I've been slow to embrace the redesigned Nissan Altima and I don't have a good excuse. I spent a lot of time with our old '02 long-term Altima, also a 3.5 SE, and got used to the firm shift quality from its four-speed automatic (replaced by a five-speed auto later in the model cycle). When Nissan swapped the auto for a CVT in the '07 model, I wasn't happy. A brief drive in an '07 Maxima suggested the Altima wouldn't be as engaging to drive as before. Then, I drove our '07 long-termer 700 miles over the weekend, and it turns out I was wrong: This is still a highly entertaining midsize sedan.
As I expected, it's a fast car for its size and price. And its stiff chassis keeps it very stable as you're traveling at high rates of speed. The CVT actually adds to the experience by responding quickly to changes in throttle input. It's well suited to the engine's powerband, and the manual mode provides meaningful changes in behavior, dropping you down to a lower range of possible gear ratios with each "downshift" request. This is the best CVT I've ever experienced.
Since it was a quick trip, the Altima saw nothing more exotic than a few high-speed curves on secondary highways. It performed capably, and seems to have better steering feel than the previous-gen Altima. Also, road noise is way down in this car, which made the trip a lot more enjoyable. The only possible disappointment was fuel economy, as my best tank was 22 mpg. Considering how I drove, though, I can't really fault the car.
I don't usually get excited about navigation systems, but I love the one in the Altima -- not for its navigational skills, but for the amount of information it shows on the map screen. While following along with my programmed route, I could see how far I had to go until the next exit or turn (upper left-hand corner), how much reception my Bluetooth-paired cell phone had (upper right-hand corner), the current time (same corner), how many miles were left in the journey (lower right-hand corner), and which CD, which track and the elapsed playing time (lower left-hand corner). Because I could see all this at a glance, I was able to resist the urge to shuffle through menus while driving.
When I returned, the oil level was slightly below the halfway mark on the dipstick, so I added about 1/3 of a quart of 5W30.
Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor, 8,980 miles
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