eclipse23

Yet another review !

I swung into Peruzzi Nissan on the way home today to check out an 08' Altima.

Peruzzi Nissan, Langhorne

Since I have already driven a 4 the salesman simply took us out in a fully loaded 6.

Some of the nicer features I noticed on the Altima.

Keyless Engine start FOB with push button on/off button start.
Large TouchScreen Navigation system / Bose Entertaninment System.
IPOD adapter plus choice of Sirius or XM Radio Integration.
Bluetooth Phone system with steering wheel controls.
Xenon Headlamps
Heated Seats/Mirrors

Ergonomics:
There was not a lack of room in this car, in fact I felt very comfortable in the driving position. The telescoping steering wheel was nice and the mirrors seemed larger than the camry which I prefer. The back window was smaller and I did like the lack of vision, felt like a blindspot was back there, an incurable one. It must be said that the car does have a backup camera I just prefer to turn my neck.

Guages, buttons, etc.
The red dials were nice but there was a ton of red in the cabin, maybe i'm just not used to that but even the AC dials were digital red. The Navigation (birds eye) hopefully can be changed to do traditional overhead navigation and I was not a fan of the night colors -vs- the day colors.

Engines & Transmission
Shotgun blast acceleration that seemed to be available from 5 to 85mph (and I took it up there). There is a reason why this motor is soo well known it's whiptastic fun bottled up in this sedan. The sound of the motor was inspiring although I did notice some wind sheering that was somewhat pronounced. The tranny felt smooth as hell up and down light to light on route 1.

Steering / Handling / Road Noise
A complete opposite to the Camry, the steering on the Altima did not feel vague at all in fact it was very real, maybe too much? I felt that the steering wheel was very light, extremely light from 5pm to 85mph. I'm not sure if it's my SUV tight steering or what but the car seemed to constantly need 2 hands on the wheel to keep the steering precise, perhaps the model I test drove was broken? Turning circle seemed small and road noise was there. The other thing I noticed kind of alarming was how NOT plush the ride was, bumps were pronounced and I felt every little bump that we came across.

Conclusion
The altima is a nicer looking car with better lines and an even nicer interior. The acceleration out of the engine was satisfying as hell but I wonder how controllable the car was with what appeared to me as a somewhat light and bouncy ride. I will most likely test drive this car again to make sure I did not have a car with funny steering. Driving this car definitely feels closer to the days of my CLS although more like a CLS with some comptech mods to suspension.

Mike

wow 2208???

eclipse23

Yes, it flies too, failed to mention.

Mike

was torque steer an issue at all?

eclipse23

In flight? no. J/k

It actually was not that bad although I did not do 0-60 sprints. The CLS was notoriously bad for torque steer seemed more even in this car. The CLS used to literally pull the wheel away from you lol.

njzprettyboy

the gas mileage sucks on altimas....pretty sweet ride though..

eclipse23

Regular though, at least you are not paying for premium.

AznX TL

nice 2208 did you drive a cvt or 6speed? coupe or sedan?

AznX TL

i thought the altima's VQ35 uses premium only?!

eclipse23

CVT Sedan, I can't buy a car in stick that may need to survive manhattan traffic.

Mike

really? i've never had a issue w/it and i've got i/h.

Infamous425

did u drive the se or sl? se has a firmer suspension.

i rented the new altima for a week and i liked it for the most part except the front seats are way too flat and wide, not enough bolstering

AZuser

It flies *and* travels 200 years into the future? Wow!

JediMindTricks

hello, mcfly?!

F23A4

The manual of my 05 Murano indicates that you can use regular, although engine performance will be slightly reduced. But, my old 02 Maxima did require premium fuel.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I'm guessing you're talking about the V6 Altima's... b/c the 4-cylinders are great on gas...

SodaLuvr

V6 Altima does require premium.

Did you post a review of the 4-cyl Altima? How does it compare to the Camry?

F23A4

91 AKI is recommended but not required:

If unleaded premium gasoline is not available, you may use unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI number, but you may notice a decrease in performance.

charliemike

BTW, post MSRP of the test vehicle for future reference please

SodaLuvr

I stand corrected.

I heard that you lose some mpg if you go with regular, any truth to that?

AznX TL

that is true about 3 or so miles per tank, but you might develop a knock later on.

F23A4

THAT I do not know. I have only used premium in the Mo.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Absolutely, the ecu detunes (is that a word) itself for the lower octane to reduce knocking.

charliemike

Sure is ... "Yo man, turn on detunes!"