Comparing the old Altima with the latest Altima, things have certainly got larger over the years. The latter arrived with so much space that it rivals the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon. Today, we got our hands on the entry level Nissan Altima ST and here is our take on the car.
Retailing at $29,990 the Altima is really unique. Then again, it still stands on the same platform with the Toyota Camry, Mazda6 Sport and Ford Mondeo LX.
The Altima arrived with multiple engine variants. The entry-level an the mid-grade ST-L runs on the 2.5L 4-Cylinder mill that offers 127kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 230Nm is delivered at 4000. The engine is mated to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT automatic transmission. Amazingly, this translates to a fuel consumption of 7.5L/100km. As for the higher end Nissan Altima Ti, it runs on the 183kW/312Nm 3.0-litre V6 engine.
Inside the cabin, Nissan has got it right by keeping the design and layout neat and tidy. The seats are those NASA-derived ‘zero gravity’ like the one on the X-Trail. This, combined with the adjustable steering, makes the Altima a comfortable drive for the drivers.
As for the exterior, there isn’t anything special about the Altima as it somewhat looks like the Camry from Toyota. The taillights are beautiful though as it stretches past the corners while being tilted to look sporty.
When driving the car, the Altima offers the ultimate experience like no other. The Active Understeer Control ensured that the car doesn’t lose its grip and it tremendously improves on handling. The space is also worth some appreciation as we were able to stretch ourselves with is at a long traffic light. Unfortunately, it is the CVT gear box, which is not as responsive as those on X-Trail.
Overall, the Altima is a great car and might just do better than the Camry as a cheap executive car. The Altima can offer a comfortable and thrilling drive at a low cost.
