfaces, buttons, etc. so like riding a bike it comes back to you pretty quickly. This newest generation has not departed from being an excellent rental car companion and I would not hesitate to pile miles on this driving it on a long distance trip.
Pros:
- Excellent fuel economy. On the mainly highway trip cruising from airport to my folks house with the cruise set to ~75-76 MPH I ended that trip with MFD indicating 40.2 MPG. After throwing some city driving in and a trip back to the airport I ended up at 31.7 MPG. As much hate as the CVT gets the cruising along at 75 MPH under 2k RPM or high idling along at 55 MPH gets some incredible fuel economy.
- Quick for the base engine. In the few weeks leading up to this I had a Malibu 1.5T with CVT and Fusion 1.5T with 6 speed auto. The Altima 2.5 CVT would smoke both of them easily at a stoplight race. Altima didn't require me rev its guts out and it moved quite nicely even when not pushing it.
- Excellent build, ergonomics and comfort. Have never had issues with any Nissan's with regard to build, ergonomics or comfort. Nissan definitely does all of this very well.
Cons:
- CVT. Count me as one who does not mind one bit how it drives and honestly I really enjoy the Nissan CVT and they have it programmed nearly perfectly - but I am still not entirely convinced of its longevity.
- Ride. This SR edition came with 18" wheels on low profile tires. This does not work well with north Minnesota frost heaved roads and ride was incredibly choppy and harsh. Not a problem with the car, just a mismatch of car model with local conditions.
- HVAC. Not sure if the car I drove had an actual problem but even on the lowest speed fan selection the volume of air coming out of the vents felt like it was stuck on ~50% even if clicking over to recirculate. Finally after day one I just set it blow at my feet and windshield so I wasn't having air just blasted in my face.
Overall:
- This is still one of my go to rental cars as it is so well rounded and the fuel economy in 2.5 trim is astounding. Of the rental queens (Altima, Fusion, Malibu, Sonata) I would pick the Altima every time, and honestly if purchase was a necessity and I had to pick I would roll the dice on the Altima even with the CVT (mind you I haven't driven the newest Sonata).
When picking up the car the agent offered me upgrade options but after I heard Altima I was not interested. Altima's have always proven to be excellent rental cars with excellent fuel economy (2.5 versions) and great comfort and ergonomics, not to mention I have had so many Altima and Sentra rentals over the years I am used to all the interfaces, buttons, etc. so like riding a bike it comes back to you pretty quickly. This newest generation has not departed from being an excellent rental car companion and I would not hesitate to pile miles on this driving it on a long distance trip.
Pros:
- Excellent fuel economy. On the mainly highway trip cruising from airport to my folks house with the cruise set to ~75-76 MPH I ended that trip with MFD indicating 40.2 MPG. After throwing some city driving in and a trip back to the airport I ended up at 31.7 MPG. As much hate as the CVT gets the cruising along at 75 MPH under 2k RPM or high idling along at 55 MPH gets some incredible fuel economy.
- Quick for the base engine. In the few weeks leading up to this I had a Malibu 1.5T with CVT and Fusion 1.5T with 6 speed auto. The Altima 2.5 CVT would smoke both of them easily at a stoplight race. Altima didn't require me rev its guts out and it moved quite nicely even when not pushing it.
- Excellent build, ergonomics and comfort. Have never had issues with any Nissan's with regard to build, ergonomics or comfort. Nissan definitely does all of this very well.
Cons:
- CVT. Count me as one who does not mind one bit how it drives and honestly I really enjoy the Nissan CVT and they have it programmed nearly perfectly - but I am still not entirely convinced of its longevity.
- Ride. This SR edition came with 18" wheels on low profile tires. This does not work well with north Minnesota frost heaved roads and ride was incredibly choppy and harsh. Not a problem with the car, just a mismatch of car model with local conditions.
- HVAC. Not sure if the car I drove had an actual problem but even on the lowest speed fan selection the volume of air coming out of the vents felt like it was stuck on ~50% even if clicking over to recirculate. Finally after day one I just set it blow at my feet and windshield so I wasn't having air just blasted in my face.
Overall:
- This is still one of my go to rental cars as it is so well rounded and the fuel economy in 2.5 trim is astounding. Of the rental queens (Altima, Fusion, Malibu, Sonata) I would pick the Altima every time, and honestly if purchase was a necessity and I had to pick I would roll the dice on the Altima even with the CVT (mind you I haven't driven the newest Sonata).
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