Nissan Altima
speedracer3
Member Posts: 650
More shots here: http://www.nissannews.com/
Now the specs
Layout/Body: Front engine, front-wheel drive, 4-door sedan
Engine: 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 with dual exhaust 240 horsepower and 246 lb-ft of torque 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder 180 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque
Transmission: 5-speed manual or 4-speed electronically controlled automatic with gate-style shifter
Drive Configuration: Front-wheel drive Available Traction Control (V6 with automatic transmission)
Suspension: front: Independent strut with coil springs and stabilizer bar
rear: Multi-link independent with stabilizer bar
Brakes: Power-assisted front vented discs/rear solid disc Available ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist
Wheels and Tires: 4 cylinder — 16-inch steel or aluminum-alloy wheels, P205/65R16 tires
V6 — 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, P215/55R17 tires
Wheelbase: 110.2 inches
Length: 191.5 inches
Width: 70.4 inches
Height: 57.9 inches
Interior Volume: 103.3 cubic feet/15.6 cubic feet
Safety: Dual front supplemental air bags with dual stage inflators, LATCH child seat safety system; available front seat side-impact supplemental air bags and side curtain supplemental air bags
Other: All-new distinctive, aggressive exterior design; sculpted interior with distinctive interior "environments," 3-gauge instrument panel with trip computer, available 150-watt Bose® audio system with in-dash 6-disc CD changer; four trim levels — 2.5, 2.5 S, 2.5 SL and 3.5 SE
Personally, I think this car is a knockout in looks, performace and features. What do you guys think??
Comments
According to Nissan the Altima V6 5 speed will rocket to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds!...the automatic 7.2 seconds. Can you say CamCord killer?, for that matter the Maxima is not that fast!.
www.autoshowny.com
I went to tirerack.com to see how much those P215/55R17 tires would cost and they don't have any that size. Any ideas? It's something I usually consider before making a purchase...
Ed
The altima will have a wheelbase longer than the midsize GM cars.
The 2002 Altima seems almost to good to be true.
the rear reminds of Olds Aurora, Chrysler 300M, and a little bit Monte Carlo (must be those taillights)
Overall it looks like a Lexus GS.
Trade in value: $9,851
Sell yourself: $10,722
Hope that helps!
Nissan generally undercuts competition. Look at the Sentra GXE, which is about a $1000-2000 cheaper than a Civic EX when fully outfitted.
As far as what I've seen and read, Nissan is gunning for the Camcord and they can't expect to blow them away selling the car for the same price. It won't happen. It's suicide.
I like the looks of the car, they said to have also increased interior volume, and, hopefully, comfort level. If nissan managed to do it for less than CAmCord, great! But if nissan assumes that it can beat CamCord just by offering little more hp for more money, they should think again. they should try to beat in both aspects - more hp and amenities for less $$$. so lets wait and see.
It appears that the 2002 Altima is built off the same platform the new Primera, but has a totally different body design. At least it's not over-styled like the Primera is.
Even the L-4 engine (rated at 180 bhp) is going to be a blast to drive. Hopefully, Nissan will offer a five-speed automatic as the auto transmission on the SL (L-4) and SE (V-6) models.
By the way, I've heard that the Primera will become the replacement for the Infiniti G20 in about a year's time; I think the G20 replacement should sport the same 180 bhp L-4 engine the new Altima will have.
IMO, the Altima is one of the best looking sedans I have seen in a long time. Outstanding job Nissan! It's so sporty looking, yet elegant. Huge departure from Nissan's typical dowdy funky styling. And thank you Nissan for building a mainstream sedan that excites the enthusiast and stays far away from the godawful world of blandness that Honda and Toyota are stuck in.
http://biz.yahoo.com/apf/010411/auto_show_2.html
From Nissan's own web pages.
http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/pr_events/2001/newyork/altima/index.html
The only estimates so far indicate fuel economy in the 18-20MPG range, and I don't mean in the city.
These cars are for people who just want the most power in the class, no matter how much gas it uses.
http://biz.yahoo.com/apf/010411/auto_show_2.html
From Nissan's own web pages.
http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/pr_events/2001/newyork/altima/index.html
I hope it's better. Anyway - when it comes I'll consider it...and probably the maxima - it will be heavy discounted (I hope) and still it's a nice and proven car (and from what I know even averages more then those 18-20MPG). We'll see
My intrigue can pull down 21 mpg city if i baby it. The altima should be in line with this too.
It is almost unbelievable that it is so poor, but it is in black and white on Nissan's web site and the fuel economy of the 2002 Altima has been pointed out as being unusually low by the Yahoo! article.
Nissan has also greatly increased the fuel tank capacity to the point where it is now even larger than that of a Ford Taurus.
With the huge tank, the Altima can still eke out up to 400 miles per fill-up.
The new Beetle also gets bad gas mileage for a car of it's size, weight and power unless you get a diesel, so it would not be a first.
Some may justify the poor fuel economy because the 2002 Altima has more horsepower than the cars it competes against.
If the milaage is only 20 mpg highway on a 4 cyl Altima, imagine how bad the city meileage is.
Most of the GM products that i have owned actually exceed the EPA highway rating. My intrigue is rated at 27 highway, but like i said in my earlier post i have seen 29 mpg. at high speeds.
Probably the best way to tell is by what the maxima's gas mileage is. If they put a more powerful engine with more torque in a lighter car.
Then it should get about the same, provided they don't put a stump puller gear in it.
As far as fuel economy is concerned, I wouldn't be surprised if the V6 is in the same league as the Accord and Camry V6 sedans (the Maxima already is), but if it gets 1-2 MPG lower, it wouldn't surprise me. Same goes for the 4-cyl version.
I'd keep my fingers crossed as far as the interior is concerned. It looks interesting to say the least, but material quality needs to be as good as the rest of the car looks on paper. The plastics need to be top notch and the fabrics should be tasteful. The leather should not resemble vinyl. Many recent Nissans, including the current Maxima and Altima, are mildly lacking in high quality materials, so I'd like to see the new Altima approach the VW Passat in this regard.
Anyhow, the 2002 Altima is looking great so far!
Aamir
One of the reasons i chose the intrigue was the fact that it did not require premium fuel, and its low end torque in relation to the accord, maxima, and camry that i test drove.
If i have a choice between cars that are fairly close in performance and features, and one is rated at 24 mpg highway and the other is 28 mpg.
I would go with the one that gets 28 mpg. Especially if premium fuel is not required.
Oh yeah, where did the subject field go?
But it's an EPA estimate! you say........
COMMON SENSE......
The Pathfinder, which uses essentially the same engine with 19 more ft/lbs of torque weighs in at over 4200 lbs. And has a coefficient of drag of .40. It gets 19mpg on the highway.
The 02 Altima. In the press release it states the Alty will be 70lbs heavier than the existing model on average. That makes it around 3150lbs (lighter than V6 accord, camry, maxima). The press conference mentioned it will retain good aerodyamics despite the increased size. Since the current Altima has a .32 cd, lets assume th 02 will also be .32cd.
That makes the 02 Altima over 1000lbs lighter than the Pathfinder, and a hella lot cleaner in aerodynamics. THERE IS NO WAY THE 02 ALTIMA WILL GET 18mpg ON THE HIGHWAY! Nissan may have had the worst management of any car company in the 90's, but even it's not so dumb to produce a family sedan with these numbers!
I'm quite sure the numbers are off, if not (ie. if hell freezes over), I'll be the first to kiss whosever [non-permissible content removed] that begs to differ.
Its not just the fact that it has a lower .cd but it has much less frontal area.
If it is epa rated at less than 24 mpg i would be very surprised. I would expect 26-27 mpg.
And the 4-cylinder will probably have a higher city rating, probably around 22MPG in the city but only about a 28 rating on the highway.
Anyway ...
If the fuel economy issues are solved and it does well in crash tests, I will seriously consider a new Altima.
If I were going to get a 2002 Altima, I think I'd get an SL automatic with leather/wood interior environment, Bose stereo, side curtain airbags and moonroof.
If I could get a V6 model without the SE's grey plastic metal interior trim, I'd probably get a V6.
Maybe the SE interior will look more refined in real life than it does in the photo's I've seen though.
Nissan made comments about improving the interior quality, but materials quality improvement isn't being reflected in any of the photo's I've seen online. Hopefully the Altma's genuine leather will not look more like vinyl than the "leatherette" in a BMW or Mercedes.
Cheap leather looks worse than cloth or good quality vinyl.
However, price is important. If price is similar to the new 2002 Camry LE or XLE, I would probably go with a Camry for peace of mind.
Pat
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And power increases have always been coming along and it recent years many auto makers have found ways to up cubic inches & horsepower while maintaining or improving fuel economy.