Non-members can see only five Nissan Altima reviews per section.
Join us and see them all.Why the Nissan Altima?
Handling: Crisp, responsive steering. Liked how it handled bumps, like a German car. Response to gas pedal was easy to adapt to (had never driven Nissan before).
Dealership practices: Sales person was extremely detailed in describing features. Dealer provided very clear price sheet with all charges clearly labeled. Offered to let us test drive overnight.
Interior styling: Simple, clean, understated.
Safety & braking: Feel of brake pedal gave confidence. Back-up camera was available without paying for navigation system.
Discounts & incentives: Manufacturer had $2K incentive, dealer dropped another $1.5K
Why Not the Hyundai Sonata?
Handling: Steering was OK, but not as crisp as Altima. Response to accelerator pedal seemed uneven.
Interior styling: A bit overdone with too much chrome in the Limited trim. The "little man" design of the climate control seemed silly.
Why the Nissan Altima?
Exterior styling: Everything about the exterior is great. It is a very good design and is very sporty.
Price or payments: I was able to get an Altima with options for what I perceived was a very good price.
Front seat room: I am 6'5" and fit great in the Altima (I am more "leg" then "torso." I have driven many cars and finding one with lots of legroom can be difficult.
Ride smoothness: This car rides great and yet keeps its sporty feeling.
Fuel economy: This car gets excellent fuel economy. Previously owned SUV's and sports cars with thirty V6s so this will be a nice change.
Why Not the Dodge Charger?
Fuel economy: The chager did not have appealing fuel economy.
Insurance & depreciation: I didn't like how fast the Chargers depreciate. Slightly used Chargers (1 year with 5-8k miles) were selling half-off what the dealers wanted for new ones (after working them down for their "best" prices).
Brand reputation & image: I previously owned a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep product and just was not overly satisifed at the end (with the vehicle's problems, several dealerships and the Chrysler extended warranty employees who could be extremely rude).
Price or payments: I didn't like how the cars were being listed with all of the incentives and when you go to make a deal suddenly they would come back and the cost kept getting higher and higher. It felt deceptive and left a bad taste for the entire Chrysler organization.
Reliability & durability: I am beginning to read about some of the problems of the Chargers and there seems to be a number of them and they seem to be the same type of problems that Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products have always been prone to... i.e. nothing changes!
Why the Nissan Altima?
Powertrain performance: The 2.5 4 cyl drives more like a 6 cyl. You don't feel like your having to punish the car to get on the highway.
Fuel economy: Best fuel economy in a mid-size sedan. I get over 31 MPG on the highway.
Rear seat room & comfort: Comfortable for 6 ft adult.
Control design: The intelligent key rocks. I love the push botton door & trunk request switches and the push button start.
Exterior styling: Sporty styling but the 2.5 S should come with alloy wheels instead of hubcaps.
Why Not the Toyota Camry?
Powertrain performance: You have to keep your foot on the floor to get the 4 cyl Camry to be responsive. Highway entrance ramps are not enjoyable.
Handling: The steering and overall handling is way to numb.
Why the Nissan Altima?
Driving position & visibility: Ditto.
Interior styling: Controls are modern and make complete sense. Black with silver accents appeals to me. Audio controls on steering wheel. Huge glovebox and lots of other storage.
Price or payments: Lower than what I was paying on old car!
Front seat room: Very good for tall people, even with sunroof. Seat is adjustable in 3 directions plus lumbar support.
Front seat comfort: I guess these first three are of a piece.
Why Not the Mercury Milan?
Front seat room: My head was squashed into the roof. Could not adjust seat to find a tolerable position.
Front seat comfort: I felt very constrained in all movements.
Handling: Turning circle is very large.
Control design: Looks outdated. Analog clock, stereo from 10 years ago.
Quietness: Engine very loud on acceleration.
Why the Nissan Altima?
Interior styling: Big improvement over the outgoing model. Simplified controls for multiple applications. The Accord provides an absolute riot of switchgear to deal with essentially the same features. Godd quality materials throughout. Supremely comfortable seats.
Why the Toyota Camry?
Cargo capacity & towing: My wife is handycapped and the trunk is large enough to carry a wheel chair.
Price or payments: One of the biggest reasons for buying the Camry is that Toyota offers a disability reinbursment where they will pay for adaptive equipment added to the car. Now my wife will be able to drive. The Altima did not offer this.
Why the Hyundai Sonata?
Exterior styling: It's Sleek styling and fresh new look.
Interior styling: Beautiful 2 tone colors on inside. Easy to reach buttons and visibility.
Powertrain performance: The turbo is quick and responsive.
Materials & workmanship: Everything fits perfectly.
Reliability & durability: "It Has The Best Warranty In The Business."
Why Not the Nissan Altima?
Warranty, scheduled maintenance cost: It is only 3/36000 mile warranty.
Available features: Not enough of them and everything is an option package.
Audio & nav systems: The radio is not the quality it should be.
Powertrain performance: not quick
Why the Honda Accord?
Exterior styling: The car is just gorgeous. The v6 is about 2-3000 more but its worth the $$$. You get the chrome accent treatment on the door handles. The 18 in alloy wheels really stand out. The front of the car looks bad a$$. The car's lines & curves remind you of BMW.
Reliability & durability: My father has owned an accord for 18 years.
My father's 2nd accord, which was the 1st available v6 1995 honda accord, went 10 yrs 190,000 miles w/o ever changing timing belt. We believe in honda accord's. NUFF SAID
Fuel economy: I avg 25 mpg where I live. For a v6 that's good. On the hwy especially long distances i'm getting 29 mpg. The cylinder deactivation really helps with saving gas. Plus the accord has an 18.5 gallon tank. I can go between 450 & 500 miles per fill-up.
Materials & workmanship: The interior in the 08 accord is much better. my dad has an 07 accord & it feels cheap. Closing the doors feels like they're being slammed but they're not. The 2008 doors close quieter. the leather feels much more comfortable in the 2008 than 2007.
Quietness: The v6 has noise cancellation with the audio system while you're driving. Even without the audio the v6 is much quieter than the straight 4. The only time you'll ever hear the engine is if you try to floor it.
Why Not the Nissan Altima?
Price or payments: When I negotiated for the altima the cheapest the dealership would come down to was just over 25,000. It was the 2.5 sl package (leather, bose stereo, etc. For another 1,400 I bought the accord v6 with the premium stereo, leather, moonroof, etc.
Powertrain performance: The CVT tranny to me is BS. It's noisy!! It struggled in Cali on hills and I just wasn't impressed considering the car was 2g's over the accord. It was hard for me to get the v6 under 28.5k; therefore, no value for the money.
Rear seat room & comfort: The accord coupe has a little more room in the rear. There isn't a whopping advantage but when it comes to coupes an inch or two makes a difference.
Materials & workmanship: Nissan uses cheaper plastics than honda does in their cars for 2008. The look and feel cheap. For a car that is about at least 25000 you shouldn't get really cheap plastic. I expect that on a car that is between 15 and 20,000.
Control design: The altima's control design is simpler than the accord's but it's too damn boring and plain. Reviewers balked at the 08 accord's design for being too "fancy" but once you get to know it, it's just as simple.
Why the Pontiac Grand Prix?
Powertrain performance: The low end power of the Grand Prix GTP's 3.8L 280 Torque engine!!! I drive mainly in city, and this car has gobs of power in city. When you're going 15-35mph and floor it you get shoved into your seat hard. Burnouts all the way through intersections!
Reliability & durability: I had a 2001 impala ls with the 3.8L and put 40K miles on it until i got this car (Impala had 103K when sold)and it was trouble free. The car is double galvanized so it won't rust. Made in the award winning Oshawa plant. easily able to put 250k on the car
Handling: The Feel of the second generation "Magnasteer MAGe" system is awesome!!! it adjusts the steering feeling depending on how fast your going. Out of all the sedans I've driven this has the best feeling bar none. It's the same system used in the corvette.
Safety & braking: Three things: The now common traction control, and ABS Systems, and my favorite the uncommon Stabilitrak system. The Stabilitrak diverts power from the engine and uses the brakes to keep your car going where you point it. Excellent on ice/snow!!!
Front seat room: The actual roominess of the cabin, I have tons of elbow room and don't feel confined at all, yet it is still exceptionally sporty inside the car!!
Why Not the Nissan Altima?
Powertrain performance: Can't kick you back in your seat all at once when you floor it. Feels like an average car until you hit 40mph at which it starts shoving you harder and harder into your seat gradually. The power is useless for me because above 40mph means a ticket.
Handling: The steering feel is very dull, and not pinpoint at all. Just a very dull steering compared to what I'm used to and many other cars on the market
Reliability & durability: RUST, go to any scrap yard and you will see the proof.
Front seat room: My shoulder room is cramped and i feel like the whole front seating area is a too small.
Available features: No heads up display like my Grand Prix has.
Why the Mitsubishi Lancer?
Handling: Holds the road really well with a sporty suspension but stays smooth on long highway trips
Why the Nissan Altima?
Powertrain performance: The 3.5L mated with the CVT is a great combo. The engine has plenty of low end torque which the CVT takes advantage of and keeps RPM's low during normal driving. Punch it and the CVT squeezes every last drop of power and sends it to the wheels.
Handling: Sport suspension on the 3.5 SR is a PERFECT blend of comfort and performance. Little to no body roll in the turns. Crisp, razor sharp response. All but the largest bumps are absorbed with with a quality feel. Glides down the road at highway speeds.
Exterior styling: 3.5SR has a totally different appearance (to me)than a 2.5S. 17" wheels, lip spoiler, fog lights and HID headlights really set this car apart from the more passive appearance of the 2.5S. I feel ext styling will stand the test of time.
Audio & nav systems: BOSE system produces clear,crisp highs that are not harsh. Bass response is tight and precise (depending upon music source). One of the best audio systems in its class. That said, audio compression on XM sat really sounds poor in this car (bass is boomy)
Materials & workmanship: Great initial build quality inside and out. Fit and finish of interior is great. Use of soft touch dash material is a plus. Doors have a quality sound when shut. Traction control, by design, will make thump sound when first driven, wish it didn't.
Why Not the Nissan Altima?
Interior styling: Compared to many new cars, one could argue that the interior is somewhat plain and uneventful (lacks tons of controls/button). Personally I think the interior has a clean straight forward appearance that I appreciate. Center vents have a sporty design.
Fuel economy: Car now has just over 1500 miles on it. Tanks of gas have ranged from 21.7 MPG to 27.1 MPG. Hoping for more consistency as drivetrain continues to break in
Why the Nissan Altima?
Exterior styling: Distinctive unique look, very nice rear end
Powertrain performance: Strong smooth power
Front seat comfort: Nissan has reputation for reliability
Audio & nav systems: Convenient, sounds great
Why the Nissan Altima?
Exterior styling: Looks "reasonably" sporty, maybe even little better than the Infinity coupe from which it has been designed
Discounts & incentives: Total 4,500 year end discount made this car the second best choice price wise (equivalent Mazda 6 was 1K cheaper with even more incentives like free maintenance for 2 years and winter tires)
Reliability & durability: I owned an Altima 1999 for 11 years and never had any real problem with it, except some bad design of the rear windows trims which makes the car rust where it shouldn't.
Fuel economy: Reasonable around 10-12 litres/100Km for 100% city driving
Why Not the Nissan Altima?
Ride smoothness: Suspension is a little too harsh
Cargo capacity & towing: Ridiculous cargo space, but what to expect from a "sporty" car...
Rear seat room & comfort: Very difficult to get in and even more difficult to get out. Only teens in good shape can do it easily
Why the Nissan Altima?
Exterior styling: Front and rear views
Available features: Many standard features on 3.5 V6; don't have to buy the Nav to get backup camera
Price or payments: Great value - drives and looks like it's $10k more
Fuel economy: CVT provides 28-29 on hwy
Why the Nissan Altima?
Available features: My wife is the one who chose this. The intellikey feature being standard on the S trim sold her
