Nissan says the Altima Coupe was designed separately from the Altima sedan. It’s a different car, from the ground-up. Roger that. Not since the Chevrolet Lumina Sedan and Minivan have two more disparate vehicles shared the same name. While Chrysler’s auto show folk are talking-up the joys of a “shared genetic pool,” the Altima Coupe 3.5SE isn’t even swimming in the same ocean as the sedan. In fact, the Altima Coupe deserves a sexier name, something distinctive, with more panache. I suggest “Accord-killer,” but it’s unlikely to get approved by any legal department, anywhere.
A quick tour around the Altima Coupe reveals the missing link; Nissan took the 3.5SE to Infiniti and beyond. From the side, the two-door Altima is nearasdammit a dead ringer for the new G37. Sure, they changed the headlights and taillights, gave it dumpier base trim and hood strakes (and aren’t charging you an arm and a leg for it). But the DNA is there. Chrome milk moustache non-withstanding, the 3.5SE Altima Coupe is a whole lot of sexy. It’s every bit as hot looking as the new Accord Coupe is not, and a fair piece cheaper.
One sit behind the base 3.5SE’s wheel shows why this bad boy is a bargain basement bomber. The base SE comes with cloth seats and the most basic of pseudo-luxury accoutrements, including push-button engine start and stop and one of those nagging fuel economy gauges that tries to guilt you into punching the gas less. But there is nothing to dispel the notion that you’re in a souped-up economy car. Sure, the fancier options are there, but if your style is ‘shut up and drive,’ being able to forego leather seats and premium audio is a bonus.
Yes, the 3.5SE’s cabin is nicer than many of its Japanese rivals, but oy, the ergonomics. The shoulder bolsters were more than a tad overly-bolstered (and I’m not exactly a football player), the center armrest is ill-positioned and the entire interior had the most overpowering new car smell I’ve ever suffered.
But by far the worst offender: the system used to move the passenger seat forward so the few and the damned (damned few?) can enter the backseat. Nissan's placed the latch on the far side of the passenger seat, where only the driver can see and reach it, and only while they’re seated. Forcing the driver to move the seat is cruel and unusual punishment.
Engine on, and all is forgiven (for the driver anyway). In terms of sheer engine performance, Goldilocks couldn’t ask for a better whip. The 2.5S is too slow. The G37 is too expensive. In terms of horsepower to dollars to curb weight, the 3.5SE Coupe just nails it. Zero to sixty takes just 5.8 seconds. The high-revving, hefty Accord feels downright sluggish next to this beast. Astonishingly, the Altima has more torque and horsepower and better gas mileage.
No matter what you’re doing, prodding the gas is immensely, intensely and immediately satisfying. A cackle-worthy exhaust note would be the cherry on the icing on the cake. The 3.5SE's six-speed manual is better than Nissan’s standard fare, delivering unrestricted access to every last one of the 350SE Coupe’s 270 horses. If you start comparing it to better gearboxes… just offer a silent prayer that it’s not a CVT.
In terms of handling, the 3.5SE’s a front wheel-drive car. Push it and you’ll be "rewarded" by the gradual onset of understeer. Thankfully, tight proportions (a small wheelbase and a stubby rear) mean you never feel like the nose is trying to plow a path to scenery, or an angry god controls the tail end. It’s Goldilocks material again: smooth, safe and predictable.
Nissan has even managed to keep the torque steer demons at a distance, although uncomfortably numb steering is the regrettable result. Once you get used to the anesthetic helm, you can cane the 3.5SE like a pro– just don’t expect the sort of feedback you’d get from a car that really knows its way around a track.
The 3.5SE’s highway ride is comfortably quiet, with little wind noise and a moderate amount of tire roar. Around town, the 3.5SE’s suspension absorbs bumps and potholes with ease. Standard safety features won't win any awards; even stability control costs you extra. Stripper lover's alert: nearly everything is optional. The Altima is a blank slate with a fast engine, just waiting for you to customize with your choice of toys. Or not.
So the 3.5SE’s dead sexy, has the guts to match and starts at $24k. Not to put too fine a point on it, that’s the sort of price point that pisses in Subaru and Honda’s Wheaties. If you’re less than six feet tall, emo-thin and don’t need space for more than two, I can’t think of a car in its class that presents a better performance bargain.
85 Comments on “2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5SE Review...”
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Nice review. Having owned 2 of these in the past (‘03 sedan & ‘05 sedan) my 2 biggest complaints were too much torque steer and seats that didn’t have enough lateral support. It almost felt like you were on a bench seat. I would agree that if you get one, dont waste your time with the 2.5S. It’s worth the extra $$ to get the 3.5 SE.
A shame it’s not RWD. We could’ve been witnessing the rebirth of the 240sx.
Can anyone explain to me why the Altima’s standard keyless start range is so massive? You can unlock, start, and drive this thing while the key’s in a drawer in a desk in a building hundreds of feet away. Seems a bit unsafe.
Still, it’s nice to see Nissan returning to its pre-1997 roots with affordable-yet-fun vehicles. However, not to dredge up old arguments, this doesn’t sound to me like a five-star review – four, maybe, but not five, given the ergonomic flaws.
A shame it’s not RWD. We could’ve been witnessing the rebirth of the 240sx.
Yup. But it’s still a blast to drive. As for fuel mileage, if you cane it and keep it near the red line like the 3.5L V6 seductively encourages, it goes downhill fast. It’s a hilariously fun engine to flog.
I looked at a 2.5S last summer — a nice car with a surprisingly good driving position and room for my 6′5″ frame (as long as you don’t bother with the sunroof!).
But the trunk (especially with the optional subwoofer) is very small and shallow; I think that you’d have to fold down the rear seat to carry a golf bag. Nice, but not practical for a single-car household.
When I first heard they were sticking the VQ V6 in a front drive Altima, I thought this thing would torque steer like crazy, but apparently this is not the case. Glad to hear it. Still not trading in my 350z though…
I can’t comment on the other ratings, but having seen the coup in person a few times, I’m not so hot about the styling. While the side looks good (although not as good as a 350z) and the front decent, the rear is way overwrought, and bulbous at the same time. Meh. But hey, tastes in design are so subjective that it’s hard to ever agree!
I was genuinely interested in the (exterior) look and potential of this car, until I reached this sentence: “…the 3.5SE’s a front wheel-drive car.”
No thanks. The end. Zero stars.
Oh yes, there is torque steer, but even without stability control it’s not unbearable (the one I drove did not have the VDC). I still don’t think anything I’ve driven torque steers as viciously as a Mazdaspeed3.
People have differing reactions to the styling of this car:
1. It looks just like the G35 coupe, for less money.
2. It looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off of the G35 coupe, with vastly inferior proportions.
I think the deciding factor is that some people have more of an eye for proportions than others.
On an entirely different note, TrueDelta will have an initial reliability result for the 2008 Altima in a couple of weeks. So far twenty owners have responded. Always looking for more participants.
I don’t think it looks to hot in these photos but i walk past one everyday on my way to the train. It looks good in person.
I love Nissan’s VQ engine, even in FWD form, but I am generally not in love with the styling of the Altima Coupe. Perhaps someone knows if the 6-speed manual in the V6 is the same setup as the 6 speed in the 2.5 base model. I happened to drive the 2.5 with a 6-speed and found the manual transmission to be complete garbage. One of the clunkiest contraptions I have ever driven.
I dont disagree with the review, but am I the only one who notices that very few cars, if any, on TTAC can get by on Performance alone. The ergonomic flaws of the Altima Coupe would have doomed just about any other car to 3 star status. Is Megan Benoit the only actual “car guy” writing for this site??
In terms of handling, the 3.5SE’s a front wheel-drive car. Push it and you’ll be “rewarded” by the gradual onset of understeer. Thankfully, tight proportions (a small wheelbase and a stubby rear) mean you never feel like the nose is trying to plow a path to scenery, or an angry god controls the tail end. It’s Goldilocks material again: smooth, safe and predictable.
Translation? Dreadfully boring.
This is a fine car for housewives, secretaries, those with heart problems, and people who purchase greatest hits albums.
cretinx: I’ll take RWD, but if I have to live with a powerful front driver, please make it predictable.
Sounds like Nissan has recaptured their quintessential niche with this car. Love the fact that it’s a stripper, and a relative lightweight yielding superior fuel efficiency and handling.
Still, given its ergonomic shortcomings and vague helm, I don’t see this as a five-star offering. Entertaining review anyway.
The ergonomics were annoying, but not a deal breaker, and the quality helped make up for some of the… ah, “eccentricities” of the design. My husband didn’t mind it half as much as I did, but I’m a bit more likely to whine about stuff like that. And once you start driving, you quickly forget what a pain it is to move the seats forward and that the armrest isn’t where you want it.
The trunk is small, but it’s a coupe… if you want enough space for a set of golf clubs, go get an Accord coupe, or the 4-door Altima. And have fun cornering with either. If making it shorter helps the driving dynamics, so be it.
You want to see bad design? Go find a manual IS250 and tell me what you think about where the cupholder is. It needs a sign or something… “Caution: Rapid downshifts may cause 3rd degree burns.”
If a car could get by on performance alone, I’d have given the Legacy GT 5 stars. This car is *cheap* and has great performance, without sacrificing the interior or exterior quality.
Oh, and if you want rear wheel drive, go buy a G37, or a Porsche, or a Lexus, or a BMW. In fact, let me know if you can find a new one for $25k.
As a current 2.5S Coupe owner, I feel the need to offer a rebuttal to this glowing review.
First: Intelligent key SUCKS! I hate it. The buttons on the fob are not recessed, so it’s very easy to say, set off the alarm, or unlock the trunk, or have the unlock button stay depressed, rolling your windows down in the middle of the night. I hate it, I WANT MY KEYS BACK!
Second: For a ’sporty’ car, the tires are awful. My base car has 16″ lousy all-seasons. This car handles so poorly, and its all because of the complete lack of grip. My last car was a Mazda 3 wagon, which was WAY more fun to drive.
Third: The aforementioned seats. Not only are they very difficult to move to gain access to the actually usable rear seats, but they are quite uncomfortable, IMHO.
Anyone considering this vehicle should definately drive the Accord first. Maybe I would feel differently if I had opted for the magical 3.5L, but the poor fuel economy and big price jump swayed me to the 2.5L.
A car can only get by on it’s looks for so long, I feel the engineering under the skin isn’t up to the task.
I don’t know why it needs rear drive. The general public doesn’t want it, and why should they? Most people don’t take their car to a track or drive like a maniac.
Michael Karesh :
2. It looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off of the G35 coupe
I am of this opinion. this car seems all – wrong – to me.
Nissan’s formula is simple. They built a great engine in the VQ series, and now they stick it in otherwise subpar vehicles and call it a day. That’s how they win on price. I’ve owned an 02 Sentra Spec-V and an 05 Frontier, and they both looked great on paper. Fun for the first few months, then all the little flaws start driving you nuts. And I’m not talking about the actual problems that need to be fixed, although there are plenty of those as well. The dealerships around here are atrocious, too…high pressure, poor after-sales service, etc. Performance is great, but not at the cost of everything else.
Does Pontiac still make a coupe?
Saw one in person, well done Nissan. The public will soon forget the G6.
I like the review, Megan. But maybe its because I wasn’t raised with FWD cars…
1. Putting the G35’s style onto a FWD chassis’ hard points makes this Altima looks terribly cheap and dorky. Chinese knockoff dorky.
2. Any torque steer in a performance minded application is too much. FWD cars need less than 250hp…or need an AWD option to cater to the enthusiast crowd.
3. This car would be irrelevant if the V6 Mustang had a better interior and the 3.5L Duratec.
“Oh, and if you want rear wheel drive, go buy a G37, or a Porsche, or a Lexus, or a BMW. In fact, let me know if you can find a new one for $25k.”
Precisely. There are thousands of potential customers drumming their fingers on the dashboards of their trucks waiting for another powerful, affordable RWD car, myself included.
If you want an affordable RWD performer the Mustang GT fills in nicely. Granted the interior is crap but, the platform is great with a ton of aftermarket goodies to suit ones taste. A 1 or 2 year old GT can be had for around $25k. A ton of fun for a reasonable price.
Precisely. There are thousands of potential customers drumming their fingers on the dashboards of their trucks waiting for another powerful, affordable RWD car, myself included.
Precisely. And until there is (which is damn, DAMN unlikely), you take what you can get. This is a great car, and comes out at the top of the heap in its class. When “performance” cars have 300-400 horsepower (and up), 270hp is downright pedestrian. When it’s in a package that’s compatible with a car being a daily driver, and behaves with enough composure you don’t loathe the extra power, you don’t mind the understeer and torque steer as much. Yes, it’s not a true performance car. But it’s not marketed as such, either.
ericthejet
Does Pontiac still make a coupe?
Saw one in person, well done Nissan. The public will soon forget the G6.
They sell a rebadged Cobalt coupe as the G5, and have a G6 coupe and tin-top convertible.
Megan, you said you drove the Speed3 as well. Power wise, how does this compare through the butt dyno? And did you really think torque steer is bad in the Speed3? I’m pushing around 370ftlbs of twist through the front wheels, and I hardly find it unbearable at all.
And I saw one of these the other day, I kinda liked the looks.
Nice overall car for the price although I think that terrible lower grille should deduct a star alone. One can only imagine the potential of this car once they chop off the front overhang and get the right wheels laying down power.
Expectations likely had something to do with it, but I found the amount of torque steer in the MazdaSpeed3 quite livable. The worst torque steer I’ve experienced: the previous generation Sentra Spec-V.
The worst these days: just about any FWD CUV. There’s no chance of level half shafts with a CUV ride height. So any of those with a strong V6 is plagued by torque steer.
On styling, I find the exterior of the Pontiac G6 much more attractive. The interior, that’s another story.
In general I expect a coupe to handle better and look better than a sedan, given the loss of functionality. In the case of the Altima, the handling is much the same. I’ve already commented on the styling.
So I’m gonna buy an Altima coupe for $25K when I can get a stripper 350Z for $28K? I don’t think so. If $25K is “cheap,” then so is $28K. If $3000 is a deal-breaker at this price point, then you can’t afford the $25K car either.
And how exactly is this eating Subaru’s lunch? I don’t see this competing with the LGT. FWD in the rain and snow sucks. Even my GTI gets funny on paint stripes in the rain, and it’s no where near as powerful as a VQ.
The ergonomics were annoying, but not a deal breaker, and the quality helped make up for some of the… ah, “eccentricities” of the design. My husband didn’t mind it half as much as I did, but I’m a bit more likely to whine about stuff like that. And once you start driving, you quickly forget what a pain it is to move the seats forward and that the armrest isn’t where you want it.
Thanks for mentioning that. It is the sort that doesn’t matter for the first few weeks, but drives you insane six months into owning a car. Good review.
So I’m gonna buy an Altima coupe for $25K when I can get a stripper 350Z for $28K? I don’t think so. If $25K is “cheap,” then so is $28K. If $3000 is a deal-breaker at this price point, then you can’t afford the $25K car either.
The Altima coupe has back seats and is a tad more practical as a daily driver. The 350Z, while cool, is a sports car/toy. Different priorities for different buyers.
Virtual Insanity
The power band is much smoother on the Altima, and the car doesn’t feel as sluggish right off the line. But that’s what you get when you don’t have a turbo that needs to spool up. The MS3 is not a bad car at all, and a good deal, but I always felt Mazda sacrificed too much to get the gas mileage rating it has… the GTI has significantly less horsepower and yet the 0-60 is very, very close, and it shouldn’t be. The MS3 wasn’t nearly as enjoyable to drive, performance-wise, at least for me. It depends on what you dig, though.
# Megan Benoit :
January 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
“the GTI has significantly less horsepower and yet the 0-60 is very, very close, and it shouldn’t be. ”
that’s what’s wrong with FWD. no matter how much HP you throw at it, they seem to top out at 0-60 in the high 5s because you eventually can’t get more traction without drag slicks. Add more HP and you improve 30-70 or 60-90 or whatever, but you add torque steer.
FWD sucks all around. Sure it lowers assembly costs, but you’ll probably pay for it in tire wear with 60% of the weight up front. The extra room they supposedly provide goes away when you put a giant console in place of the old driveshaft tunnel. also, sit in a 3-series and note the legroom provided by pushing the wheels to the front of the car.
unless i become poor again, my GTI is the last FWD car i’ll own, and when you’re in the market for a $500 buick, who cares
While it’s not a bad car, I do have some issues with the whole concept of FWD ’sports’ coupes.
1.V6 equipped front wheel drive cars make for badly balanced vehicles – there is simply too much weight up front.
2. If I have to put up with a front driver then at least it should be practical which this 2 door is not.
3. If I wanted a Nissan sports coupe with the VQ engine I can get a RWD 350Z for only about $2K more.
I really can’t find any compelling reason to want one – you have to sacrifice all the practicality of the 4 door and get too little in return.
NICKNICK
When you compare Nissan’s V-6 to Subaru’s V-6 (which, incidentally, is available in the LGT 3.0R), the falls short of it in every way — it gets much worse gas mileage, and is not nearly as powerful (granted, it is smaller, but I’d forgive it if it got better gas mileage). Heck, even the turbo 4 in the LGT gets worse gas mileage and it’s not appreciably faster 0-60. Oh, and both will set you back at least $4k more than the Altima.
That is why Nissan is killing Subaru with this car. The VQ engine is kicking ass and taking names, while Subaru continues to ship their newest, best engines to Japan and Europe and not the US. Don’t get me wrong, I love the turbo 4 in the LGT, but I don’t need AWD, and better gas mileage (with nearly the same performance) would sure as heck be appreciated with gas prices expected to skyrocket yet again this summer.
The 350Z only seats 2. Some people can live with that, some people would like a backseat to stow stuff in. If you’d like a less functional car that costs more, be my guest. It’s not that most people couldn’t afford to spend the extra $3000 on a car, it’s that they don’t want to if they don’t have to (don’t forget, most people finance — over time that $3k grows pretty fast), especially with depreciation being what it is.
When I first read about this car I was hoping I had found the successor to my RSX-TypeS.
I’ve always ben a fan of the VQ series engine, but I have to agree with some of the other posters, this platform just isn’t quite up to the level of the engine. The clunky shifter, the cabin, the “almost, but not quite” a G37 styling.
For the $ it’s not a bad car, but it lacks the refinement and “all of a piece” feel of the RSX-S.
It seems like all of the current cars in this class lean too far to one side or the other. Boy racer Nintendo cars for Gen Y, or 21st century Buick Riviera’s for the enlarged prostate set. No one seems to be willing or able to hit that perfect balance of sportiness, quality and refinement. The GTi is about the closest, but a nicely equipped one is pushing 30 grand, and the long term reliability of the Mexican built VWs just doesn’t seem up to Honda-Acura-Toyota standards.
I wish Honda/Acura would get back into this market segment. Or at least build an Accord Coupe that didn’t come with a case of Viagra in the glove box.
If the Altima is a “dead ringer” for the G37, then Rob Schneider is a dead ringer for The Rock.
(cast one most vote for the cheap Chinese knockoff contingent)
I must admit I am perplexed by some parts of this review. Eating Subaru’s lunch? I doubt that. On quality and reliability alone Subaru wins hands-down. Subaru also has a nice market niche with it’s AWD cars, and this Altima Coupe does NOT fit into that niche. This car’s closest competitor is the Accord Coupe.
Megan Benoit:
If you want a fast cheap coupe, you cannot do better than this. Bravo, Nissan.
I guess it depends how you define “cheap”, but I must respectfully disagree. From most driver accounts, the new Accord Coupe looks to have better handling and a more balanced chassis than this Altima. The Accord hands-down has the better interior and better ergonomics. Also Honda makes some of the best manuals in the industry.
Then there is the issue of style. Looks are subjective, but I view the Accord Coupe as having far better styling than the Altima Coupe.
If I was in the market for a “fast cheap coupe”, then the Accord Coupe would be the easy choice.
Chaser:
Nissan’s formula is simple. They built a great engine in the VQ series, and now they stick it in otherwise subpar vehicles and call it a day. That’s how they win on price. I’ve owned an 02 Sentra Spec-V and an 05 Frontier, and they both looked great on paper. Fun for the first few months, then all the little flaws start driving you nuts. And I’m not talking about the actual problems that need to be fixed, although there are plenty of those as well. The dealerships around here are atrocious, too…high pressure, poor after-sales service, etc. Performance is great, but not at the cost of everything else.
I agree. Since the time that Nissan restructured itself with Ghosn and revamped it’s lineup, it’s been putting performance and styling above everything else, new products included. Even the newest Nissan interiors still have quirks and flaws and are not on the same level as class leaders. Styling is subjective, so I won’t get too into it. All I will say is that competitors like Toyota and Honda are adding more style, for better or for worse to their models. If we move onto performance, same thing. Nissan’s main competition equals or exceeds Nissan in performance now.
So with style and performance no longer unique to Nissan models, how does Nissan go into the future? They may try to make all-round vehicles, but Toyota and Honda are masters at that.
Nissan had a unique thing a few years back in 2003 or so, but now Nissans no longer stand out style-wise nor do they stand out performance-wise.
I don’t get it.
This car doesn’t deserve 5 star. Very heavy and it drives like a bulldozer. Try driving a Nissan on curves. I hope the knob for the side mirror doesn’t look like a knob for your computer speakers.
I prefer the Acura RSX Type S
I was genuinely interested in the (exterior) look and potential of this car, until I reached this sentence: “…the 3.5SE’s a front wheel-drive car.”
No thanks. The end. Zero stars.
Some people prefer FWD, and can even flog such vehicles. Check many enthusiasts under the age of 30.
Another consideration in comparison with the Z is the insurance costs. Way high for many age groups.
At first I was all “whoa-G37 rip-off” when I saw pics of the vehicle. But the design lines wear better in person, and actually it’s classy in the old Acura CL manner (the CL-S was awesome. Demur, but awesome. Where have you gone, cool Acura coupes?). Except for the overwrought grill, this car is easily a triple. Clean up the interior ergonomics and it would be a homerun.
Good job, Nissan.
With all of the great cars on this site that get 3 or 4 stars, the Altima doesn’t come close to deserving 5 stars. Not that it isn’t a good car, but it isn’t great. Even though it loosly resembles the G37 coupe, the Altima is downright dull… even fully optioned. And with FWD, the architecture is all wrong. It’ll sell like mad. But it’s not anything close to automotive perfection.
“Where have you gone, cool Acura coupes?”
Can I get an AMEN……….
If the Nissan takes Subaru’s, Honda’s and Toyota’s lunch money, its going to be flushing the Mustang V6’s head in toilet block, FWD and all.
Johnson
See my earlier comment on the engine performance. That’s where Nissan is eating Subaru’s lunch. And if you think current Subarus are more reliable than Nissans, go check out Consumer Reports sometime. Nissan is making quite a name for itself in terms of quality and reliability, and Subaru has actually gone down somewhat.
As far as your thoughts on the Altima vs. the Accord, I’ve driven both, and I wholeheartedly disagree. For starters, I also can only get the manual V-6 in the EX-L trim, which of course is going to be nicer than the Nissan… after all, I’m paying $32k for it, it had better be (and at $32k, it’s no longer a cheap coupe). The Accord coupe is too fat and heavy, and too long. The ergonomics are marginally better (different quirks and all that), but not outstanding, and the cabin was noisy as hell. The manual gearboxes are about even with each other… the Accord is a little better but I thought it was one of the worse Honda manuals I’ve used (don’t think you’re getting Civic Si type shifting in the Accord). I disagree with BEAT, the Accord drives like a bulldozer compared to the Altima, and I’d rather corner fast in the Altima.
I did a review of the Accord EX-L Coupe not long ago — you may want to give it a read.
SWA737
FWIW, the GTI is manufactured in Wolfsburg, not Mexico. You can tell the difference, too, when you look at the Mexican-built Rabbit and compare it to the GTI.
Two people now have brought up the RSX-S, and I have no idea where that comparison is coming from. They’re not even in the same class. If you want a stiff suspension, bumps and rattles included (and it will rattle), no torque, and a engine that must be red-lined constantly, but with excellent steering and shifting and a sporty feel, yes, the RSX-S is your car. But most adults want something a little nicer as a daily driver, with a more forgiving suspension, more room, and more power. The only thing the Altima has in common with the RSX-S is the number of doors (and even then that’s a stretch, as the RSX-S is technically a 3-door).
@ SWA737:
Amen.
I mentioned the RSX-TYPE S Because they are in the same class 2 door sport coupe. If I compare RSX-S with Sentra that wouldn’t be the same.
If I compare the Nissan GT-R with the RSX type S that wouldn’t be the same either.
Just look at front end of this Altima from a rear view mirror you will notice right away it is a Nissan without beyond unreasonable doubt.
I don’t get that RWD drive scenario of an Altima.
This is more of a problem if you’re a G37 owner/potential buyer, but I can’t understand why Nissan would give both this and the G37 such similar styling.
Somehow, for reasons I haven’t really identified, the G37 seems much less appealing, knowing there is a cheap “Chinese” knockoff in the next driveway.
I love the styling of the G35 couple (understatement is a dying art) and think the G37 looks about as good. At a stoplight last fall, I looked across and said “hey, that’s the G37 … wait, is that the Altima?”
When a car aficionado can’t easily distinguish between two very different cars (in terms of class, capabilities, and price) in the same manufacturing family, you might have a problem.
What was Nissan thinking?
Beat,
I don’t think the Altima is a sport coupe. It’s more of a GT than anything else.
Seriously, what do you guys drive daily? Pagani Zondas?
Good, spot-on review.
What is GT means anyway? Grand Turismo or Grand Touring or just a PS3 game.
This is more of a problem if you’re a G37 owner/potential buyer, but I can’t understand why Nissan would give both this and the G37 such similar styling.
Not the first time they did this – let’s jump in the wayback machine and revisit 1993 – the Infinity J30 and first Nissan Altima were the first “droopy butt” shapes out there. Soon enough the ‘people in the know’ can tell the difference. It’s the ignorant neighbor I’m more worried about…..
GT = Gran Turismo. Big comfy car for long distance driving.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer
Problem is, ergonomics are very important for GT cars. I too disagree with the 5 star review here.