Nissan Altima SV is quick and handles well
With no manual gearbox, buyers are stuck with whiny CVT
Although more practical crossovers are still flying off new car dealer lots, there’s still a big market for conservative, “girl-next-door” fourdoor family sedans. It’s a fact supported by a host of new offerings in the segment for 2013, one of which is the new Nissan Altima.
The Altima has been an important model for Nissan dealers — especially given the fourth-generation 2012 model outsold other popular Japanese family sedans such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in Canada last year.
Unlike Honda, which is sticking with two- and four-door models for its also-new-for-2013 Accord, the Altima coupe is gone, leaving the front-drive, five-passenger sedan.
As competitive as the family sedan class is, so is 2013 Altima pricing. Base, four-cylinder S models start at $23,698. But that includes an automatic transmission of the continuously variable kind, whereas some rivals offer base models with manual gearboxes only. Fully loaded, six-cylinder Altima 3.5 SL models end up at $33,998
For 2013, Altima adds two new features that try to improve handling. If a bit too light in feel, a new electronic hydraulic power-assisted steering adds a decidedly firm on-centre pushback, while the also-new active understeer control brakes the Altima’s inside front wheel in a turn to aid in cornering. When pressed hard, you can feel it working. Out back, a redesigned multi-link rear suspension “steers” the rear wheels slightly when cornering hard. Overall, the new Altima responds well to the driver’s inputs.
My tester was a mid-range, fourcylinder $26,998 Altima 2.5 SV. It came suitably equipped with popular standard features such as heated cloth seats, power moonroof and an upgraded audio system with the ability to plug and connect to just about any hand-held device. The only options were a $900 navigation system and $135 for its Cayenne Red exterior colour.
The “2.5” in the Altima’s badge signals the 182-horsepower 2.5-litre four-cylinder under its hood. Like the optional 3.5L V6 with 88 hp more, both are essential carryovers. Tech-heads will notice a lack of modern, sophisticated engine technologies — like direct-injection or turbocharging — that other automakers offer in their family sedans. But the Altima 2.5 SV’s fuel economy ratings are surprisingly good.
Transport Canada rates the Altima 2.5 SV at 7.4 L/100 km in the city and 5.0 on the highway — numbers none of the above-mentioned competition can match in non-hybrid form.
My real-world experience during a snowy week with plenty of tire-spinning urban driving, recorded an 8.2 L/100 km average.
Regardless of its parsimonious intentions, Nissan has always pitched the Altima as a fun-to-drive family sedan, which makes rivals of the Accord, the also new-this-year Ford Fusion and the new-last-year Kia Optima and Volkswagen Passat. Altima is also one of the quickest family sedans you can buy. In drier conditions, the Nissan will go from rest to 100 km/h in just 7.6 seconds, 0.1 quicker than a CVT-equipped, four Accord Sport I recently tested.
One reason the new Altima is so frugal — yet so fast — is the diet it’s been put on. The use of highstrength and ultra-high-strength steel (among other solutions) means the 2013 model weighs in about 37 kilograms less than the already-light-for-its-class 2012 iteration.
With no manual gearbox choice, though, Altima buyers are stuck with the mandatory CVT. And while it delivers those fantastic fuel economy scores and offers a sport mode that pushes revs near the engine’s torque for quick throttle responses, there’s still too much torque steer and inherently unnatural sounding CVT whining and moaning. Despite the fact Nissan is into its second decade with its CVT technology, the new 2013 Accord’s CVT is much more natural in use.
Nissan’s cabin, especially its front seats, was a pleasure. Putting aside Nissan’s “zero-gravity” marketing gibberish, the new thrones up front are supportive and comfortable. The rest of the Altima’s interior was straightforward and easy to use, if a bit bland.
Without any new, gee-whiz engine technology (see Honda’s new direct-injected four) or courageous styling (see Ford’s Aston Martin- looking Fusion), Nissan is counting on excellent fuel economy, updated interior and exterior looks and the Altima’s athletic chassis to keep its sales strong. For a segment that draws decidedly conservative customers, Nissan Canada is hoping that’s enough to keep pace in this ever-toughening segment.