My dad's maxima is in the shop so they gave him a 4 banger Altima as a loaner. I drove it around today and I gatta say damn this thing pulls pretty good for a 4 banger, a hell of alot more than my tsx. I felt kind of embarassed that this altima had this much power, I mean dont get me wrong the thing handels like a boat and pretty much only drives well in a straight line. I know the 2 cars can't really be compared (economic family sedan with entry level luxury) but just thought i'd let ya guys know what I thought

 

wrong forum, try "discussion"

 

moved.

 

Let's just say that the TSX wasn't made for straight-line racing!

I wonder how the automatic TSX feels. I have a 6MT and I have never driven the auto. From what I hear, the lack of power is much more noticable in the auto TSX. Is that true?

 

Its probably a question of what you're used to and what you want to do. I don't find the AT lacking. My reflashed 04 AT does all the things I would expect it to do around town and on the freeway. I may find it lacking if I was going to the track but for everyday use, its fine.

 

Sorry about posting in the wrong area, haha ya I am pretty new to the forum

 

you and Jesuswalks best friends?



just sayin...

 

i have an unflashed 05 AT, if i wanted power i would have went else where.

 

+1

 

I feel that my 05AT is pretty fast, it goes up to 60 pretty easy. OHhh, i love going around on ramps....i gun that suckers like there is no tommorow.

 

Me too! Chalk that one up to the fabulous double-wishbone suspension.

 

I've driven an Altima 2.5 4-cylinder and wasn't too impressed with it. It does have more torque @ 180 ft-lbs. I just hate driving those cars, they are way too big and it does handle like a freakin' boat. I too am also happy with the power of the TSX, it's not the fastest, but good enough for me around town. I could've gotten a TL or IS350, but I wanted the more economical 4 cylinder. I think the TSX was the best choice I have ever made.....no regrets at all here.

 

Some FYI...

About 2 months ago i had my friend drive a 2005 2.5s altima (base line) against a 2006 TSX w/navi that i was driving....

Altima was over near two car lengths in front of me when we raced from a dead stop at a stop light. Then from 30mph - 60 the altima was abour 1.5 car lengths infront of me.

Ya i know street racing at my age is just plain old wierd, but i really did want to see how the 175hp altima stacked against the 200hp tsx i was driving. Needless to say i walked away embarrased that i got my as$ handed to me by a boat family sedan with less horse power.

Point of the story is that nissan does make some pretty stout engines, even in the 4cylinders. But nissans also engineers in a little thing called tourqe to their motors, maybe honda should finally take notes.

2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine
175 hp1 @ 6,000 rpm
180 lb-ft1 @ 4,000 rpm


16-Valve, DOHC, i-VTEC®
205 @ 7000 rpm
164 lbs-ft @ 4500 rpm


The numbers are pretty close but if you look at the nissans, HARDLY EVER, do you see a motor (especially a 4 banger) that is not a turbo that makes more tourqe than horse power.

 

yes, I drove my buddies AT and there was any torque on any band....pretty sad.

 

^^^Well said .

 

The numbers are pretty close but if you look at the nissans, HARDLY EVER, do you see a motor (especially a 4 banger) that is not a turbo that makes more tourqe than horse power.


Yes, my old 2000 Subaru impreza

165 hp
166 lb/torque

There are actually, quite a few if you really look for them

 

yeah man I love the way our cars handle, however, I just wish Acura/Honda engineers put an importance on torque when designing their motors

 

The new 07 is nice has push button start, keyless go, and other goodies......except it doesnt handle at all like the TSX.

 

For a smooth 2.4L 4 cylinder, it's got enough torque to get around any situation. I'm not complaining one bit about the (lack of) torque.
But I am speaking for the 6MT crowd; the 5AT I drove wasn't quite as responsive.

And for those who think the TSX handles well, I'm wondering what car you're coming from. I understand it's pretty good for a 3200 lb FWD car, but a far cry from what I would consider a canyon carver.

My other car is a crappy Sentra, also FWD but only 2400 lbs, and with cheapo Eibach springs, harsh KYB AGX's, and decent rubber, it puts the TSX to shame (stock suspension, all season performance Falken tires).

I thought I could deal with it, but I'll be ordering some Tein coilovers to mitigate the body roll and floaty feel.

 

umm...you forgot that the Altima's curb weight is about 200 lbs less than a TSX...

Horsepower and torque account for a lot, but even 200 lbs of weight can make a big difference.

 

I drove a Civic sedan (LX w/5 speed manual) last weekend and it felt pretty quick and nimble around the city. Sure it only has 140hp and 128lb ft, but it weighs 630lbs less than the TSX! 0-60 is probably a little slower than the TSX, but I bet 0-30 is almost neck and neck.

 

Interesting that the 07 Altima's 2.5 now has 165HP compared to 05-06's 175. I THINK its the same engine but the number now reflects the new SAE standard of measuring HP. So its even sadder that rugbybrado got beat by a car that has potentially 40 less HP, even considering the 200lbs.

BTW - rugbybrado, you drive a MT or AT?

 

AT in both.

From a dead stop left them both in drive. I also tried the manu-matic for the passing power one and the results were the same. Altima's boat like characterics aside - the base 4 cylinder doesnt have any problems moving the car.

 

I dont feel my 06 AT is "fast", but im totally satisfied with the power. If i wanted a "fast" car, the TSX would not have been my $30k choice. For that much i could get something faster, but not so comfortable, or with the comforts and features the TSX has to offer.

 

We just need more torque. Regular driving is totally fine, but not spirited driving.

 

Nissan these days have the WORST interior ever.... exterior too...

bigger bigger body....more angled headlights.... bigger taillights...

it jus doesn't work...

same goes to Infiniti

i love Infiniti Engine.... but Damn that interior .... is SO ugly....

jus from little things.....like those switches....to design of automatic gearbox....

 

I agree about the new Altima interior. I test drove the 2.5 S and 3.5 SL today (wife needs a new car and her old one was a 98 Altima). Ugh... even the top of the line SL was just ugly inside. I hated the steering wheel, and it just felt cheap. Both of them had pretty good power, but quite unrefined. Handling and steering wasn't that great either.

I also test drove a V6 Mazda 6 and was shocked at how slow it was. What happened to zoom zoom? I wanted to like both of these cars because of the price, but I was pretty disappointed. Looks like we're leaning towards a Subaru Legacy GT, which was a close second when I bought my TSX. It would be great to own both... That way, when I'm feeling the need for more power, I'll jump in the GT.

 

the 4 cylinder altima is not fast, i've lined up against an auto at the illegals and pulled half a car in about a 1/8th distance in an auto K24 accord, my only mod at the time was deleted resonator. I see nissan is still putting a 4 speed auto in it despite this being 2006.

 

Try the Accord V6 MT, its is plenty powerful.

 

Weight...weight...weight!!!!

Put 2 passengers in the Altima and after 120km/h (~75mph) they will be neck and neck; the weight in a car powered with a 4 cylinder engine makes a big difference. I rented an Altima when I was on business in the US and found that it consumed more fuel in the city and the highway than my TSX - so there are other stats to look at when evaluating engine performance (maybe Nissan should concern themselves slightly more with real world fuel economy, I'm speaking mostly about their relatively fuel inefficient 3.5L powerplants)

As far as torque > horsepower for a 4 cylinder....there are more engines than a few that can display this.....I know a Honda engine that does this.....the 2.4L (ever heard of it!) - see CR-V, see 4 cylinder Accord - our TSX is tuned differently/head work which impacts the horsepower.

 

I have no problems driving spirited. Very fun, even in an AT TSX (well, in esp. manual mode). I've never needed more torque.

By "spirited driving" do you mean racing? If so, you bought the wrong car.

 

^

i too haven't had any problems with torque during spirited driving. mind you, i have limited experience with spirited driving though (as i've only been doing this on public roads. no closed courses).

as long as i'm keeping the rpm's >3000, i'm fine...

 

The Altima is 200 lbs lighter, it's got 17 lbs/lb-ft vs. an auto TSX's 20 lbs. That's a big enough difference for the TSX to lose in an acceleration test from a stop. I don't know the gearing in an Altima, but the auto TSX's gearing is fairly tall (for gas mileage, I suspect). The combination of lower gearing, more of them, slightly lighter weight, and more efficient drivetrain is what makes the 6mt quicker.

My dad has an '06 TSX 5AT on loan while Acura's fixing his RSX (exhaust cam was developing a groove in one lobe -- not encouraging). I drove the TSX loaner and I found it to be very responsive and a lot of fun to drive.

 

I test drove the automagic TSX.. Its like driving Honda Accord sedan with better gearing..

 

I scratched the Accord for a bad reason, but a reason nonetheless... they're just too bland and common for my tastes. My family went to a neighborhood community day this weekend, and I specifically noticed that almost every sedan was a Civic, Accord, or Camry.

 

I thought the 4-cyl automatic Altima was the most entertaining rental car I've driven in years.

It sounds like people haven't tried the 5MT, though. Before the TSX came, my wife and I tried to drive an Altima but neither of us seemed to fit into the car. I'm 6', she's 5' 3", but the gearshift in 1st was at my elbow, and which put 2nd...behind me?! It was the shortest test drive I'd ever taken.

 

Keep in mind that your comparing a base model nissan to an lux model acura. For what it is the 4 banger altima is a decent car with enough power and room to suit a family at a very good price tag.

 

Spent time in several 2.5S Altima's and came away with a good solid feel for acceleration. But found the automatic to be somewhat uncivilized at around town speeds... Specifically, the tendency to shift to 2nd immediately after making a left or right turn (from a stop) and then yank back down in to first to accelerate up to speed. Happens from a standing start at a stoplight too. I'd prefer for it to stay in first a bit longer for smoother acceleration. That being said, the acceleration is pretty darn good, though I'd probably be happier with a manual in this car.
Judging from G35/2.5S/MaximaSE's I've driven, I'm not too fond of Nissan Automatics. The engines are killer though.

I note that the 2.4 auto Accord accelerates just as hard (maybe slightly better) than the 2.5S, probably because of the 5spd auto...

In my experience 4-cyl auto Accords and Altima's run neck and neck...
And you guys are saying the Auto Altima 2.5 outruns the TSX Auto???

Where is the TSX's 200hp?? If it's gonna be slower than the Accord/Altima Auto's why not just put the regular Accord engine in the TSX??

I've been wondering for awhile why the TSX AUTO's 200hp really don't translate to real world acceleration.... Anyone got a answer???

 

couple reasons, supposedly the accord K24 is underrated by 10 hp or whatever they say.

the accord is also 100 lbs or so lighter.

also the TSX wheels i recall being somewhat heavy, they are nearly 50 lbs each for the tire/rim combo. Accord LX on 15" steel wheels, the whole wheel is less than 40 lbs. The trade off is obviously the squishier handling and poorer steering precision.

 

Ditto.

After my orignal posts and people keep on bringing up the handling and how much better the tsx is in compairison - youre compairing a 18k family sedan with a lux sport sedan.