Nissan Altima offers a frisson of excitement when whirling away in concert. Why? Because they add up to 100 mph. In a four cylinder.
Process that for a minute: 2,500 revs = 100 mph in a 2.5-liter normally
aspirated four-door kinshlepper. This, friends, is impressive. We first
verified the figure for ourselves during a prototype drive at
Nissan's
Arizona proving grounds back in March. More real-world numbers include
2,000 rpm at 80 mph and just 1,450 rpm at 60 mph. Credit the
Altima's Continuously Variable Transmission,
which has been extensively reworked for this new model. Seventy percent
of the transmission's parts are new, and internal friction has been
reduced by up to 40 percent through a battery of small tricks including
redesigned internals swimming in lower viscosity oil. The transmission
has a super-wide 7.0 gear ratio spread and reprogrammed control logic to
help the keep all four pots on boil as necessary.
Of course, it's still a CVT, which is to driving enthusiasts what Mark
Zuckerberg is to the Amish. But Nissan's Xtronic unit at least makes a
good go of it, thanks to a sport mode that introduces shift points to
create a physical and auditory experience similar to that of a
traditional torque converter automatic. To be fair, the revs don't
plunge quite as far as they would in a slushbox, but it keeps the engine
in the meat of its powerband and still delivers a pretty convincing
performance, even when subjected to aggressive throttle openings. Either
way, those awkward "stretched rubberband" CVT moments are kept to the
bare minimum, only rearing their head when the accelerator is buried in
the carpet, and just for a moment. Under most circumstances, we imagine
most Altima drivers probably won't even notice they own a CVT.
Speaking of engines,
Nissan
once again offers a pair of them: the QR25DE 2.5-liter four seen here,
good for 182 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 180 pound-feet of torque at
4,000 rpm, and the VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6 with 270 horses at 6,000 rpm and
258 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm. Either way, you'll get the CVT – Nissan axed the
base manual transmission back in 2010.
The Altima has lost weight and is now the lightest car in its segment.
Early
rumors suggested that this fifth-generation model might go with a four-cylinder-only lineup like
Hyundai,
Kia and
Chevrolet,
but Nissan has elected to stick with updates of its current
powerplants. That's not the black mark you might think it is: We have a
longstanding love affair with Nissan's VQ series and the four cylinder
has been a solid performer as well.
Thanks to other weight-saving measures throughout the car, Nissan says
the Altima has lost weight and is now the lightest car in its segment –
as little as 3,108 pounds. Even the top-spec
SL
V6 tips the scales at just 3,355 pounds, which company officials
gleefully point out is lighter than all rivals – even those packing two
fewer cylinders. Thus, even though Nissan has taken a pass on forced
induction and direct injection, it still claims best-in-class
performance and
fuel economy.
Nissan isn't being shy about touting its 38 mpg highway estimate for the four-cylinder.
We had a second chance earlier this week to drive production-intent cars
on the winding roads around Nissan North America's Nashville,
Tennessee, headquarters, and chose to focus on the 2.5 liter, because
consumers tend to as well – V6 models only make up about 10 percent of
Altima sales. For 2013, the QR25 receives a modest seven-horsepower
bump, thanks in part to variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust
cams, a reworked ECU and a new intake manifold. We found the four to be
a likeable drive partner, with good power and smoothness and little in
the way of four-cylinder thrash, even hovering near its 6,200 rpm
redline. Nissan says the four-cylinder will run to 60 mph in 7.1
seconds, which would put it at the head of its segment.
The headline number for this Altima isn't its 0-60 time or horsepower
count, it's all about fuel economy. Nissan isn't being shy about touting
its 38 miles per gallon highway estimate for the four-cylinder. In
fact, it's so proud that announcements trumpeted the figure all along
our bucolic drive route: giant "38 mpg" banners on hay bales, direction
signs – Nissan even painted it on the side of a barn. It's a figure
worth bragging about, of course, besting the upcoming
2013 Ford Fusion and
2012 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, not to mention the usual suspects from
Toyota,
Honda,
Volkswagen
and Korea Inc. Combined with an 18-gallon tank, that gives the Altima a
bladder-perforating range of 680+ miles, tops in the segment. The more
powerful V6 chips in with a respectable 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
Like just about every other new family car these days, the drive for
efficiency led Altima engineers to electric power steering for improved
efficiency. Such setups reduce power draw on the engine but typically do
so at the expense of steering feel. To combat this, Nissan's system
employs a hydraulic rack powered by an electrically driven pump. The
hybrid setup is a bit more complex, but a back-to-back flog with its
Camry,
Accord and
Sonata
nemeses on an Arizona handling course revealed that the hybrid setup is
as mutually beneficial a relationship as Miranda Kerr and her
Victoria's Secret hardware: the union results in good weighting,
excellent directional accuracy and appreciably better feedback. At the
end of the day, the Altima is still a front-wheel-drive family sedan
riding on all-seasons rubber, but the difference is palpable.
The Altima quickly outs itself as one of the best-handling cars in the segment.
Of course, the best steering setup in the world doesn't matter a lick if
it's bolted to a chassis with more flip-flopping than an election year.
Through a bit of magic (okay, strategically placed high-strength steel
and a new front tower brace and rear parcel shelf reinforcement), the
2013 Altima's body weight is down while both overall size and stiffness
is up. The sedan rides atop the same 109.3-inch wheelbase as last year,
but its track is wider front and rear, the overall footprint is larger
by about an inch in each direction, and the whole works sits about an
inch lower. Suspension is still a front strut and rear multi-link array,
but Nissan has spent development time and dollars where it counts: the
multi-link includes novel connected bushings for better camber
supervision in hard cornering and all Altimas come standard with pricy
Sachs dampers as well as front and rear and anti-roll bars.
As before, the Altima quickly outs itself as one of the best-handling
cars in the segment, with well-controlled primary and secondary impacts
and nicely snubbed body control. The 2012 Altima was no slouch in the
handling department, but could feel stiff-legged at times (particularly
the V6). This new generation feels both better connected and more
composed, with minimal body roll and a pleasingly firm comportment. We
didn't hammer on them too much, but brakes (discs all 'round – 11.7-inch
up front, 11.5-inch rear) also get the job done with progressive pedal
feel and appropriate weighting.
Nissan's new Active Understeer Control system won't have you hanging the
tail out, a plume of low-rolling resistance rubber in your wake, but by
dragging the inside front brake during hard cornering to increase yaw
moment, the sedan will dig into corners with a bit more tenacity. The
system cannot be independently shut off, but is extinguished when the
stability control system is defeated. No matter, it's so subtle that you
won't notice it at work.
The look strikes us as more mature than dynamic, somewhere between the racy Sonata and sober Passat.
Styling is best described as evolutionary, with a look that builds on
the outgoing model's design while borrowing elements from Nissan's own
Maxima and
Infiniti M.
The overall appearance strikes us as more mature than dynamic,
somewhere between the opinion-splitting "look at me" raciness of the
Sonata and the Teutonic sobriety of
VW's Passat.
Projector headlamps come standard, as do LED taillamps. Overall, we
like the look, particularly the way the sunlight plays on some of the
sheetmetal's deep-draw contours, but there's arguably an overreliance on
chrome to communicate the car's premium aspirations, particularly in
the front grille.
If there were a single area where the exiting Altima needed a dramatic
rethink, it was inside. While the outgoing car's ergonomics were solid,
unkind plastics, middling switchgear, a tight back seat and a general
lack of warmth dominated the cabin. For 2013, well-grained soft-touch
plastics frame legible instruments and a well-organized center stack,
and the so-called "Zero Gravity" NASA-inspired seats proved all-day
comfortable and supportive in the bends. There's also a new four-inch
color multi-function display sandwiched between the speedometer and
tachometer that keeps tabs on everything from the trip meter to
navigation and Pandora, and it's artfully canted forward for improved
perspective and ease-of-focus. Rear seat space has improved, but still
comes across as a bit tight for class standards, especially compared to
the Passat's NBA-spec accommodations. Like the exterior, the cabin's
overall aesthetic hedges toward the conservative, but given the segment,
that's appropriate. As it is, the Altima's new digs are at or near the
top of the class.
Our top-spec SL tester included everything from heated power leather
seats and a moonroof to a heated steering wheel and Bose stereo, and the
optional $1,090 Tech Package (navigation + blind spot, lane departure
and moving obstacle detection systems) and few peripheral add-ons (rear
spoiler, mud guards and floor mats) brought the as-tested price to
$30,590, including $780 in delivery fees. That's a thick stack of bills,
but even the base $21,500 2.5 is equipped with Bluetooth telephony and
streaming audio,
Easy Fill tire inflation
and remote keyless entry. Nissan expects the $24,100 SV to be the
volume model, and it comes with remote start, dual-zone climate control,
XM, rearview camera and hands-free text messaging. 3.5 V6 models start
at $25,360 and add 18-inch alloys and paddleshifters.
Make no mistake, there's a boatload of equipment here.
One other trick bit of tech is Nissan's aforementioned blind spot, lane
departure and moving obstacle detection systems, all of which rely on a
single wide-angle rearview camera with integrated washer and dryer. The
novel setup works as advertised and is a simpler and more elegant
solution than the radar-based systems that are more costly and blemish
one's rear bumper with circular sensors.
As well equipped as the Altima is, looking across the aisle at its
competition, there are still some missing options beginning to creep
into the segment, including seat cooling, rear seat heaters, panoramic
moonroof and telematics (
OnStar,
Blue Link),
and you'll have to pop for a loaded V6 in order to get Xenon headlamps.
Make no mistake, though, there's still a boatload of equipment here.
In fact, there's enough luxury character now overall that we couldn't
help but wonder aloud if the newly matured Altima won't eat away at
pricier
Maxima
sales. (Of course, we've wondered about this before, too). Nissan
officials assure us that despite their mechanical and now visual
similarities, Maxima buyers are very different than Altima customers,
with average transaction prices around $30,000, versus around $24k for
Altima. In fact, the company notes it shifted just under 60,000 Maximas
last year, best in segment and handily topping rivals including the
Buick LaCrosse,
Toyota Avalon and
Volkswagen CC, not to mention near-luxury players like the
Acura TL.
That's all well and good, of course, but until the next-generation Max
arrives, this new V6 Altima offers a comparable (better?) interior with
similar performance for a bunch less cash, so let's hope
dealers don't park the two cars too close together. Speaking of related models, the
Altima Coupe will soldier on into 2013 as-is, but its future remains uncertain.
Despite its status as an aging product, Nissan's old Altima quietly became America's second
best-selling car behind Toyota's almighty
Camry just last year.
Unlike Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam,
officials we spoke with are downplaying going after the sales crown,
but with class-leading fuel economy, performance and massively improved
accommodations, this Tennessee-built sedan clearly packs the ammunition
to give Team Akio a serious run for its money. Who knows, the 2013
Altima might even snag more than its fair share of the family-minded
enthusiast's dollar.
