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Nissan Altima

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Comments

  • kostamojen2kostamojen2 Member Posts: 284
    That interior looks better than most cars in its class and price range... But its more on the Sporty side than the "luxo-prissy" side :P (which is a good thing)

    I mean, if you want the plush, buy VW or Audi for that price range... Duh

    (Sorry, im having a bad weekend, A's and Kings are on a loosing streak)
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    The new Altima looks like a winner. I just saw it at the NY auto show. I was looking to buy a Max but I think I will put it on hold now. I hope the gas mileage is an error, but will not be surprised if it's not good. I had a Nissan 98 Frontier 4x4 with manual transmission that only got 17 mpg. I traded it for a 99 Chevy Blazer that gets 18mpg. The Blazer has a V-6 that is nearly TWICE the size of the Frontier engine plus weighs 1000 pounds more and gets BETTER gas mileage than the Nissan.

    The moral of the story is that engine design can have a big influence on gas mileage. I hope Nissan understands this because I will not buy a Nissan that gets bad gas mileage again. It seems the Americans may have surpassed the Japanese in some areas. GM engines get very good gas mileage for the power and weight of the car or truck. My father normally gets 26 mpg highway and 19 mpg local from a 275 hp V-8 Cadillac. I would hope Nissan could do better than that because the Altima is a very nice car.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    The advantage of a large displacement engine is more torque. It allows the manufacturer to put a taller gear in it, thus helping highway mileage.
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    I just wish that they would thrown in a another gear for the automatic. 4 speed autos are old news already.
  • danny25danny25 Member Posts: 119
    I know someone already said engines are all different even if they're the same size, but I can't see only 20 mpg highway with the 2.5L 4. I have a Ranger with a 2.5L, I know it doesn't have near 180hp, but it gets 22 mpg in the city and the gear ratio is pretty high since it's a truck. I can't remember exactly what it is but I believe it's either 3.55 or 3.73.
  • jbrotherjbrother Member Posts: 31
    Re: gas mileage...

    The current altima with the 2.4 4-cyl gets EPA 29 with auto and 31 with manual on the highway. The 2.4 (ka24de) motor is an old design. While it is quite efficient considering its impressive torque capabilities, it is also heavy and outdated. Nissans new 2.5 4 cyl is supposedly in the same family as the 3.0 maxima engine, meaning it will probably be all-alloy, very light and very clean and efficient. I would expect fuel economy with the 4 cyl at least equal to the current 4 cyl and with the V6- at least equal to the maximas economy.
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    mileage...

    Well the MPG listed on my 99 alty is 24MPG City and I've NEVER gotten it.. most folks over at altimas.net don't get anywhere near the EPA so I'd wager the mileage will be low..

    But as Nissan said, this car is aimed at households with SUVs and want a smaller car..

    Here's their new slogan..

    SUV gas mileage you are used to, with sporty performance you've always wanted!!!
  • remus26remus26 Member Posts: 34
    Saw the 2002 Altima at the NY Auto Show. Looks very nice! Except for the rear end. The lights look pretty bad and the trunk lid needs some more decoration in between the tailights. Nissan did a bad job of trying to adapt Altezza type lights to the Altima.

    Otherwise the car is very nice! I like the front end alot and the side profile is nice. The ALtima's C-pillar, derived from the Passat, looks good on the car.

    Although I didn't get to see the interior really well, it does look nicely styled but with kinda cheap materials. But I'll have to hold off judgement until I see a Altima up close.

    Overall, I think it will cause heads to roll at Toyota & Honda.

    And again, HWY mileage on either the 4cylinder or V6 is NOT going to be anywhere near 20MPG! Think high 20s for both.
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    well I'm not sure in the long run it will make that much of a difference.. might steal some folks away that's for sure but the 02 Maximas will be getting a 260HP engine so that will affect the 01 Max's more..
  • jondavmarjondavmar Member Posts: 6
    While I'll wait until more information is released about the miles-per-gallon on the 2002 Altima, if it is as low as currently published, it is pathetic (and anger-inducing), and will, sadly, eliminate this car from my list. Subs and their low miles-per-gallon makes me sick; it's been twenty plus years since the "oil crisis" and this is where we still are? Why would I buy a car with SUB type mileage? A big reason why I've passed on the Maxima is that it takes premium fuel and the lower miles-per-gallon.

    It's a shame, I was really looking forward to this car; holding off any purchase until it was presented. Nissan, give us the numbers!
  • jondavmarjondavmar Member Posts: 6
    Darn spell check.

    Subs = SUVs
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    I hope the numbers are really better than what is now published on Nissan's own web pages. Maybe they made a glaring typo and are choosing to ignore it for some reason.
    20 mpg highway would be really bad for a 4 cylinder.
    This is supposed to be a very high volume vehicle, so if the mileage is that bad, it would throw off their CAFE ratings. Or are foreign manufacturers exempt from CAFE standards?
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    I'm confused by the statement about bypassing the current Maxima because it gets 22/27 MPG. Um that's one highway MPG less than the less powerful and very mundane Accord EX with a V6 at 20/28 MPG and two city higher! The Camry with a V6 is at 20/27. So really the fuel economy is a wash. You have to use premium fuel, but the engine is a far more powerful device and in this age of 87 octane costing 1.80 a gallon, the jump to $2 a gallon for premium seems like nothing. If a fill up is gonna run you $27 for 15 gallons, then $30 doesn't seem like a heckuva lot more.
  • kostamojen2kostamojen2 Member Posts: 284
    I just heard gas prices may be hitting $3 a gallon this summer here in california! :( The jump to premium might be WAY to much then!
  • darpin1darpin1 Member Posts: 49
    One report I read said it weights just 70 lbs more than the current Altima. Maybe the gas mileage won't be terribly affected. Check it out at.http//: www.canadiandriver.com
  • jondavmarjondavmar Member Posts: 6
    Greetings,

    Don't get me wrong, I loved the power on the Maxima. I thought that the new Altima might be a good compromise, offering some of the fun of driving a Maxima (at least the engine; I'm not fond of the steering), while being more economical. I live in northern California where premium can cost over $2.25 pg. I also like using fewer resources. I'm looking at automatics only, so the figures are lower for the Maxima V6: 19/26. A big reason why I was waiting for the new Altima was that it would have a V4 as well. The figures for a Honda V4 are 23/30. What are they for the 2002 Altima V4? It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I would hope that a newer car designed to compete in its own fashion with CamCords would have equal or better mpg, even it it has more power. It's all about what is figuring out the best compromise for yourself.
    Regards.
  • ickesickes Member Posts: 82
    The new Altima looks incredible. Not quite a Passat (especially inside), but much better than the Accord or even '02 Camry. The design looks like a slightly smaller Lexus GS. Very strong and masculine.

    Judging by the specs at www.nissannews.com, it's pretty big too. Makes you wonder why this isn't the new Max. I mean, Maxima has much more consumer recognition than does Altima. If they intend to upgrade the Maxima to compete with the Avalon, doesn't that just step on the I-35 market?
    It seems to me that they may be crowding too much product into a narrow range of segments. That was always the problem with the previous Sentra-Altima-Maxima lineup intended to compete against Civic-Accord and Corolla-Camry. Seems like a very GM like move.

    Also, I was able to view the intro press conference on the Nissan website in Realplayer format. Its fun just to listen to Carlos Goshen say "Alt-ema". However, it seems to be only the first 15 minutes of the event.
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    the Max for 2003 will be getting an upgrade. It will be bigger than it is currently, and you are right about it crowding the market.. We have the Sentra competeing with the smaller guys, then the Altima against CamCords, and what about the Max then? It was always a CamCord fighter, so if its bigger then I guess it gets up to the Avalon, but really that's it, unless they want to step on Infiniti's toes.. maybe a Lexus ES/Avalon fighter?
  • j_colemanj_coleman Member Posts: 143
    I thought the next Max would be based on the Q45 sedan??
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    If they upgrade the next Maxima, it is not going to step on the I-35, because the I-35 would also be upgraded.
  • liljonsonliljonson Member Posts: 109
    is this car still going to have the loaded style or is it gonna pull a honda where you have to pay extra for the steering wheel? and how much do you think the price will be this car looks like a sport/luxo deal. i'm thinking high 20s to low 30s for a well equiped V-6 and 33K for a fully loaded.
  • jochijochi Member Posts: 18
    This market crowding by Nissan is only going to happen for a year or two. The 02 Altima marks the start of a new direction at Nissan. Many of you already know that the Maxima will be getting a version of the 3.5L in the 02 Altima, tuned to 260hp. The next Maxima is sort of a mystery. But there are some good markets Nissan can tap with the next Maxima. The most likely is the lower end performance sedan market (300M, Bonneville) is currently not being completely filled by the current Maxima, an increase in size from the new Alteeeema platform would be sufficient for this agenda. Some have been speculating that the Maxima will go rwd or awd but that is an outside chance. The I30 will cease to exist in 2 years (according to an Infiniti sales manager in my area) and all future Infinitis will be rwd or awd. Looking at this picture, in 2 years, the Nissan lineup will be in line.

    Sentra - Civic, Corolla, Protege, Focus etc.
    Altima - Camry, Accord, lower end Passat
    Maxima - 300M, Bonneville or perhaps something more???
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    Honda does not offer many options. Almost everything is included other than dealer add-ons.
    You just choose the model that has the equipment you want standard (DX/HX/LX/EX/SI).
  • binyanbinyan Member Posts: 14
    More and more automakers seem to be of the mentality that their cars are perfect and that a customer would never modify a thing. For me, the first thing I've always done is rip out the crap radio in the car and replace it with something better. Now what's crap and what's better is subjective, but I really hate the BOSE system. Not because of sound quality, but the lack of MP3 support. If I buy the 2002 Altima, it will because of the styling AND because I can rip out the BOSe sytem and replace it with a MP3 system and/or dvd navigation. Have a 6 disc in dash cd player is nothing compared to 6 MP3 encoded disks. We're talking 6 hours of music vs. 60. No contest.
  • binyanbinyan Member Posts: 14
    Right after my last post I cam across the following link http://aftermarket.theautochannel.com/articles/2000/11/01/009811.html


    Basically it states that Mazda (who would of thought it) is putting a Kenwood MP3 player in some of their cars. My current car and my last 2 cars were Mazda 626's. I was hoping to get something different, but then again Mazda is innovation faster than Nissin in the audio area.

  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    its the Mazda MP3 Protege.. it comes with 17" rims 140HP motor a 100 watt sub and I think a 4 channel 280w amped system.

    you can go to www.mazdausa.com to see it.. look either under Protege or New models on the left side of their website.. Comes out in/about May and they have a 5-door hatchback/wagon that has 16" rims too in june/july
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    I think there are 4-5 MP3 players for your car now....

    Sony I think came out and someone else, plus Kenwood, Aiwa, and Rockford Fosgate who also has a MP3 changer for the trunk.. it accepts up to 6 memory sticks for 180 hours of music I think..
  • binyanbinyan Member Posts: 14
    If you go to ww.crutchfield.com you'll se that there are about 9 MP3 in dash players. My worry is that replacing the BOSE system in the 02 Altima might not be possible. Specificly I wonder about the steering wheel controls and whether Nissan is running other processes though the DSP's in the stereo as a cost cutting/integration move. This would make it quite difficult to replace the system. Other than this and the rumored sucky gas mileage, I see a new Altima under the tree this year.
  • ickesickes Member Posts: 82
    The Altima is supposed to be priced in the low 20K for the Cyl. and around 25K for the 3.5 SE. Lines it up pretty square with Accord.

    I don't remember if nissannews.com had this or I read it earlier in the thread.

    They'll have to push the Max price up otherwise, why buy it. Actually, why buy the current model against the new Altima? (except for the steep discounts that will be available)/
  • bill_1bill_1 Member Posts: 97
    Well for the next two years at least, the Altima is going to be larger, it will be the only car in Nissan's lineup with a fully independent rear suspension, and with 240 HP it ought to have plenty of power for anyone who wants it. Ultimately until Nissan brings out the larger Maxima, the main reason to buy the Maxima will be the 260 HP and the 6 speed manual... and perhaps even with the rear axel, it might still have sportier tuning.

    Also it might just be me, but I am still rather fond of the current Maxima's styling.. including the nose and the tale.
  • seguyseguy Member Posts: 133
    anyone notice how the '02 altima exterior looks similar to the new Q45, especially the front/side views.
  • liljonsonliljonson Member Posts: 109
    is the altima gonna have some of the luxo features like other cars that will be in its class or is it strictly a 4 door sports car(face it the v-6 is quick.)
  • bluesky999bluesky999 Member Posts: 253
  • bluesky999bluesky999 Member Posts: 253
    http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/pr_events/2001/newyork/altima/index.html

     http://www.freshalloy.com/cars/nissan/altima/2002.firstreport01.html
  • dgeminidgemini Member Posts: 161
    My next car purchase will probably be a 4 door sedan. I presently own a 99 Cougar, but since I recently married and became an instant family man I need a car that can hold at least 5 people. Since performance is a big deal to me I was considering a Acura TL-S, the Lexus IS 300, Maxima, or Subaru WRX.WRX. This Altima however has changed everything for me.I test drove one in 99, and decided against it because it's build quality didn't appeal to me (well put together, just felt a little cheap) and it was slow.This new car's engine is only 20 hp less than the TL-S (the car that is currently no. 1 on my list) and promises to be at 5,000 less!Plus, it looks much better (in my opinion) than the above mentioned cars! I can't wait to see the performance figures for this car!
  • j_colemanj_coleman Member Posts: 143
    Did you read this sentence from the first article in post 85?

    A 20 gallon fuel tank provides a long range between fill ups - 400 miles for the 4-cylinder and 360 miles for the V6 model (EPA highway mileage).

    That tells me the V6 is going to get 18 mpg on the highway, and the 4-cylinder will get 20 mpg on the highway. Am I misreading something?
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    I saw it too. Made me pause. No way in hades I'm getting an engine that gets 18 MPG on the freeway. With the way I drive I'd only get 10 MPG!!!!
  • jochijochi Member Posts: 18
    No one knows the official numbers, but it's safe to say that it isn't 20mpg on the hwy for the V6.

    Read my post, #44 for the details.
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    Actually Nissan's official news site says the 20 gallon tank in a V6 Altima will get the car 360 miles. That's disturbingly bad.


    http://nissannews.com/nissan/pr_events/2001/newyork/altima/index.html

  • jochijochi Member Posts: 18
    Common sense my friend, common sense.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    The news release on the Nissan web site is not official EPA test numbers.
    There is some question as to whether those mileage figures were a typo or misprint. It might have meant city and not highway mileage.
    In a few months official EPA listings will be available.
    At that time, with gas prices rising this summer, if the numbers are as bad as the Nissan informational web site currently lists, the 2002 Altima will be a sales disaster that will put Nissan's future in jeopardy. There will not be a cash rebate high enough to keep these vehicles selling no matter how nice they look.
    It won't be just because of the gas mileage, but people will begin to question the intelligence of the management and the engineering ability of a company that would produce a new 2002 compact, 4-cylinder sedan that uses more fuel than some V-8 luxury sedans.

    We will have to wait and see what the actual EPA numbers are this summer before passing judgement.
  • cncmancncman Member Posts: 487
    Just think about it, the VQ is one of the most efficient engines out there, the new altima will be bigger than the current maxima but weigh less, the current maxima with the auto gets 20/26 with the auto. The only difference made to get 240hp will be a larger intake/exhaust. Expect the SE-V6 altima to get 19-21mpg around town with an auto and 25-27mpg highway.Remember that even though the HP goes up, the fuel economy could also go up as the engine does not have to work so hard. Based on the fact that the current altima actually is rated almost the same as the current maxima, expect the 4 cylinder to get about the same fuel economy. For about a year, noone will buy the maxima hardly, then the maxima will be built on a stretched altima platform. Nissan isn't spending all of this money and doing everything else right to just throw it all away on poor fuel economy.
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    well it will have an HID lighting option, plus the SLE model should be the luxury model, similar to the GLE now...
  • bill_1bill_1 Member Posts: 97
    Cncman, the V6 in the Altima is not exactly the same as the one in the current maxima. They may have increased the intake and exhaust but the main reason it is getting more HP is that they are bumping displacement up to 3.5 liters... that could account for some of the lower mileage, but like you I am skeptical about 20 MPG horror stories if for no other reason than the fact that that would make it all but impossible for Nissan to make mandated fuel economy numbers. All in all I would be shocked at anything less than 24-25mpg Highway for the new engine in a car.
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    Obviously Nissan knows the numbers are out there - there press from the NYAS has it. Some Nissan employee must have seen it there. During Nissan's delivery about the Altima they could have made mention the press material had a typo. If the 18 MPG highway is wrong, why haven't they amended the site yet? Or just delete any mention of MPG?

    I was excited about the new Altima, but now Im wondering...
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    The only Nissan vehicle out there that currently has this 240HP engine is the Pathfinder. So they probably estimated the Altima's MPG based on that.

    Also I doubt they could be held responsible for giving false MPG numbers. After all, they are not embellishing it.
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    Nissan is only hurting itself by publishing ANY MPG numbers that could be viewed as negative.
  • surfing19surfing19 Member Posts: 46
    I am thinking Nissan will stay near there current price for the New altima. Current price for a loaded GLE is at 20k, I would consider nissan to add 2k, for the price of the V6, similar to what honda does, in its EX vs EX-v6. That would make the price for the v6 around 23k

    As someone posted the price would be at 25k for a loaded V6 Altima, that would be way to high, and crazy for nissan to increase the price to the altima that high. Remember this is still a Altima, not a Infinity.
  • roninjoutenroninjouten Member Posts: 201
    240 HP, leather and probably auto climate control. 25k MSRP would still make it less than a fully loaded Camry or Accord when comparing MSRPs.

    The current altima is a small, 4 banger equipped car with no cache among the public. The next generation vehicle will be larger than the current Maxima and offer a 240 HP V6 in top trim, plus three Audi-esque ambiences. Nissan is playing a totally different game with the next gen Altima. It's no longer going to be the budget-minded persons consulation prize. They're going after Honda and toyota's bread and butter - something the 2001-down Altima could never compete with.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    $25K is not less than an Accord EXV6. You get more HP with the Altima than a V6 Accord, but many will still scoff at paying about the same for an Altima as an Accord EXV6.
    The Accords are actually available for about $23,000 after discounting.
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