The Nissan Altima coupe – only one thing will make it better!

November 3, 10:52 AMAutomotive ExaminerKyle Busch

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The two-door Nissan
Altima is a good looking
sports coupe. The car
has some visual dynamics
associated with the company’s
350Z. The coupe has a bit
tighter package as compared
to the Altima four-door sedan
as it has a 4.0 inch shorter
wheelbase (105.3 inch vs.
the sedan’s 109.3 inches).
Additionally, the coupe’s
overhangs are shorter and the height has been lowered 2.5 inches
from the sedan.

With the most recent model redesign, the Altima’s interior has
been brought up to par with better dash materials and fit and finish.
The car offers comfortable supportive seats and the gauges are bright
and easily to read. The controls and knobs are large and transmit
a sense of quality when operated. The rear seat room is good for a
car in this class and usability is increased by a split-folding rear seat.

The Altima coupe comes standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine
making a reasonable 175 hp. The base price with this engine is about
$20,500. Also available is the 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine (same power
plant that is used in the Maxima and 350Z cars) pumping out 270 hp
and enabling the coupe to do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. Expect fuel economy
to be about 32 mpg with the 2.5 engine and about 29 mpg with the 3.5
engine. Nissan has done a good job of eliminating torque-steer when
the 3.5 engine is on the boil coming off of the line.

The Altima coupe is a satisfying car to drive. It offers good handling
and deceptively quick steering responses. The ride is supple enough to
please when the car is driven in traffic, but taunt enough to assure when
it is driven on twisting two-lane roads or all day cruising on the highway.

The Altima coupe really shows what Nissan can do in building a reasonably
priced two-door coupe. The car is reliable, it will provide years of driving
enjoyment, and with reasonable fuel economy along the way.

So what can Nissan do to bring the Altima from say a 8.5/10ths car
to a 9.5/10ths car? Well, since the Altima and Maxima are very similar
in size and both cars can be had with the 3.5-liter engine, build one of the
cars on a rear-wheel drive platform! Nissan could offer this on the more
expensive Maxima sedan, however, it would be phenomenal if they did it
with the car you are reading about! In a rear-wheel drive format, the
Altima’s weight distribution would be excellent. It would have absolutely
no torque-steer and handling that could be in BWM’s league.

Look for something like this in the future. If it comes, I would recommend
getting in the driver’s seat as fast as you can!

Kyle Busch is the author of “Drive the Best for the Price…” He
welcomes your comments or car questions at his auto web site: www.DriveTheBestBook.com.