2007 Nissan Altima SE - Awkward AUX

In Japan it is out of the way.

does it give you a place to store your mp3 player in the armrest like the Aura?

Um, couldn't you just drape the cable down the left side of the center console?

I've never understood why the AUX input was ever put on the left side of the head unit. Chrysler's stereos are the same way. It seems I'm always getting the cord where I don't want it in this situation.
 
Having the cord "accessible" is somewhat silly. Being on the right side of the radio (like GM's radios) is much better and still perfectly accessible, and it remains out of the way of the rest of the controls, which one uses much more often during your drive than the aux input.
 
FYI--for all who cry foul on picking on the Aura--take note of this thread!

Now that you mention it....it probably would have been a better fit on the right side. I never had a problem with it since I usually listen to the radio anyways

"FYI--for all who cry foul on picking on the Aura--take note of this thread!:"
 
You call this a complaint? I don't. If this is the only problem with the Altima than it truly is a perfect car. I just want to know if the MP3 can be stored like it can in the Aura. The aura has a built in compartment for an ipod and a groove in the side of the armest on the right side to accomodate the cord that connects to the Aux jack. Its well designed in my book but i've seen no mention if it on the LT test here. I guess no one drives the Aura long enough to use features like this.

I was thinking about buying an Altima vs the Aura.. But 1487 just changed my mind. Thanks 1487!

^ hehehe....

"I was thinking about buying an Altima vs the Aura.. But 1487 just changed my mind. Thanks 1487!"
 
sorry for pointing out a feature on the car. Did not know that was enough to spark smart alec responses. I forgot, there is no way the Aura could have any feature that Nissan hasnt already thought of and executed in a superior fashion. What was I thinking?

sublur - The cable is 5-6 feet long. Draping down the left, it would tangle in the pedals.
 
1487 - There is no built-in place for the iPod. But there are three cupholders in the center. Plenty of space to put little trinkets.

1487: I am glad I read your comment. I am taking the Aura tonight because I am driving to a conference in Vegas. I was specifically wondering how I would be able to use my iPod.

Here is a detail picture of the Aura's center console. I don't see an iPod holder unless the square slot in the cupholder area is what is being referred to. Also, there are two indents on the armrest side for a cord to snake through. However, what good are they for an iPod if the jack is in the head unit? Sure, you could store the iPod in there, but having the cord leading across the console isn't exactly the most clever deterent against car burglers. Those grooves are actually intended for whatever is plugged into the power port.
 
Now, the Aura's jack is on the right side of the head unit, which is better than the Altima.

"You call this a complaint? I don't. If this is the only problem with the Altima than it truly is a perfect car. "
 
There aren't that many things to complain about the car, what can you say? I mean, the editors aren't in love with Nissan, Versa blogs are generally neutral, and they beat the crappy G35 clutch to hell. I think they did a great job with the gen4 Altima and addressed many of the issues with the gen3.

I posted some complaints to the last Altima post, but it got pushed out of the top page or something and no one saw it.
 
Answering 1487 complaint that there isn't a valid complaint for the Altima, I invite him to look over my list and see if any of them are valid.
 
-- Option packages: You can only get alloy wheels if you get a sunroof.
-- Can't sit behind myself: sunroof impedes on headroom in back.
-- Third brake light: It take up a sizable chunk of the view out the back window.
-- Non-foldable side mirrors: Yikes at auto-washes and tight parking spots.
-- Two-part exit strategy: Unlatch first, then push door out; Latch is too far forward on the door to push door out with your elbow.
-- Trunk is too high and narrow: Hefting heavy luggage into the trunk is a chore because the bumper is too big (and scratching the bumper too).
-- Seat releases inside trunk: Placed too far back inside trunk.
-- Stupid steering wheel controls: Rocker switches too small for big fingers (are they illuminated?)
-- Cabin cubby spaces: '05 generation was better with # of cubbies.

Wow, Accord blogs turn into gripe-sessions for Aura fans. Now Altima blogs head down that same path. Am I sensing just a slight bit of insecurity emerging here?
  
The point raised here is a valid one, but not being an iPod user, it's not one that impacts me at all. I'm getting my music fix just fine from the XM radio and 6 CD changer.
  
altimadude00 - well, you're nothing if not relentless in posting your gripe list. My obervations:
  
1) Option packages - you're never going to please everyone. Just about no manufacturer lets you individually pick items from a laundry-list. Economy of manufacture dictates that they do it this way. True, Nissan could offer more diversity in their packaging, but there is always someone who will say "I can't have X without Y" or "I can't get A unless I take B and C - Nissan sucks!"
  
2) I'm 5'10" and 180 - I fit fine, front and back (of my '07 3.5 SE). I recently drove much of the competition back-to-back (Dad was car-shopping) and didn;t find a lot of difference between the current Camry, Altima and Sonata. The new Accord was a bit more roomy inside, but not nearly as much as it's much larger exterior would suggest.
  
3) I have found rear-ward visibility to be no problem at all.
  
4) My side mirrors fold. but I rarely have a need to fold them.
  
5) I find the steering wheel controls intuitive and easy to use. In fact. I rarely have to reach for the center stack at all. In what way are they "stupid" exactly?
  
6) Interior storage is plentiful and the glove box is larger than my college dorm room was.
  
7) I guess I am either super-strong or you are super-feeble, 'cause luggage loading (including a weekly seasonal stuffing of three golf bags, two pull carts and related stuff) has proven to be neither difficult nor scratch-inducing.
  
Jaeger

It looks like XM radio and a 6 disc CD changer are standard for these cars. I was wondering if Nissan put it there for the driver. Then I wondered if it was due to the availability of a manual transmission.
 
Who would have thought 20 years ago that the average midsize V6 sedan would have 250+ horsepower, ABS, 6 airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, 6 CD changer with ipod availability, heated seats and climate control? We sure have come a long way

We have indeed come a very long way. What you can get for the money in terms of performance, safety and luxury these days is a bit unreal. People talk about the glory days of the muscle car era (and glorious they were) - but we've now got family sedans with 270 hp that can break 6 seconds to 60, turn and brake exceptionally well, offer a long list of safety and luxury features and not break the bank. The glory days are now.

"Here is a detail picture of the Aura's center console. I don't see an iPod holder unless the square slot in the cupholder area is what is being referred to. Also, there are two indents on the armrest side for a cord to snake through. However, what good are they for an iPod if the jack is in the head unit? Sure, you could store the iPod in there, but having the cord leading across the console isn't exactly the most clever deterent against car burglers. Those grooves are actually intended for whatever is plugged into the power port. "
 
first of all you have to look under the lid to the armrest to see the compartment I am talking about. The point is you can stick your ipod in there and still have the cupholders free for cups. Check out the car and you will see what I am talking about. The grooves are for the audio cable to run from the compartment to the AUX jack in the head unit. Secondly, why wouldnt you unplug the audio cord when parking the car if you are concerned about theft? That is an easy thing to do. If the compartment I am talking about isnt for an iPod I dont know what its for.
 
altimadude,
 
thanks for pointing out some areas for improvement. Seems like you are the only one to find any flaws with the Altima. That is pretty amazing to me.
 
"Wow, Accord blogs turn into gripe-sessions for Aura fans. Now Altima blogs head down that same path. Am I sensing just a slight bit of insecurity emerging here? "
 
Um, no. I was merely pointing out a handy feature I noticed in the Aura and I wanted to know if the Altima has a similar setup. Never started a gripe session for Aura fans.

Jaeger -- These are just the bad impressions I had from the car when I test drove it. It was a CVT equipped S model with aluminum wheels and a sunroof (the convenience plus package). The thing I don't like about my current car and regular S models of the Altima are it's bolt-on wheel covers. Yes I know I can go to the after market for wheels and tires. But it would be nice to get wheels from the factory that don't fall off in two years and then your car looks like it's from the ghetto.
 
Because the aluminum wheels are paired with a sunroof, it chops out valuable headroom for me. (I'm six feet.) I barely squeaked by in the front seat and bumped my head in the back seat with the lower ceiling. (Aluminum wheels came standard on your 3.5SE.)
 
The steering wheel buttons are "stupid" mainly because of the rocker-switches. The range of motion isn't much, and for someone who has large fingers such as myself, my fingers slipped off them easily. The switches might be intuitive, but if I can't use them, then what's the point?
 
Storage space is not as usable in the current generation as was the previous generation. This statement centers on the bin at the top of the dashboard that was taken out of the current generation. I don't remember much about the glove box only that it opened directly into my legs and thus not being able to open it with someone sitting there.
 
The release straps for the back seats are set further back into the trunk in the current generation making you reach further into the trunk to pull them. Because the straps are black, they're hard to see. As for my feebleness, I have no difficulty picking up heavy luggage. However, I don't want to hike up my luggage more than I have to. And the wide bumper makes me lift higher and further in more than I do in my current car.
 
Other automakers make center brake lights out of a single row of LED lights that is maybe a half an inch thick. I find it odd that Nissan has a two inch plastic square for it's center light. And since the rear window is only 10 inches tall vertically this makes for a considerable obstruction. (The center brake light in your 3.5SE are in the trunk mounted spoiler and not in the rear window.)
 
On a test drive, you tend to find both the things that you like about the car, and the things you dislike about the car. The weight of these observations tip your decision to either buy or not to buy the car. If you think these reasons are what made me choose not to buy the Altima, they're not.
 
I love the curvy styling and the dual exhausts. The shiftless CVT transmission was strange at first, but it has won me over and it's sweet. Many other people have decided that it is the car for them (and you) as i see them all over the road. If I needed a larger car then I would definitely consider an Altima. However, it's just not the car for me.

I checked my car's center console to make sure I'm not crazy. Sure enough there is an Mp3 holder underneath the lid for the armrest. your audio cable can run from that point out of the side of the armrest to the jack. Its a minor, but innovative idea.

I hate the position of the Aux in Altimas. Even worse for the non nav Altimas, the Aux input is right next to the other radio-CD button in the middle of the console even higher than in the nav models, with the cord messing around with the neatness of the whole console. Exposed Aux input anywhere in the middle of the console is crappy design IMO

"The steering wheel buttons are "stupid" mainly because of the rocker-switches. The range of motion isn't much, and for someone who has large fingers such as myself, my fingers slipped off them easily. The switches might be intuitive, but if I can't use them, then what's the point?"
  
I am guessing the buttons work well enough for 95% of the population who don't have gigantic hands and sausage fingers. :-) I took a 2 1/2 hr. drive today in a pretty bad snowstorm and had no problem operating the switches with gloves on. They don't work for you - but the design is hardly "stupid". And yes, they are lit. The steering wheel controls on my Dad's '08 Accord aren't any bigger.
   
"Other automakers make center brake lights out of a single row of LED lights that is maybe a half an inch thick. I find it odd that Nissan has a two inch plastic square for it's center light. And since the rear window is only 10 inches tall vertically this makes for a considerable obstruction. (The center brake light in your 3.5SE are in the trunk mounted spoiler and not in the rear window.)"
  
No, my rear brake light is in the interior - mounted in a plastic surround on the rear parcel shelf (I don't have the spoiler). Could it be smaller? I suppose. Does it compromise rearward visibility? Not that I have noticed. Visibility out the back isn't any worse than in my previous car ('01 Maxima) or in my wife's current Civic.
  
Jaeger

"-- Can't sit behind myself: sunroof impedes on headroom in back. "
 
How do you sit behind yourself?

"How do you sit behind yourself?"
 
obviously he means putting the front seat to a position where he would be comfortable and then going to the backseat to see if a person of his height could comfortably fit while he was driving.

Jaeger -- My apologies for making generalizations about your tail lamps. :-)
 
My comments for the rocker switches on the steering wheel still stands. I prefer buttons that you press down.
 
But to each his own.

Blacke61 -- It's like being beside yourself, but different. ;-)
 
Sorry, couldn't help myself. Yes, it means adjusting the front seat so someone my size can sit in the back seat comfortably. I don't have many friends my size, but it's always nice to know that anyone smaller than me will have no problem sitting back there.