Nissan Altima 2.5 SV test drive coming up…

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Just got this for a week and already planning a long drive with it.

It is a really nice looking car in person.

So far:
-MPG seems to exceed official numbers.
-Engine is not the most refined. But CVT keeps things under 2000RPM most of the time.
-Enough power
-Steering is quite firm.
-Nice interior with interesting details. Quality is fine, not the best. But 100 times better than the Passat.

Conversation 9 comments

  1. Had one for a rental a couple of weeks ago. What was that loud whine I heard? Is that the CVT transmission? Awful sound.

  2. When reviewing, watch for:
    1) Transmission vibration when driving up a slight hill at low speed. There is a drive belt tensioner fix that Nissan will install if you complain.

    2) overall CVT lugging in general. CVT controller forces down the RPMs too low to boost MPG and this causes vibration and a general unrefined feel in some cases. Many complaints about this on the Altima forums on the net.

    Anyone out there considering a 2013 Altima.. wait until the 2014 model. The 2013 model was basically about Nissan doing the final QA and testing in the real world. 2014 should have most major issues corrected I would think.

  3. I've driven the Altima many times (as a rental) and my sister in laws Passat. And I'm sorry, but this interior is not nearly as good as the passat. The Altima (and the Camry) is completely out of its league with the competition. It's shocking that they sell so well.

  4. Highly rated sedan. But I am curious how it holds in the twisties. The V6 version has some outstanding numbers according to Edmunds. I not as crazy about its looks though. It may be the overhangs.

  5. Absolutely correct about the vibrations. Especially around 1500 RPM.
    Makes the whole thing feels pretty rough.

  6. Vince, yeah part of the vibration can be fixed with a new belt and tensioner pulley, but some is just forced low RPM lugging to get that extra 1-2 mpg and win the numbers game.

    They could likely fix the lugging issue with a reprogram of the CVT controller, but I highly doubt they will do this as it would probably reduce MPG slightly and that could trigger lawsuits and a whole slew of problems.

  7. I've owned a 2003 Altima and currently have a 2008. I liked the styling of both of these cars, but I really don't care for the 2013. The front fender/headlights area is just too curvy. I also don't like that body crease and how it dips/curves on the front doors.

    Finally, I think the 18" wheels on the V6 look great, but I don't like the 17" alloys with it's big spoke/little spoke design. Oh well I know styling a car ain't easy.. so many designs have been done already.

  8. Agreed…Everything about the Altima has a chincy feel to it. They took so much weight out of it now its pathetically cheap…All to save a few bucks and 1 mpg. Most sales are to Fleets and the retail sales have huge discounts to move them to actual buying humans.

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