February 11, 2008
This is how most people load a bike into a sedan. I'm not most people...
February 6, 2008
The last time we gave an update on our long-term Altima's fuel economy was September 2007. It's time to get you all up to speed on the numbers.
Current lifetime average: 21.0 mpg
Best tank: 32.2 mpg
Worst tank: 14.2 mpg
Total lifetime miles: 20,927.6
Total fuel consumed: 997.8 gal
February 4, 2008
The 2007 Nissan Altima is a family sedan, offering the accoutrement and roomy accommodations that you and your 2.1 children will need to wallow in comfort. But in driving it this weekend, I was reminded that it offers something more than just familial practicality: The Altima is genuinely fun to drive.
I love its vigorous engine, but I think what I appreciate most is its suspension. Not so soft that you feel like you're lolling on a Spring Air, but not so harsh that you feel unduly manhandled...
January 9, 2008
As the above photo indicates, our long-term 2007 Nissan Altima had a run-in with a curb recently. This led to a problem with the valve stem, which caused the tire to rapidly deflate. This is not a good thing.
Fortunately, we're only a few blocks from Santa Monica Nissan, and the Altima needed its 20,000-mile oil change, lube, filter and all that good stuff...
December 10, 2007
I went tree shopping this weekend in the Altima. I figured I would just tie the tree to the top to avoid vacuuming out pine needles later. But the young man who was working the tree farm at OSH recommended I put the tree in the trunk.
Despite the rather narrow opening of the Altima's trunk, the tree slipped in fine...
December 2, 2007
In a recent Saturn Aura post a reader asked if the Nissan Altima's better handling comes at the expense of a harsher ride - the short answer is yes. I also think the Nissan's seats are less comfortable and the car is noisier around town and on the highway. Not engine noise, road noise is the culprit here.
If I were single, I'd get the Nissan b/c the firm ride would appeal to me and only me - not unlike a lot of decisions I made when I was single...
November 29, 2007
I enjoy driving the Altima. It's spirited enough for the highway and comfortable enough for trafficky situations.
It has heated seats (yes!), real-time traffic on the nav (well, almost), and an Auxiliary port for my iPod (thank the maker).
But I have to question the designer who chose to awkwardly put the AUX port to the left of the shifter...
November 28, 2007
I'm a fan of the manual transmission. I like to shift, I like the feeling of discretionary power. So every time I drive a car with an automatic, I spend at least a little time doing the manual-shift boogie.
Some transmissions have the reflexes of a snail on Vicodin, upshifting about 20 seconds after you move the lever...
November 19, 2007
Our 2007 Nissan Altima makes it so easy to go really fast. I found the 270-horsepower CVT engine to be pretty stealthy, so many times I found myself going extra-legal speeds on the freeway. It just didn't seem like my fellow motorists were driving fast enough and then I looked down at the speedometer to find out they were actually driving the speed they should be. Ooops!..
November 13, 2007
Nice try, but the sun visor extensions on our 2007 Nissan Altima are pretty lame.
On my way to Laguna Seca for the weekend, I found myself cursing the visor's inability to actually block the sun during the long, arrow-straight stretch of Highway 46 between the 5 and the 101. That gaping space between the extension and the window was where the sun sat on the driver's side for the entire hour (passenger side photo taken by passenger, for safety) . Give me true extending visors any day instead of these ones.
Turns out there aren't any clouds when you're right smack in the middle of the desert, either.
At least the event at Laguna Seca (Redline Time Attack) offered some shade...
November 5, 2007
Since I didn't drive our 2007 Nissan Altima any great distance over the weekend, my thoughts veered toward the superficial. Upon approaching it after various errands, I realized I have always liked its low stance -- and this holds true for the previous-generation model as well. Whether it's the suspension design or an illusion created by its underbody kit, the Altima appears to sit lower than other family sedans...
November 2, 2007
Usually, I don't use the bird's-eye view option on our 2007 Nissan Altima's navigation system, because it makes me a little motion sick. Last night, though, I got into the Nissan after Mr. Lloyd (aka, funkymunky), who does favor bird's-eye nav viewing, had been driving the car...
November 1, 2007
The 2007 Nissan Altima SE is a spectacular car. Great brakes, fantastic power, tight steering. But it also gets it so very RIGHT in the place that counts most: the driver seat. So many cars try to offer the driver so much these days, and the Altima is no exception...
October 22, 2007
After a weekend with our 2007 Nissan Altima, I was reminded once again of how well this friendly sedan meshes practicality with driver enjoyment. I liked its spacious, comfortable cabin. And I loved its wealth of convenience features. My favorite among these is our car's optional rear-view camera...
October 17, 2007
I've come to the conclusion that Nissan can no longer produce a half-decent manual transmission. It's that, or they're purposely trying to make them so bad that people will never request them -- not even gear heads and media types -- and Nissan won't have to make them any more.
The problems with our long-term G35 have been well documented, along with our distaste for the Versa's clutch and shifter. The Altima Coupe 3.5SE I drove this weekend featured the six-speed manual (also available on the sedan), which managed to feel like the offspring of an unholy automotive copulation between the G35 and Versa. The shifter felt unsubstantial and indirect (just like the Versa) and the clutch suffered from the abrupt take-up and herky-jerky motions of the G35 (albeit without the ThighMaster effort and pirate ship creaking)...
October 9, 2007
For some reason I can never get the power-adjustable seat in our 2007 Nissan Altima situated to where I feel comfortable. I can adjust the height, how close I want to be to the steering wheel and even lumbar pressure but I still can't get comfy. As it is, I feel like I'm sitting in a high chair on top of the driver seat when I driving. Not because of the height of the chair but the feeling of detachment I experience...
September 28, 2007
After the Altima-Aura Canyon Road Cage Match garnered so many comments, we thought we'd stage a rematch with the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 we currently have in the garage. These three models are the sportiest and most powerful models in this segment (a Camry V6 SE may have fit the bill, but we couldn't get one in time) and are each equipped similarly.
Now, this isn't a real comparison test. Especially considering the 2007 Nissan Altima has nearly 17,000 miles on it, versus the 2007 Saturn Aura's 6,100 and the Accord's 1,990. Instead, this is a blog about an informal drive through the
September 25, 2007
This is a closeup of the buttons on the left side of our 2007 Nissan Altima's steering wheel. Note the toggle switch for "seek." It operates exactly how I'd expect it to operate -- push up to advance to the next CD track, push down to go back.
Below is a photo of our 2007 Infiniti G35's cockpit. It's a little hard to make out in this photo, but if you follow my lovingly hand-drawn red arrow, you'll see that it, too, has a toggle switch for seek functions...
September 17, 2007
One thing I noticed as I was driving the 2007 Nissan Altima around this weekend was the fact that its side mirrors offer less real estate than those of other vehicles I've recently driven. The Aura, for example, has side mirrors that appear to be a bit wider. Not a big deal, obviously. But in case it is, well, now you know...
September 13, 2007
No huge news to report on the Altima since its cage match against the Aura two weeks ago. Although I have to admit I can't see the Aura taking down the Altima in any contest of speed on any road. But I wasn't there, so I can't really comment.
Anyway, over its last five tanks of fuel , which were a mix of stop-and-go highway driving and plenty of city miles (1,442 of them in total), the Altima averaged 19.2 miles per gallon...
August 30, 2007
Last week, and previous to the brouhaha over our Saturn Aura's steering column, John DiPietro and I took out our Aura and Nissan Altima for an impromptu comparison. We knew that both of these cars are marketed as being on the sporty side of the family sedan spectrum. So in order to find out which long-term sedan was more fun or enjoyable to drive on a canyon road, we headed up into the hills. Two cars enter, one car leaves.
August 27, 2007
Driving around town this weekend, I put three of a friend's discs into the Altima's 6-CD changer. Yes, some people still listen to CDs.
But then we forgot they were in there and my friend called later to remind me to remove them before I returned the car to the office. So I figured I'd do it right away or I would forget.
This is riveting, I know...
August 22, 2007
Just before reaching the 15,000 mile mark, our Long-Term Altima signaled us that a scheduled service was imminent. Santa Monica Nissan fit us in next-day, and the service was performed in near-record time.
The hitch? (There's usually a hitch.) The original estimate for a 15,000 mile service was over $300.00 and included, not at our request or need, a four-wheel alignment...
July 30, 2007
Despite the new crop of long-term test cars filing steadily into the garage, the Altima remains my hands-down favorite. And judging by how many miles we've put on the car since we got it in January, it seems like it's a staff-wide favorite, too. For me, it's the right size, the V6 that's smooth and powerful, and the CVT that's practically miraculous considering all the turkey CVTs out there. Plus, its hybrid version is excellent. I'm also incredibly impressed by the steering, which doesn't feel like it belongs to a front-wheel-drive car. Actually, it doesn't feel too dissimilar to our G35 -- light, but providing excellent feel. With our fully-loaded SE, the Altimas just doesn't feel like it competes in the same league as our Camry and Aura. I'm eager to see how the 2008 Accord stacks up...
July 28, 2007
Love that Craigslist - got a nice area rug for $50.
I'm impressed by the size of the Altima's trunk. Split folding rear seats are common in most sedans but having the realease straps in the trunk and not inside makes using the car in this way easier.
Anyone think having the release inside the car is better?
Brian Moody, Road Test Editor...
July 20, 2007
Steering wheel mounted controls have taken over our Altima.
A collection of five buttons and two joysticks control all aspects of cruise control and most options on the radio. Don't get me wrong. I like pushing buttons as much as the next guy. But when does it become too much?
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Coordinator
July 19, 2007
The more I drive the Altima, the more I like it. The one drawback is that it's too noisy inside - Seems like too much road/tire noise.
A quiet cabin is on my short list of must haves when looking for a new car:
Acceleration, compliant/smooth ride, comfortable seats and a quiet cabin are the first things I look for - what other factors are more or less important to you?
Brian Moody, Road Test Editor.
July 18, 2007
Our Long Term Altima is a fine car. It's sporty enough without being harsh and I like the CVT... most of the time.
The transmission doesn't like it if you get in and out of the throttle quickly...
July 17, 2007
A weekend trip to the Sierras piled another 1,214 miles onto our Altima's odometer. Loaded up with the wife, the bike and enough food for the rest of our crew the Altima still pulled like a mule at freeway speeds, turned like it has some sports car roots and out braked plenty of other sedans on Highway 49.
On one quick run between Downieville and Sierra City I managed to activate what I presume to be a built-in failsafe. During some "spirited" driving the CVT's manual mode quit working. A quick check of the owner's manual revealed that if the transmission fluid temperature gets too high drivers might experience reduced performance...
I like it. It likes me.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
July 2, 2007
I've been avoiding our Long Term Altima because I heard a few gripes about the CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission). After spending a whole weekend with the car I can honestly say I really like Altima's transmission. I did notice one thing that may bother certain types of drivers - anyone who gets in the throttle hard, then suddenly jumps out as regular driving practice will not like this CVT. It can get confused and seems to prefer a solid, steady throttle application...
June 22, 2007
I drove the Altima to the Late Night party at LACMA last night and I was glad I did because I was sitting in traffic jam after traffic jam as we negotiated our way around the crowded streets surrounding the museum. The sedan's black leather seats were comfortable, the A/C effective and the XM Satellite Radio entertaining. The car still felt a bit big to me since I'm used to the compactness of my Corolla, and I felt the need to be extra careful getting around the concrete islands and pillars of the subterranean parking garage.
The Nissan's brakes felt touchy to me but other editors have praised its effectiveness and solid pedal in previous posts...
June 1, 2007
I've calculated all the tanks of gas we've put into the Altima so far. We're averaging 22.69 mpg overall. Our best-ever tank was 39.79 and our worst was 16.49. But they are rare...
May 31, 2007
Whenever it's my turn to choose a car for the night, I get a little smile on my face when I see that the Altima is available. It's not the most expensive, sportiest, luxurious car in the world. But it makes me feel cool. It's been a long time since I've actually been considered cool, so I appreciate the Altima's very "boy" interior, all charcoal and silver...
May 30, 2007
A night in my favorite long termer showed a few spots that could use a little attention either by us or the next time we stop by the dealer.
May 29, 2007
Spent the long weekend doing nothing special in the Altima, yet I still came away impressed. For one, it has excellent brakes. They're the stop short when some idiot in a CR-V decides to jump into your lane at the last minute kind of good, and the pedal feels solid. It goes well too despite the power sapping CVT...
May 15, 2007
As a rather lanky fellow, I appreciate cars with telescoping steering columns. Without this simple invention, I'm usually stuck with the option of sitting with my legs oragamied under the dash or holding the wheel with my arms straight out as if I'm holding a naked baby that's just consumed two sippy cups of Juicy Juice. The Altima's reach is particularly good, but its bizarre adjustment mechanism is different from every manual telescoping column I can think of where you dislodge a latch then move the column -- like the last Altima had as I remember. The 2007 Altima's is more like a tilt-only mechanism where you pull and hold a latch, but that means you are pulling the column with one hand while trying to push it in with another. Yeah, that makes sense...
May 14, 2007
After spending three hours and ten minutes pummeling the goods on this certified haunch hatchet I was glad to return to the comfortable quarters of our long-term Altima SE's front seat for the drive home.
May 10, 2007
The base price of our 2007 Altima SE is only $24,500. But it has $7,430 in options. Yowza! If you want extras, you've got to be willing to pay. And Nissan puts their optional equipment into packages, so it's all or nothing. What if I don't want trunk lid trim?..
May 7, 2007
Nissan's intelligent key with push-button start is standard equipment on our Altima SE. The popularity of the keyless start feature on many cars today requires that manufacturers add some sort of fail-safe in case the battery in the key fob dies. Or is washed with your favorite pair of jeans.
I found myself digging for the trunk release this weekend when, low and behold, I came across the slot for the key remote...
April 30, 2007
I've been slow to embrace the redesigned Nissan Altima and I don't have a good excuse. I spent a lot of time with our old '02 long-term Altima, also a 3.5 SE, and got used to the firm shift quality from its four-speed automatic (replaced by a five-speed auto later in the model cycle). When Nissan swapped the auto for a CVT in the '07 model, I wasn't happy. A brief drive in an '07 Maxima suggested the Altima wouldn't be as engaging to drive as before. Then, I drove our '07 long-termer 700 miles over the weekend, and it turns out I was wrong: This is still a highly entertaining midsize sedan.
As I expected, it's a fast car for its size and price. And its stiff chassis keeps it very stable as you're traveling at high rates of speed. The CVT actually adds to the experience by responding quickly to changes in throttle input. It's well suited to the engine's powerband, and the manual mode provides meaningful changes in behavior, dropping you down to a lower range of possible gear ratios with each "downshift" request. This is the best CVT I've ever experienced.