2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
What a car (3.5 SE)
Date of Review: Mar 21, 2002
The Bottom Line: Cannot recommend the Altima any higher.. If you are in the market for a new car do your self a favor and test drive an Altima.
Overview: The Nissan Altima is the the car of the future for Nissan. It has a luxury feel at an economy price. I have been searching for my ideal car for the past few months and the Altima kept rising to the top.
Exterior:10 Hello Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti. Take off the Nissan badges and you would have no idea what luxury car it is.
Interior:9 Interior is very spacious and comfortable. The adjustable seats almost give too many options. I am 6'3" and I have plenty of room. Beware: The Sunroof takes off 2" of headroom. Weakness: The charcoal cloth in my car attracts lint. Tape is the solution.
Engine:10 The engine is top notch. Despite being in a new car the v6 is standard in the Pathfinder, Maxima, and soon to be the 350Z. It has plenty of power quick acceleration and high speed passing.
Handling:9 The 17" wheels on the 3.5 stick like tape to the road surface. Very little body roll.
Ride:9 The ride is very smooth. Some large pot-holes can be a little jarring, but overall the ride at 80MPH could not be too much smoother.
Reliability: Unknown? This was the only reason I was concerned buying a new model. I was comfortable with the engine because it is an award winning engine for 8 years but didn't know much else about the car. So far I haven't had any problems. I will update if I do.
Value: 10 It would be extremely hard to find a 240 HP car with the looks and feel of a luxury car under 25 K. After NJ taxes (6%) I walked away under 23 K.
Other contenders:
VW Passat :Too Expensive and lacks power
Toyota Camry: Nice but a little boring
Honda Accord: Would wait for 2003 for new body design.
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