2007 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5SE trunk throw ake us bits. - Car and Driver
2007 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5SE VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-
drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $32,045 (base price:
$24,615)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum
block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 cu in, 3498cc Power (SAE net) . . . . . . . 270 bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque (SAE net) . . . . . . 258 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual Wheelbase: 109.3 in Length: 189.8 in Width: 70.7 in Height: 57.9 in Curb weight: 3399 lb PERFORMANCE: NEW Zero to 60 mph. . . . . . . . . .5.9 sec Zero to 100 mph . . . . . . . .14.5 sec Zero to 120 mph . . . . . . . .22.2 sec Street start, 5–60 mph . . .6.1 sec Standing ¼-mile. . . . . . . .14.5 sec
40,000
5.8 sec 14.0 sec 21.6 sec 6.0 sec 14.4 sec @ 100 mph @ 101 mph Braking, 70–0 mph . . . . . . . 175 ft 173 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad . . . . . 0.82 g 0.82 g Top speed (governor limited). . . . 146 mph 146 mph EPA fuel economy, city driving . . . . . .21 mpg C/D-observed fuel economy . . . . . . . .24 mpg Unscheduled oil additions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 qt
MORE SPACE, LESS GRACE plenty of space, and the large trunk took all the luggage we could throw at it, but those pluses didn’t make us ignore the low-grade interior bits.
WARRANTY: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper; 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain; 5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES): Service (5 scheduled, 1 unscheduled). . .$857 Normal wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$458 Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$937 Gasoline (@ $3.73 per gallon). . . . . . . . . $6215 NONWARRANTY REPAIRS: Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$444 LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST): Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,000 miles Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000 miles Rear brake pads . . . . more than 100,000 miles
price wasn’t our only beef. Chief among the secondary niggles was the interior trim, which especially failed to win over Tony Quiroga, who wrote: “The top half of the interior is pleasing. Everything else is cheap and chintzy.” There was more than one comparison between the Altima’s plasCARANDDRIVER.COM
tics and those of some previous domestic cars—the stuff alleged to have gotten the American auto industry in its current financial pickle. The Altima’s interior is better than that of its predecessor, but it still lags behind the Accord’s. The seats also got picked on for poor lateral support. Incidentally, if you’re on autopilot, you may approach the old car in a parking lot, mistaking it for the new one, as we did. The Bluetooth phone system was widely applauded for its ease and speed of use. The navigation system, however, was jeered for its limited function once the trip is under way. Information from the XM NavTraffic
WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST: Headlamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$656 Engine air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$21 Oil filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$9 Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$478 Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $104 Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$21 Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$68 MODEL-YEAR CHANGES: 2008: ABS and splash guards now standard
JUL 2008
103
drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $32,045 (base price:
$24,615)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum
block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 cu in, 3498cc Power (SAE net) . . . . . . . 270 bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque (SAE net) . . . . . . 258 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual Wheelbase: 109.3 in Length: 189.8 in Width: 70.7 in Height: 57.9 in Curb weight: 3399 lb PERFORMANCE: NEW Zero to 60 mph. . . . . . . . . .5.9 sec Zero to 100 mph . . . . . . . .14.5 sec Zero to 120 mph . . . . . . . .22.2 sec Street start, 5–60 mph . . .6.1 sec Standing ¼-mile. . . . . . . .14.5 sec
40,000
5.8 sec 14.0 sec 21.6 sec 6.0 sec 14.4 sec @ 100 mph @ 101 mph Braking, 70–0 mph . . . . . . . 175 ft 173 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad . . . . . 0.82 g 0.82 g Top speed (governor limited). . . . 146 mph 146 mph EPA fuel economy, city driving . . . . . .21 mpg C/D-observed fuel economy . . . . . . . .24 mpg Unscheduled oil additions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 qt
MORE SPACE, LESS GRACE plenty of space, and the large trunk took all the luggage we could throw at it, but those pluses didn’t make us ignore the low-grade interior bits.
WARRANTY: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper; 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain; 5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES): Service (5 scheduled, 1 unscheduled). . .$857 Normal wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$458 Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$937 Gasoline (@ $3.73 per gallon). . . . . . . . . $6215 NONWARRANTY REPAIRS: Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$444 LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST): Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,000 miles Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . .100,000 miles Rear brake pads . . . . more than 100,000 miles
price wasn’t our only beef. Chief among the secondary niggles was the interior trim, which especially failed to win over Tony Quiroga, who wrote: “The top half of the interior is pleasing. Everything else is cheap and chintzy.” There was more than one comparison between the Altima’s plasCARANDDRIVER.COM
tics and those of some previous domestic cars—the stuff alleged to have gotten the American auto industry in its current financial pickle. The Altima’s interior is better than that of its predecessor, but it still lags behind the Accord’s. The seats also got picked on for poor lateral support. Incidentally, if you’re on autopilot, you may approach the old car in a parking lot, mistaking it for the new one, as we did. The Bluetooth phone system was widely applauded for its ease and speed of use. The navigation system, however, was jeered for its limited function once the trip is under way. Information from the XM NavTraffic
WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST: Headlamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$656 Engine air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$21 Oil filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$9 Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$478 Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $104 Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$21 Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$68 MODEL-YEAR CHANGES: 2008: ABS and splash guards now standard
JUL 2008
103
