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Nissan Altima
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Comments
1. Very, very comfortrable seats. IMO, they were some of the best I've sat in. Lateral support was much better on cloth than on leather. Slippery leather, grippy, comfy cloth.
2. Plastic interior? It WAS JUST FINE for the $19,500. For $29,000? Forget it.
3. Friendly interior layout. Radio and and a/c controls were very well placed, and they were VERY, VERY well-put together. The build quality was miles ahead of the Alero and L-series we sat in.
4. It's huge. Space in abundance.
More to come soon.
You gotta sample that engine, though.
-juice
Are the redlines the same? Is the output exactly the same, or are they tuned a little differently?
-juice
- The SE-R Spec V output is 175hp/180lb-ft @ 6000/4000rpm, respectively. Fuel economy is 21/28.
- The Altima 2.5S output is 175hp/181lb-ft @ 6000/4000rpm, respectively. Fuel economy is 23/29.
So even though the Altima is a much heavier car with a tiny bit more powerful engine running on regular unleaded fuel, it still get better gas mileage than the Sentra ??? I think I'm going back to engineering school ! Another thing, Nissan explicitly states that premium fuel is required for the V6 Altima, it doesn't say so for the 2.5L Altima. So this kinna confirms that the 2.5L doesn't need premium fuel. Similarly, no such statement is printed in the Sentra section. Does this mean that the SE-R V doesn't need premium fuel after all ?? A 4 cyl engine, unless turbocharged or supercharged, SHOULD NOT require premium fuel !!! This is dumb ! I'll have to drop by my local Nissan dealer and get some explanations on this issue.
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/guides/og/altima/2002-nissan-altima.pdf
The Sentra/SE-R/Spec V Owner's Manuals can be downloaded here:
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/guides/og/sentra/2002-nissan-sentra.pdf
If you read the section on fuel recommendations in each, you'll see that the Altima 2.5 runs on regular but the Spec V requires premium. There are no mention of the standard SE-R and no mention why the Spec V requires premium.
I can remember using mine on my P.O.S. I drove in high school, because I had no A/C, but almost every car comes with a/c now and you actually get worse mileage by opening the roof and windows instead of using the a/c.
So who uses the sunroof?
Oh, and in the summer time, you can have wind in your hair! LOL! Like I said, a poor man's convertible.
Cheers,
Simon
There are 4 cylinder engine that require premium. The Honda Prelude - says 'premium unleaded fuel only'. Also, the Altima 3.5 SE only recommends premium fuel. It doesn't require it.
I use my moonroof even when it's cold. Put the heat on the floor and open the moonroof vent. The air circulates nicely, and you get fresh air without getting cold.
-juice
You guys think Nissan will bring on a 240SX convertible replacement?
-juice
THANKS for the link to the Article.
It was made in November 2001.
Let me first insert two TSBs that i am having trouble with. I have about 3K on the car and will get these taken care of at my 3,750 mile maintainence. It isn't worth bringing it in for these things alone...
Make: NISSAN
Model: ALTIMA
Year: 2002
Service Bulletin Number: NTB01073A
Bulletin Sequence Number: 627
Date of Bulletin: 11/01
NHTSA Item Number: SB627437
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:COIL
Summary: SUBJECT REGARDING STATIC RADIO NOISE CAUSED BY IGNITION COILS. *JG
Make: NISSAN
Model: ALTIMA
Year: 2002
Service Bulletin Number: NTBO2012
Bulletin Sequence Number: 627
Date of Bulletin: 01/02
NHTSA Item Number: SB627808
Component: VISUAL SYSTEMS:SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY (8/82)
Summary: SUBJECT REGARDING SUNFROOF WILL NOT CLOSE DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH WIND DEFLECTOR.
The radio (Bose) is only OK... not worth the money but you can't avoid it if you want a sun roof. It's nice to have the in-dash CD player (6-disc) but for the money i'd like a better system. The Value package CD player in my 99 Camry sounded better. And that didn't have bose speakers... The ignition coil noise is annoying, but i have been told they can fix it easy enough.
The wind noise from the sunroof is very annoying when driving with a passenger, otherwise i just turn the radio up... That too should be easy to fix, but i'll let you know how these things get handles in about 500 miles...
Also, the auto transmission isn't really that snappy. It slips a lot under hard acceleration. Kinda like it doesn't know if it really wants to shift. I am hoping this is something that can be fixed... if not i am going to be very unhappy. The one i test drove didn't do this.... and i beat the heck out of it becuase i had read that this was a problem....
It isn't that great in snow IMO... not as good as the Camry, but then again i put tires on my camry that were all weather radials... the ones on the Altima now are relatively sporty... perhaps with tires better equiped for snow... ???
The traction control is a waste IMO... when one tire is on ice and the other on dry pavement, the tire on ice will simply spin... WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TRACTION CONTROL??? I KNOW IT IS ON, WHY ISN'T IT WORKING???
Don't get me wrong, i love the car, but some of these things need to be fixed for me to be happy with spending 27K on it...
I am considering the purchase of a 2002 Altima S with an automatic & the ABS Package.
My Brother in law was telling me about his 2001 Passat with the Turbo 4.....he's a VM man all the way, but say the car gets a little "loose" at the higher speeds due to the way the turbo works.
Hoping to get the Altima at about $19,000...got 3 dealers to work with by the end of May.
Good lucks
-juice
In the real world, they matter plenty. The amount of drag increase with the square of speed.
-juice
As to your comment about "doubling the budget" for modifications, it'll only take a $500 chip to give the Passat more torque, equal horsepower and make it as fast as a Altima 3.5. And chipping has proven totally safe and undetectable by the dealer in the Passat. Yes, the automatic with tiptronic is slower, but the 5 speed manual with the 4 cylinder turbo is an extremely fun drive.
~alpha
I do about 50/50 city/highway driving, but i do have a lead foot... so milage would improve if i drove a little more responsibly. But if i did that i'd have bought the 2.5!
I prefer the opposite - that's why I own a Miata. Handling comes first, then brakes, then maybe chassis bracing. Engine mods come last, so that the car is never unbalanced.
-juice
Anyway, this Altima has 33,800 miles on it and it's beat down! The interior was dirty, but I knew that when I got the car. Actually, I was kinda shocked about the car. I like the handling, which is very good for a family car. Acceleration is pretty nice with automatic as well. And fuel economy has not been too bad either.
It's just the inside feels cheap to me. Maybe I am just used to my VW, but the Altima is not too bad for a family car though. A pretty nice ride for the price.
I am considering the purchase of 2.5S with convenience package and ABS and I wanted to know if any of you have tried to upgrade the factory stereo. I know that the reviews of the Bose system have been quite good, but I am not a fan of sunroofs and I also have an MP3 player that I'd like to be able to use in my car. I'd be looking to install a stereo with and aux audio port so that I could hook up my MP3 player. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.
A.L.
~alpha
http://carpoint.msn.com/Browse/win_2887.asp
By the way, the Altima's VQ series engine made Ward's 10 Best. They even listed the Altima, specifically, not any other VQ equipped model.
I hit the NY Auto Show, and boy, was the Nissan stand crowded or what? Murano was popular, only the Z had more people around it. Infiniti was right next door, and there were 3 G35 sedans, with lines to get in all three of them. They had one (locked) G35 coupe and it was swarming with people, that thing is gorgeous!
The only eye sore was the M45, that thing looks decades old (it is, based on the Cedric/Gloria).
-juice
-juice
~alpha
Ended up with a Pearl White Maxima SE. About $4K more, but the extra 80 hp seemed to "smooth" the sport suspension to their liking.
It's a sight to see an upper-septugenarian racing around with a spoiler tacked on the trunk lid! Wonderful .....
1) Camry
2) Accord
3) Altima
4) Impala
5) Taurus
The Altima is getting killed in the reviews because of the interior. Once again, that's my biggest gripe with my Altima. However, I couldn't see myself in a Camry or an Accord and the power of the Altima had me mesmorized...
I feel my only other choice at the time was the Maxima SE but it was a lot more expensive last October, so I got the Altima.
Nissan's marketing is working well though at least from the March sales report..it looks like people are buying the Maxima w/ incentives over the Altima V6 which means that they are both selling well. I'm sure most of the Altima sales are the 4 cylinder 2.5.
This probably means they'll improve the interior on the Altima when they are good and ready (2004?).
I think that the Altima is a sweet ride, and although I will admit that the interior is a little low rent compared to some other cars I found it is very functional and comfortable and I thinks thats what really counts in this segment.
A.L.
You guys are not arguing the merits of Motor Trend, are you? Caprice won Car of the Year. Enough said.
-juice
~alpha
You were right, but you were also rude. Can you admit that?
-juice