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This past week, I have had the pleasure of spending three days with a brand-new 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe. This particular car had just arrived in my local showroom a day before I got the phone call from the general manager. The one I drove was actually already slated for sale, but a mistake in the inventory resulted in the arrival of the wrong car - Hence, my "free ride" for three whole days. I treated it as if it were my own, back and forth to work, to the car wash (the best place to experence a car's exterior styling), taking the kids to school, and out for a couple late-night blasts for snacks (ok, I'll admit it - I like to drive with the windows down, and it's too hot during the day!) Despite my "insider" status, there wasn't a dealership in town allowing even brief test drives - Not because of any particular concern for my well-documented penchant for high-speed shenanigans, but because every car arriving in Phoenix was already spoken for. Aside from our Guest Editor's test drive at Nissan's Testing Grounds in Tennessee, I was one of the first in Arizona afforded the opportunity to drive the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe. Walkaround
Driver Interface
Performance On paper, this should be a ho-hum driving experience. A 183-inch-long, 3,290-pound car with a 67/33 weight distribution, rolling on woefully inadequate (and downright ugly) 215/55R17 Bridgestone Turanza tires should be a cure for insomnia. Despite all this, there's a reason Nissan and Infiniti appeal to "enthusiasts", while Toyota and Lexus appeal to "drivers". The venerable 270hp VQ35DE engine delivers more than enough horsepower and may actually be too much for the average shopper - However, torque steer has been virtually engineered out, and this thing begs to be punched hard off the line - 258 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm will do that for you. Borrowing heavily from the G35 Coupe, the instrumentation on the steering wheel is ergonomically logical, and falls easily to hand. The gauges on the dash are a complete improvement over the prior Altima, and in true Nissan fashion, they are large and easy to read. No need for fancy lettering or "racy" fonts - these gauges were designed for ease of use. The LCD screen is also well placed in the center of the gauge stack. The clutch is a bit "grabby", and it seems Nissan has heard customer complaints about the noisy dual- mass flywheel, and taken notice. The shift lever is heavily sprung, and those new to Nissan may find themselves downshifting into 3rd instead of 5th (which, come to think of it, shouldn't be much of a problem). The 6-speed is spaced nicely, and 6th gear is great for high-speed cruising, while still allowing enough torque for hammer-down passing at freeway speeds. This car loves to corner. Drivers of the new Coupe might find themselves taking the "long way home", just to enjoy the surprisingly stable and neutral steering of this "gentleman's cruiser" through the twisties.
Summary The Altima Coupe was designed as an answer to Toyota's Solara, Honda's Accord Coupe, and Pontiac's G6, and it should steal a lot of sales. It's faster than each of them through the 1/4-mile, and it outhandles each through the slalom, even with its miserable wheel and tire pakage. For those who want a Coupe but still need a lot of cargo space or want to constantly haul 2 or 3 additional people around, the Altima might not make the grade as your car of choice. If you are looking for a FWD sporty coupe as a fun commuter or daily driver, then the Altima Coupe hits the spot. Among the current offering of V6 front-drive coupes, the Altima Coupe 3.5 SE is easily the best choice on the market. Author: Greg Childs (AZitman) Greg is a Nissan enthusiast and owner of NICOclub. |
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