Nissan Altima

alexradu · May 2001

I'm sure you're right, Beanboy. However, these limits seem to me waaaaay too low. If this country was as big as Switzerland, for instance, I would understand... And especially in the NE US there are apparently A LOT of cops on the road. I'm not confortable cruising at 75 in a 55 mph area and seeing a police care on my left, hidden in the woods. Especially since I would have to pay expensive American dollars - I'm Canadian. Anyway, in my experience the police is much more permissive (speed-wise) here in Canada (at least in the Montreal area).

Anyway, for you Americans, it seems you have a better deal in Canada, when considering the exchange rate (1/1.5). A Maxima GLE can be had for a MSRP of 35K (I estimate 34k should be easy to obtain). And it's fully equipped. See

http://www.nissan.ca/eng/cars/maxima/price.html

That would mean less than 23.500 USD MSRP.

nikecar · May 2001

alot of highways were designed here to handle audobon speeds.. There was a newspaper series here talking about highway construction and one of the people they talked too mentioned it.. just in the interest of fuel economy/safety etc... they are limited..

javaswing · May 2001

Is it gonna be "sportshift"?
anybody got info on that?

thanks

speedracer3 · May 2001

According to the published specs the Altima will unfortunately have a regular 4 speed auto. Although we never know for sure until the car is released in September. Nissan likes to keep secrets and they are pretty good at it. I sure wish they opted for a 5 speed manu-matic and 6 speed stick (on the SE).

ickes · May 2001

I thought I read that a 5 spd. auto is in the works for the Altima.

BTW - there was some industry marketing seminar where Honda and Nissan execs started getting into a horsepower fight. Honda claimed to be working on a 260 hp. motor (TL-S) for the all new 2003 Accord to be launched next fall.

Like the discussion concerning the Altima, Maxima and Infinity models, Honda needs to be cautious about overlapping as well. They have very neatly defined the barrier between an Accord and TL right now. Slotting in an R-series Accord would be very interesting, but could draw sales from Acura.

javaswing · May 2001

stick is just not practical for me.. having to
fight Jersey traffic

But like the fun of sprotshift. hope the new
altima will have one.. Or I have to shell out
some extra $$ and get a TL/Passat

surfing19 · May 2001

Hey guys, I want to trade in my used 2001 GXE Limited Edition, Auto, for a loaded 2002 SE -v6. What type of trade in do you think i will get with the 2001. I did have one very minor accident on the front. But it was fix, and you can't tell,.. Do you think this will hurt the trade in value considerably??

nikecar · May 2001

no.. as long as you don't tell.. just trade it and be done with it.. they never asked my brother when he traded in his car.. and he was in an accident..

roninjouten · May 2001

If there was frame damage...they can tell. Running the VIN may reveal that the car was in the shop. Don't know how extensive VIN searches are for dealers.

BTW, don't expect much on a trade in anyway. One can scamper outa nissan with a loaded Altima GXE automatic for about 17k, I'd guess they'll give people 13k for a trade in. Maybe 14k

lalov1 · May 2001

I just bought a 2002 Subaru WRX, and now I'm kinda wishing I'd waited. Nissan has something good cooking here. My girlfriend is looking to trade her 95 Millenia S next spring....BTW will we see a 2002 Max?

malik71829 · May 2001

gotta say that I love the new passaltima....i mean altima. nissan has done a fine job chasing outside of it's market (accord,carry). it's unusual for a "fighter" to go outside of it's weight-class and do well, but I see only good things for this car.

venus537 · May 2001

The Altima is chasing into the Accord/Camry market, not outside it. In any event, I see the start of a horsepower war between these cars.

kostamojen2 · May 2001

You got the rex and your jelous about the Altima? Sorry buy, the Rex is faster, better handling, and AWD... Do you even know what you have? :P

(No disrespect to the new Altima intended, but the WRX is in a different class all together)

static1 · May 2001

Speaking of SCs, Stillen is probably going to make a supercharger for the next generation maxima, does anyone know if they are going to make one for the 2002 altima?

next gen. maxima:
260hp * 1.4(40% hp average increase with the sc) =364 hp. Holy smokes...

lalov1 · May 2001

Yes, I do know what I have. The WRX is a fantastic car, the ride is a blast, and I love the attention. I traded my 97 Legacy 2.5gt for it. But I don't always want to drive my small car and all that goes with it ie-rough ride. My girlfriends' Millenia S has 210 pony's and is -aside from its high maintenance a great car ie- luxurious and powerful. If I was to say anything , I think that the new Altima especially the high-horse model is a car that I would also like to own. If i didn't like to eat and have a house payment. It looks like a very solid car.

kostamojen2 · May 2001

I'd like a Rex and the new Altima both too

pat · May 2001

See video, photos and highlights of the redesigned Altima due out in September by following the link in the Additional Resources box on the left sidebar of this page. Here is a quote from the short write-up: "Finally giving Honda and Toyota something to worry about, Nissan's new Altima offers consumers a more exciting choice when shopping for a midsize family car."

Let us know what you think.

(Also, folks, since our Search feature does not handle numbers at the beginning of a discussion title very well, I altered the discussion name slightly.)

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

chazalu · May 2001

I've been reading all the discussion about the gas mileage on the 2002 Altima, but I've seen no mention as to whether or not premium fuel will be required. Does anyone know if the I4 or the V6 will need high test.

s852 · May 2001

You can bet that at least the 4 cylinder will not need premium.

Imagine the uproar if they both needed premium and the gas mileage is as bad it seems so far and gas is $3 a gallon at the cars debut!!

beanboy · May 2001

Curious if the differences between the two will be worth the price difference of what, 4k when the Altima hits? Current Max is great car, always have liked them in fact. Thoughts?

-Beanboy

eagle21 · May 2001

I've got to say like the rest of the comments so far, I wanted to buy the Maxima SE 01 this fall, but since seeing the new upcoming Altima, I will definitely wait. I hope like all of you that they price the V-6 model in the low 20's. This will cause the rest of the competition to lower their prices and increase power, etc. Definitely be testing this baby in Sept.

roninjouten · May 2001

Look, A fully loaded Accord is about 25k. There is no way in the world Nissan will price the Altima at exactly the same level fully loaded. I'd be willing to bet my neighbor's good eye that Nissan will price a fully outfitted Altima at about 24k and definitely no higher than 25k. To even suggest putting an MSRP comparable to the Accord is just plain suicide. Even though nobody pays MSRP for an Accord, Camry or any Nissan they still need to get people to consider Nissan. People aren't gonna consider Nissan if the car is priced the same, even though the engine may be a bit more powerful. It just doesn't work that way. Nissan can't compete on a level price-field. They'll lose.

I'd expect you can cruise out of a Nissan dealership with a fully loaded Altima for about 22.5-23k pre-tax and license.

speedracer3 · May 2001

Which Accord and which Altima??. If you are talking about the Altima SE. I am sure that the loaded SE will probably be at least $25K MSRP. The Accord EX V6 lists for $25,100. I think the 4 bangers should be within price compared to Camry and Accord.

roninjouten · May 2001

statement "loaded Accord". There is no such thing as a loaded Accord LX as you can't get leather on it. Anyway, as I said, for a 25k MSRP on a Honda EX, there is no way in the world Nissan would be so poor at marketing that they would release an Altima similarily equipped for the same MSRP. The car will not sell. Even though we all know it'll go for close to invoice (as all cars in this segment do), the vast majority of Camcord people aren't gonna even look toward the altima if it's initial MSRP is in the same ballpark as the Accord. Nissan loses if it puts the loaded MSRP at over 24k. Plain and simple. If they expect to beat the Camcord they have to offer as much or more than the competition for a lower price. If they don't...well Nissan might as well close up shop.

speedracer3 · May 2001

The Altima SE will take the place of the Maxima as the V6 powered sporty family sedan. A loaded Maxima SE has an MSRP way higher than $25K. The Maxima is still more expensive than the Accord V6 or the Camry V6 yet it outsells them both. I see Nissan using the same strategy with the Altima SE. When I was car shopping I test drove the Camry V6, Accord V6, and Maxima SE ...I chose the Maxima because it was a hoot to drive even though it was pricier. If the Altima SE is the sporty alternative to the V6 Camcords it will sell well even if slightly pricier.

aes1519 · May 2001

Been having the exact same thoughts myself. In discussions with friends who've ridden in both a max and altima, preference was obviously with the max - better ride, overall nicer car. Though I'm beginning to think with what I've been reading here, it may be a closer call come the fall.

I have to admit I agree with ronin -- I can't imagine Nissan would be making a wise decision if they price themselves above 25K range. At that point, you begin to look deeper for another 4K to get into the TL, max GLE, etc. market. Anything over an MSRP of 25K changes who this car is aimed at and obviously bumps the max up to a different group as well.

sdatta · May 2001

Like everyone else, I'm excited about what the performance of this car is likely to be. As for it's looks, other than the slanting read end, I think it's a fine looking car. I'll be curious about how the clear lenses on the tail-lights will look. I'm not crazy about the way they look on the Lexus IS300. Too after-market-boy-racer looking for my tastes. The xenon headlights look cool though.

Now, about price. Nissan has announced that the base price for the new Sentra (the 170 HP version) is $18K MSRP. So I'm guessing the 02 Altima will be around $20K for the 180 HP and around $22K for the 240HP. I agree that it would be imprudent for Nissan to price the Altima above the $25K threshold of top-end Camrys and Accords, but then again, given the additional HP, the xenon headlights, 17-inch wheels, they will be hard pressed to keep it at $25K. So they'll probably have a near fully-loaded version that will be comparable in price to the Camcords, but if you really want a truly fully-loaded car, you're probably going to have to spend a little bit more.

I fully expect Steve Millen to adapt his maxima supercharger to work with the new Altima in the near future. Then 240*1.4= 336 HP-- i.e., M3 performance for around $30K.

I owned a 94 Altima and loved it. It was a very reliable car. I owned a Sentra before that. I love Nissans. Our Volvo S70 is such a bore (but great for carrying the kids around). I can't wait to get back into a Nissan Altima.

roninjouten · May 2001

I've yet to see "official" word from Nissan about the Se-R package on the Sentra. Last dealer I spoke with, a fleet manager, said the SE-R will probably be priced 1k over the SE and the SE-R Spec V will be $1800 over the SE. As he stated to me, a fully loaded SE-R Spec-V can positively not have an MSRP over 20k. Nobody will look at a Sentra for 20k. Figure with normal Nissan discounts one should be able to ride away in a Spec V for about 18k before tax and lic.

As for this idea of an Altima competing with an Accord on price, there is no way a nissan can be as pricey or more expensive than its competitors. It'll bomb.

BTW, the Maxima's not a competitor to the Camcords. Different targets. The Altima is designed to be the frontline attack against the stronghold of the camcords. Nobody thinks of a current gen Max as a direct competitor to the Camcords.

speedracer3 · May 2001

Sorry, but you are wrong about Nissan's targeting on the Altima and the Maxima. Go watch the Web Cast on the introduction of the the new Altima.

http://www.nissannews.com/welcome/index.html#

Pay attention to what Jed Connelly, president of Nissan NA said. The Altima and Maxima were a two pronged approach. The Maxima was made for those looking for a V6 family sedan while those looking for an I4 chose the Altima. He admits that people "didn't get it". While the Maxima sold well vs. the V6 Camcords, the Altima failed mainly because it was too small. By making the Altima larger and with a choice of engines Nissan thinks they have finally solved the problem (hopefully not too late). In other words, the new Altima SE will take the place of the current gen Maxima (as the V6 alternative to Camcords), while the next gen Maxima will move up in power and size. Until the next Maxima comes along, the current version will be a lame duck, and will probably see its sales cannibalized by the new Altima. Maxima enthusiasts like myself sure hope that the next gen. Maxima turns into a more aggressive sport sedan rather than Nissan's version of the Avalon.

roninjouten · May 2001

As a competitor to the V6 Camcords but I don't think joe public did. The Max, while a nice car, is leagues beyond the Camcord. It's a different kind of car...a poorly selling, mostly ignored but all together excellent car. People cross-shopped Camcords and Tauruses, but not Maximas and Camcords. If one is inclined to check out a Max v. a Camcord then the Max won I bet.

As for the Camcords with 4's, I'm surprised they even make them. Heck, I'm shocked that Nissan kept the puny 4 in the Altima as long as they did too.

speedracer3 · May 2001

vague marketing, mediocre products that were kept around for too long, and very slow to react to what the competition was doing.

Case and point: In 1998 Toyota comes out with the Sienna mini-van, Honda releases the new Odyssey the next year. Nissan?..still selling the tepid Quest/Mercury Villager. Ofcourse, a new Nissan mini-van is on its way but way after Honda and Toyota have made a killing with their offerings. Hopefully the new management won't let Nissan fall asleep at the wheel (no pun intended).

bluesky999 · May 2001

Despite the financial problems and lack of competitive products from Nissan in recent years, I think one of their biggest problems is styling. It's hard to fathom how a company that designed the last 300zx, which still looks good, gave birth to the present Maxima which is a styling disaster. I'm surprised that they can sell it at all--get real Nissan! The upcoming Altima is a huge improvement; not as good looking as a GS300 or Lexus LS4 series, but certainly a lot better than the homely Maxima. I think that Renault is kicking Nissan back in shape somehow. Sorry to any Maxima owners I've offended, but even the automotive press says pretty much the same thing about its looks. I realize that mechanically it's a good car.

maxamillion1 · May 2001

I love the Maxima, but I believe that Nissan could have done alot better on the design of the Current Maxima and the new Altima. Don't get me wrong, I am huge fan of the Nissan Maxima and the 2002 Nissan Altima, but I wish it had looked more like the preview sketches that were out earlier this year, the rear end looks so much better on the sketches than it does on the production model. I also believe that Nissan should cut out those "Euro" taillamps, it just doesn't look right on this type of car, maybe on the SE 3.5, but please don't put them on the Base, S, and SL models, use all reds, like the ones on the Primera, and I personally think the Primera in the back looks better than the New Altima in the back, but no where else. Why can't Nissan design a good rear ended car.

roninjouten · May 2001

You're right. Look at the Maxima SE...fun car to drive, but egad that blackout tail treatment looks wrong. The current Altima's back is high and square, like some late 80's American sedan and the Sentra's rear looks like a droopy diaper.

eagle21 · May 2001

To Sdatta, I don't think you should be that hard on the Volvo S70. Which model did you own? I have a 98 S70 GLT and it rocks. Very solid build and I can fly down and have everyone else eat my dust. With everyone else again, I can wait till September for the new Altima. Let her rip......

ruski · May 2001

2002 Altima's rear end looks like Chrysler 300M's rear.

venus537 · May 2001

"People cross-shopped Camcords and Tauruses, but not Maximas and Camcords"

I don't think so. People who consider Tauruses are not likely to consider any of the Asian makes. I do see more people cross-shopping Accords/Maximas then Camrys/Maximas though. Or a fairly loaded Maxima/Passat V6/Acura TL.

The new Altima is suppose to be availble in 4 trim levels with the V6 available only in the top version. Sounds like you need to get a fully loaded Altima (likely with a rear spoiler) to get V6 power. I think that sucks. I hate spoilers.

lsc · May 2001

i don't know what nissan's deal is with the tailights but i don't think the plain tailights on the accord or the camry deserve a whole a lot of praise either.

maybe nissan has a couple of 'radical dudes' in the design department....case in point. i think the infiniti i30 would look a lot better if the side marker lights and the side molding was more 'normal'. they ruined a beautiful design with stupid touches that they think are neat.

same with the maxima...i don't think nissan understands the common design strategies that most other automakers follow. make your cheaper cars with more style and move towards more conservative design as you move up the car line. we'll see with the next maxima...i hope it looks a little 'older'.

sdatta · May 2001

It pissed me off when Toyota came out with the Spyder and Honda the S2000, only to make 5000 units per year. They could have made a ton of money on those two cars if they had made more of them. Instead, they decided to give their dealers a license to gouge. I now look forward to saying "SCREW YOU Toyota and Honda" and blowing the doors off of Spyders. True I won't blow any doors off of S2000s but that extra 10-12Gs sitting in my bank account will appease me quite nicely-- not to mention having to put up with a screaming engine.

robertr · May 2001

Actually, to get the S2000 to go 0-60 in 5.5 sec, you have to drop the clutch at 9000 rpm. Driven like a normal car it's more like 10 sec 0-60 (this from a Road&Track article a while back), so in real world driving, the Altima with an easily attainable 6.3 sec may "blow the doors off" an S2000 as well. And with the IRS, the cornering capabilities should not be too far short of an S2000.

roninjouten · May 2001

To even hint that a FWD, off-balance, family sedan will have handling on par with a perfectly balanced, low, perfectly calibrated sports car is a hoot. I'm not a Honda fan by any stretch, but I respect that the S2000, while burdened with a hi-tech, low-torque engine, is far and away a superior road-holding car when compared to the thick, upright, blocky, front heavy Altima. I don't car what independent rear suspension you put on an Altima...in the twisties it couldn't even get close to an S2000's engine vapors.

vmaturo · May 2001

To get the S2000 to move you have to wake up the dead! Isn't it interesting how car mags love to talk about torque and when it is delivered, but when it comes to Honda's lack of ..........Well they just don't talk about that? Horsepower makes you go fast and torque makes you FEEL fast. I want both without waking up the dead.

corkfish · May 2001

Name another car for $20,000 that will do 0 to 60 in less than 7 seconds, has a 6 speed manual and 17 inch tires. It amazes me that people are saying they won't pay $20,000 for a car that will outperform a Lexus 300 simply because it has the Sentra moniker. $20,000 is nothing these days. You could always buy a Saturn or a Honda Civic I guess!

hkchan · May 2001

Different people have different priorities. Marketing is "everything". One person may go crazy with a $20,000 Sentra that can "outperform" a Lexus. Another person can't stand it parked next to his neighbor's $10K Sentra XE.

roninjouten · May 2001

loaded that would be MSRP. I'm guessing Nissan's not gonna offer a slushbox on it. I pray they don't. Regardless, a 20 MSRP on a sentra really translates to a price of about 18k, which is reasonable for a Sentra with 180hp. 20k though is just plain outrageous. but he who pays MSRP for a Nissan is hopeless.

venus537 · May 2001

The Honda S2000 certainly can get to 60 mph in less than 10 sec even when shifting in a normal fashion. Consumer Reports certainly didn't drop the clutch at 9000 rpm when they did their acceleration tests. Anyway, the Honda S2000 is not about straight acceleration from a stop. It's about the car's amazing balance tearing thru a curvy road. And for someone to think that the Altima's cornering capabilities should not be too far short of an S2000. Geez.. Lets see if it can match the Accord's first.

kostamojen2 · May 2001

Im thinking 19,995 base MSRP for the Spec-V... Maybe 20,495...

Either way, people paid $25k for the 180hp Type-R, why not $21k for the 180hp Spec-V?

robertr · May 2001

0-60 comment was per Road&Track article, I think August 2000. I was talking about cornering on normal highway curves, but even on 600 foot slalom per Motor Trend road tests - check them - BMW M5 is 5.7 mph slower than S2000, Honda Accord is 7.3 mph slower. Nissan is good at engines and suspensions, 2002 Altima SE should better Accord, I'll be disappointed if it doesn't. So lets say Altima is less than 7 mph short, I don't consider this for a sedan to be "too far short". What do you consider too far short? How far short do you think the S2000 is from say, a go cart? I never said the Altima would beat the S2000 in an autocross. "Geez" yourself.

roninjouten · May 2001

Are you joking? The SE costs 15k! You expect Nissan to bump the price of admission by 5k? No way in Hades. The two fleet managers I've spoken to both expect the Spec-V to come in 1800-2k over the current SE. Even they feel it'd be suicide to sell the Spec-v near a 20k msrp. Even though they both conceded it would sell far below MSRP.

BTW, the Type-R was a limited run with exceptional performance. The Spec-V may be neato and all but it's not gonna offer Type-R capabilities. and it doesn't have something else: an Acura nameplate.

sdatta · May 2001

People aren't going to go S2000 hunting with an Altima. They are two vastly different cars-- obviously. I'm sure the S2000 has superior handling, but honestly, how often do you need that in every day driving? I-- and I suspect Robert as well-- will take a car that can carry 4-5 people around, has plenty of truck space, and can accelerate without sounding like an overgrown mosquito over a two-seater that has a-- gulp-- plastic rear window and no passenger seat airbag shutoff switch!

If I want to compete with the S2000, I'll just wait until next year when the Z concept comes out.

Nissan Altima

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