Hey i was just wondering if anyone went head to head with the new nissan altima SER? They have 260hp and 251 tourqe. What do you guys think? Can the 2003 tls handle it?

 

My guess is that the Altima SE-R will beat a TLS. I am assuming that the Altima is a manual only though. If it comes in auto it might be interesting but a manual will beat a stock TLS.

 

I havent driven the TL-S but I've driven the SE-R 5AT, 3G TL 5AT and TL-P. My SOTP meter tells me that the SE-R is easily the quickest of the 3.

Ferizzo, the SE-R has both a 6MT and 5AT (with manual shifting). If you get the chance I HIGHLY recommend taking one out for a test drive. It feels like the 5.5G Maxima but a bit quicker and handles MUCH better IMHO.

I hope we get to see one mag tested soon.

 

I LOVE the Altima SE-R. If I was in the market for a new car, that would be it, in Smoke Grey.

 

Im thinking about gettin the SER when my acura lease is done.

 

Edmunds has one.

 

....I meant more in the way of Car & Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, etc,...

 

advantage: Acura.

 

Heard a manual SE-R will do low 14s. My money would be on the nissan.

 

they are pretty nice but wouldnt trade a TL-S for it.

 

i wouldn't trade a TL for an Altima...

a little power advantage means nth...why not just get a V8 and smoke it all then?

 

Nissans are great cars but wouldn't trade an Acura for it. But the SE-R on paper should take the TL-S but like in any comp its all about the driver

 

I dont see the SE-R as a competitor to the TL AT ALL. Rather, it really falls along the lines of the LGT, MS6 and maybe the GTP: family sedans with some serious sporting intentions. Thus an SE-R --> TL tradeup is a moot point.

But as far as the TL & SE-R are concerned, it's a good comparison ONLY in the context of performance the two V6 FWD sedans produce.

Sidenote: I wouldnt trade my 5.5G Maxima SE for the SE-R neither due to a number of cheap touches in the Alti (although noticeably improved from the 02-04 models) as well as it not being built in Japan.....something that I appreciate with the build quality of my Maxima (read: no rattles, buzzing or drooping headliners )

 

My 4th gen Max was solid too. I drove it for 7 years, 165k miles. Still not a hint of rattle or buzz when I sold it. It was a great car...

Can't say the same with my Murano though. It's also built in Japan, but the quality just can't compare. Cheap plastics, rattles here and there, mismatch panel gap....

But the VQ still rocks.

 

Engines are great, interiors sux0rs

 

manual of course...

 

really?

 

Yep. Guess Reanult put the hammer down on cost cutting...

 

Saw first one on the road yesterday. Looks very smooth (black with tints).

Nice exhaust pipes on it. And it is hella fast with a stick.

Damn just went to the nissan website. It is 6 k over the Se

Of course then I tried to build a nice SE and every freaking option requires an automatic. Apparently if you want a manual you have to have a bare bones model. Though I love how all of the Sports packages require an automatic

 

To me its just a rental car with an SER Badge on it. Way to common a car.

 

It resembles every other Alti at first, that is until the throttle's applied

 

^^^^ is it more or does that stickshift look way too tall?

Interior actually looks better than I would have thought

 

I love it. This guy by my house has it in grey, tinted out and lowerd a little. Sick.

 

I'll just add that it's exhaust note sounds just like the G35 Coupe.

 

interior looks nice.. Believe me if I had a older car and wanted to upgrade this car would be on my list.. or maybe as a 2nd car but no trade...

 

why not just get a V10 and smoke it all then? or a V12




SER is nice but i think it's a lil too expensive at $30k....TLS would lose to the SER, heck a TLS would lose to a 5spd SE alty

 

You can get a V10 for 30k? Sign me up!

 

add 2 turbos and naws and its bye-bye time...

 

wat V8 can u get for under 30k besides a Stang GT?



just trying to make a point on the "why not get a V8 and smoke them all" reply

 

I think the Latest gen TL 6 MT would be a nice race.

 

Also a GTO after all the rebates.

 

I see with rebates on carsdirect, the se-r is going into the 26k range and knowing the nissan dealer, they'll want to beat carsdirect in price so its an ok deal.

couple more pics

 

I think the Altima SE-R is one of the most under rated cars out there.
Lima Auto Mall(which is up by my school) has 2 or 3 of these bad boys in. If I had a TL-S I'd be trading it for a second on a SE-R Altima.
personally I do like the new TLs a little better than the SE-R Altima. but your talking a little bit of price difference.

 

I personally wouldnt trade a TL-S for the SE-R. After driving the SE-R on several occassions, I dont think I'd trade my 02 Maxima for it. Why you ask? Because there are several areas where it feels like Nissan went low budget with it: door panel inserts s/b leather if the seats are leather IMHO (not the velour fabric inserts they've installed, the grade of plastic in the center console and doors 'seem' of lower grade than my Maxima, and it has no hood struts (a la G35) where my Maxima has them. But then again, I'm a nitpicker.

But I'd trade up to the SE-R if I had an Accord V6 or Camry V6.

Another tempting note: The SE-R can be acquired for near invoice at dealers here in Central NJ. It seems that the demand is a little greater for the 3.5SE/3.5SL over the SE-R, with the former having similar power and amenities but with available DVD Navi for a little less.

 

I'd rather get a 5th gen Max than an SE-R. The Max is probably about the same speed, cheaper, and IMO looks better. The SE-R is a cool version of the Altima but I don't think I'd buy one.

 

Werd. Thats what I notice with most Manual tranny Nissans. I have a Maxima also and mine is hella tall. However to me its just right. I can have my elbow on the armrest and my hand on the gearshift. I guess its just the way the center console is designed. I noticed that a lot of owners actually cut the gear shift down a few inches to give it a better look.

 

I couldnt agree with you more. I dont think I could ever buy a new Nissan now. To me the quality of the older Nissans are far superior to the new ones. I was checking out a new Maxima not to long ago and I just hated that cheap cloth that goes up around the top of the dash board and to the doors. Or the ugly Orange backlighting, or the cheap silver finish on the dash, or the non Navi screen, or all the buttons on the dash that look exactly the same, or the continuous rattles, or...well you get my drift. As far as I would go with a Nissan is a 2003 Maxima SE, and thats it.

I too checked out the 2005 SE(didnt get a chacne to check out the SER) and must say it is an improvement over the older model, however, I still feel the same way about the new Maximas.

Central Jersey, huh!?? East Coast Nissan??

 

One of my test drives was at East Coast Nissan on 22...the other was at Acme Nissan. But yeah, it does seem like the 2003 Maxima was the last of a dying breed of Nissan (although the Sentra is still a holdover technically).

Anyone in the market for an SE-R 6MT should consider a loaded 2003 Maxima 6MT as a better built but cheaper (in price that is) alternative.

 

I'll be in the market for an 03 Max when my Accord dies.

 

don't tell me the car is FWD.