Full Test: 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE

[guitarlix]

All new, with a strong hint of old school





Remember the '80s? You know — leg warmers, the Cold War, Punky Brewster? At the tail end of that let's-just-forget-it-ever-happened decade, Nissan introduced a revamped Maxima, the ads for which bore the well-known tagline: "The four-door sports car."

Fast-forward 18 years. Driving the 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE, that old tagline keeps popping into the brain. And while real sports cars don't have automatic transmissions or front-wheel drive or even a backseat, it's obvious that Nissan has quietly made the Altima the spiritual successor of that tagline's underlying philosophy: Just because a car has four doors doesn't mean it has to drive like a dumpster.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=118941

[goblue]

Expensive, slower than the Aura, and equally thirsty with an improved, but average interior. Pass.

[guitarlix]

The ace is the 2.5 SE. It has plenty of power (175HP) and combined with the Xtronic CVT, the car actually feels quick. Few people feel the need to buy the 3.5. Plus, you can still get all the features like push button start, bluetooth etc.

The real world mileage on the 2.5 is fantastic (check out the reviews on yahoo and edmunds and the altima forums like nicoclub, fresh alloy, nissan-forum etc.)

For what it's worth, I don't think much of either interior (aura, altima).

[Ach]

Originally Posted by guitarlix

The ace is the 2.5 SE. It has plenty of power (175HP) and combined with the Xtronic CVT, the car actually feels quick. Few people feel the need to buy the 3.5. Plus, you can still get all the features like push button start, bluetooth etc.

The real world mileage on the 2.5 is fantastic (check out the reviews on yahoo and edmunds and the altima forums like nicoclub, fresh alloy, nissan-forum etc.)

For what it's worth, I don't think much of either interior (aura, altima).

You're right. The 4-banger runs low 7's with the CVT (as quick as the previous gen V6 models of many of its competitors, as well as the V6 Fusion and the Aura XE) is relatively refined and gets good mpg. A decent deal in the low-20K range.

Forget the V6, though-I can't imagine taking it over the Aura XR, it just looks so much better and has more features at 26K. The old Altima's trump card was the V6 power, but the competition has met and in some cases surpassed that now.

[atomicshark]

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Nissan and the Altima looks very attractive to me.

The Exterior is pretty much better looking than any other midsize family sedan out there. The interior is stylish if not totally upscale, just like the Aura.

The fact that the 2.5 has dual exhaust tips is a bonus for those of us that like the look but need to buy a 4 cylinder car.

[RWD60]

now that they have the 330hp 3.7L for the Infinitis and Z, i wouldn't be surprised to see a ~300hp Altima soon, at least as an SE-R model. it shares it's innards with the Murano, so they can give it AWD if need be for that kinda power. at the moment it's merely part of the top-tier in terms of hp and speed for the class, not flat out leading like it used to be. overall i'd say Altima is currenty top 5 in the class alongside Camry, Aura, Fusion family, and Accord, exact order depending on your preferences.

[jro4566]

I actually like the new Altima's interior. Frankly, Nissan had to do a lot to make a competitive interior considering the crap they produced that was known as the previous generation Altima's interior. But all-in-all, the new Altima's interior is world's better than the Aura's...Nissan actually believes in leather padding. Plus, it had almost every bit of technology I want in a car. However, it DOES get expensive when fully-equipped.

[likearock00]

It seems to me that when Nissan has something good going, they decide to try and find a way to ruin it. They did it to the Maxima, and now are doing it with this Altima. The previous gen looked alot better IMO, and so did the Maxima and Sentra for that matter. They're never hapy until they can make it ugly.

[69Firebird400]

I think the Altima is a pretty decent car. I test drove a previous generation 3.5 liter with the 5 speed manual when I was car shopping back in summer 2003, and it was wicked fast. The interior seemed cheap compared to what Honda was offering, though, and it was a more expensive car with poorer resale values, so the decision to not buy one was pretty easy.

They seem to have addressed most if not all of the previous Altima's shortcomings. I wish they had conventional six speed automatics available instead of CVTs, at least as an option. I know the CVT is better from a performance and economy standpoint, but I still prefer conventional gears. I will admit that I haven't driven a new Nissan CVT, however - the last time I did was in my sister in law's 2003 Murano. She and my brother love those things.

The styling update is nice, if not revolutionary, and I've sat in one and was impressed by the interior materials, design, and textures.