Rented 2016 Nissan Altima

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
2,688
Location
SW Ontario Canada
My wife and I were down in Savannah GA, Charleston SC and finally to Jacksonville FL to visit some relatives last week. Rented from Hertz at Savannah airport.

I own a 2013 Nissan Maxima, so I was not so happy to get a Altima - only because I wanted to have something different - not because of any issues with Altimas. Hertz offered me a Pathfinder, but not interested in that one.

The rental was bare bones, no folding mirrors, steel wheels with 3 different brands of tires on the car. 38,000 miles for an 06/16 build date. Yes, I checked the oil...2x in fact! Oil levels fine both times.
crazy.gif


Observations:

Excellent fuel economy. In 730 miles of driving I averaged 34.5 MPG (approx 6.8L/100km) with a/c on all the time. at 75 mph on flat roads it would show 40+ mpg. Fill-ups confirmed the trip computer was accurate enough for me.
Very good seats, I would say these are as good as what I have in the Maxima for comfort.
Pretty quiet ride despite 3 different tire brands. 2 Conti up front, 1 Kumho RR and 1 Goodyear LR.
CVT is much different than my Maxima, this one is set to mimic shifts when you floor it, sounds okay, but I doubt it makes it any faster than the older CVT version that felt like a speedboat getting up to plane. My Maxima just goes, lots of torque from low rpms.

Conclusions:
I would recommend this to someone that wants a fair size car that doesn't sacrifice economy. I won't be trading in my Maxima, that VQ35DE is so nice when it growls on acceleration, who cares about premium fuel and it's drinking problem.

For a base level sedan it still had power windows, locks, driver seat, pwr trunk release, auto headlights. Headlights were fine for night driving. Nice car, I'd spec mine with more toys but the base is solid.
Ken
 
Sounds like a typical Hertz car. That's why I stick with National. Never had a car over 15k miles, usually closer to 5-10k. And never a base model.

I would avoid a Nissan period purely for the fact that I can't stand CVT's.
 
Thanks for the review Ken. Sounds like a good car.

When looking around it seems Nissan Australia is focusing on SUV and sports cars, their big sellers here, and are no longer importing sedans. Their X-Trail is a big seller here.
 
I have a 2016 Altima with all of the bells and whistles. I truly love driving it. The main reason that I chose the Altima was the seat comfort and support for my bad back. I was driving a Camry that did not give my back the support that it needed.
 
these reviews of how great the seats are on Nissan products have my interest.

For those who've also driven Volvo's, are the seats comparable in comfort?
 
I agree, the Altima is a good midsize car.
You can often buy a mid optioned model cheap at the year end sales. They can truly be a bargain and hade the ride and comfort of a much more expensive car.
 
The Altima is a good, decently solid car from the times I've been in them. Since Hertz and Enterprise around here are leasing to Lyft and Uber drivers, I've been seeing a lot more of them being used for that reason instead of the Prius.

Even the base models have smart keys!
 
Nissan has always been my favorite car. You mentioned how comfortable the Altima's seats are. My 300ZX's seats are so comfortable that it feels like you're sitting in a Lay Z Boy recliner when you're driving it. Amazing comfort and support plus top notch leather. If Nissan reintroduces a Z 2+2 I'll definitely buy it.
 
Even my wife's Versa is decently comfortable and the seating position is much higher than her previous car.
 
Had an occassion a couple years ago to rent an Altima for a few days and was surprised by how nice a car it was. How is the long term reliability on these?
 
Originally Posted By: 14Accent


I would avoid a Nissan period purely for the fact that I can't stand CVT's.


The current generation CVT's are programmed to shift just like a conventional automatic. They feel quite normal and if one did not know it was a CVT, one would assume it's not.

However, under full throttle acceleration, the thing shifts so fast and so often, it sounds and feels like a dragster. A sound and feeling I really like!

I guess I'd have to say that I've come to really enjoy the Nissan Altima CVT. I rent them just about every week.
 
Totally agree on the seating comfort. All three rows are very comfy on our 2016 Nissan Quest minivan. More so than our 2013 Grand Caravan and 2008 Honda Odyssey. The thing is, how long will they stay that way. I haven't noticed any programmed gear-shift feel on our Quest's CVT, but the thing launches like a rocket and will spin the front wheels if you get carried away. What I love about the latest Nissan CVTs is their ease of DIY serviceability. I can do CVT juice drain/fills on it easier than an engine oil change.

In regards to the newer Altimas, I've never even sat in one, but I browse my local Hertz Rent-to-buy site often. I've seen 2016 Nissan Altimas with mileage under 36K miles for just over $13K. 2017's for $15K or so.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JTK
What I love about the latest Nissan CVTs is their ease of DIY serviceability. I can do CVT juice drain/fills on it easier than an engine oil change.


I also noticed that on a late model Maxima I was oogling last spring.
A total deal maker in my books!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top