It doesn’t take much to get us excited about a visit to the music-friendly city of Nashville – even the, uh, thrilling opportunity to sample Nissan’s very, very mildly refreshed Altima sedan was enough to pique our interest.
It’s just a light nip-and-tuck job for the 2010 Altima, which gets newly revised styling and a handful of other details to help it ring in the new year. Yet, as we found out, the Altima is still an A-lister in this most competitive midsize sedan segment.
We also had the chance to see Nissan’s new North American headquarters and make a brief visit through the flexible Nissan Smyrna Manufacturing Plant. Although not one of the firm’s newest, it still ranks as one of the most important plants in the Nissan network, building the Maxima, Altima sedan, Altima coupe and Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs. It’s a flex-factory that runs cars on two shifts and trucks on a third, but a recent infusion of government cash will see it building far more eco-friendly rides in the near future.
New in town
The Altima’s fixins’ for 2010 include a newly shaped hood, and “T-grille” with the appearance of wings within the chrome surrounds. A new front bumper and what Nissan calls a “license plate finisher” round out the rear. Sharp, angular, taillights add a contemporary look, which dresses it up, just so. Also on the appearance side are new 16 and 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and the addition of two new exterior colors.
The Altima gives buyers a choice of powerplants. Available first as a base model with a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine, it produces 175 horsepower and 180 lb-ft. of torque and nets 23 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. It can also be had with a 3.5-liter V6 or a 2.5-liter gas/electric hybrid that makes 158 horsepower and 162 lb-ft. of torque and manages to get 35 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. Number-wise, the Altima Hybrid won’t rival Ford’s 41-mpg Fusion Hybrid by any means, but 35 mpg around town is nonetheless a small improvement over the mechanically similar Toyota Camry Hybrid.
Our car for the day was the Altima 3.5 SR CVT. Formerly known as the Altima 3.5 SE, it features the brand’s perfected 3.5-liter 24-valve V6 engine, which has roots in nearly every Nissan vehicle that is V6 capable. Producing 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque, it is mated to a standard Xtronic continuously variable transmission with an “advanced, performance-tuned controller with adaptive logic.” We think that means it makes the sound of shifting through the gears even when it actually isn’t. Want to hear the gears wind up? Move the shift lever to the sport shift mode and row it yourself for a bit of motivational satisfaction. Expect mileage in the range of 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg highway for the six-cylinder sedan, which weighs in at 3,357 pounds.
Ride quality is top-notch, as we have come to expect from Nissan. Road imperfections are soaked up, but not in a “late-’80s Buick” sort of way. Road feel is good and the handling, believe it, or not, causes us to use “sporty” as an adjective to describe how it feels. Power rack and pinion steering with speed sensitive controls couples up with MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link rear suspension to give us some of the best handling we have seen in a family sedan yet.
Best seller
The Altima is Nissan’s best-selling global nameplate. Now in its 17th year, and fourth generation, global sales have exceeded 3.1-million units. That’s a lot of beer money at Tootsie’s Orchid lounge in downtown Nashville, even at their tourist-inflated prices of $5 a bottle.
To get to Tootsie’s, a navigation system would come in handy. Nissan’s optional hard navigation system with 9.3 GB Music Box hard drive for digital music files and playback fills the bill nicely. And since we are in a Bluetooth age, right in the heart of Music City, we can make use of the streaming audio function that’s available on your iPhone or Palm Pre.
Setting up the Altima’s Bluetooth feature was seamless and simple. Push a few buttons on the radio control panel; enter a code on your cell phone, and the message “Pairing Successful” appears on the screen. From there, it’s your choice to continue listening to satellite radio, make a call or start the streaming audio function on your iPhone.
Nissan won’t be offering their new Bosch-developed $400 mini-navigation on the Altima; they’re saving it for the cheaper Versa and Sentra.
If anything suffers on the Altima, we’d say it is not on the spaciousness of the interior but rather the atmosphere. High quality materials for sure, but a bland design that belies the Altima’s status as bestseller that it obviously occupies.
But 3.1-million previous purchasers can’t be all wrong, can they? We know your (cheatin’) heart bleeds red, white and blue. But wait, isn’t the Altima made in Tennessee?
Leftlane’s bottom line
The Nissan Altima remains a car at the top of its game. Unlike competing vehicles from its fellow Japanese manufactures, the Altima takes a poke at style and generally succeeds. Using the concept of Kaizan, or constant improvement, the Altima continues to please consumers and through its sales, the Nissan board of directors, too.
The revision is minor at best, but it certainly doesn’t dilute the Altima’s appeal in the highly competitive mainstream market.
2010 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR base price, $24,520. As tested, $27,620.
Premium package, $2,380; Destination, $720.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
11/11, 12:36 PM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
Nissan finally got that grille correct with their latest alterations. The car looks fresher and much better in person. Still wish they’d dump the overstyled rear lights and add something fresher.
Definitely a solid piece of machinery if you’re in the market for a mid-size. Great deals too.
11/11, 12:39 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
I deal with more Altimas in our insurance policy than any other sedan. They are among the most popular leased cars for our healthcare and sales customer – why? They are cheap. I looked at a new one and I actually liked it’s interior. It’s not a bad car at all, the 2010 is so much better than the ’09’s looks up front whcih is kind of why I didn’t buy one. With the discounts so heavy on the ’09s, the ‘10 was going to be dumb to buy, but after looking at the ‘10 – I didn’t want an ‘09 (I’m talking about the coupe btw). So I ended up with neither.
11/11, 2:14 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
If only Nissan made them with a 6-speed manual instead of that piece of garbage CVT. If I am driving a “sports” sedan I want three pedals… not some computerized slush box that gives me the illusion of shifting gears.
11/11, 2:38 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
This whole segment is really in the doldrums. The Malibu caused a bit of a stir a while back but that was probably more to do with the fact the previous one was such garbage. The Camry is so vanilla it should say Breyers instead of Toyota. The Mazda 6 turned to the cheeseburger diet. The Accord sedan seems to get uglier with each generation. Even in the nineties the current Sebring/Avenger would have lost any comparison test. The Fusion is probably the best of the lot although they might just want to lose a blade or two from that razor they call a grill.
It’s really too bad. When this Altima first came out it was quite stunning… a departure from the rest at least… now it’s just another nondescript player in a crowded class.
I really hope the 200C is coming. The middle of the road needs a kick in the styling ass.
11/11, 2:52 PM
posted by:
Borat
Jake your comment reminded me of my junior year in college. I was dating a decent chick, but she had hot looking mother (MILF in modern vernacular). I wanted to nail both of them and ended up with nothing.
11/11, 3:03 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Must have a really boring life to get excited about a sh1tty Nissan product.
Unless excitment is defined by the number of service visits and unscheduled repairs?
______________________________________________________________________
Toyota is going out of business one customer at a time. Even their salesidiots know Toyotas are pieces of sh1t!
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f72/sold-equinox-twist-85224/
11/11, 3:04 PM
posted by:
jimmyblaze
Remember when you could easily tell model years by the styling changes it’s not so easy nowadays. I don’t understand why Nissan didn’t use this opportunity to change the tail lights. At least it would’ve looked like it is a newer model.
11/11, 3:14 PM
posted by:
ejaculate_conception
I got a chance to drive one of these cars, but thankfully it had the 6speed manual. Really great car, surprisingly fast. Yeah I know its got 270hp but it goes faster than you would expect from 270hp. Very good engine, I would never get the CVT transmission but overall the car is well balanced and very refined. After test driving the new Malibu, it was very clear which car is superior, the Nissan all the way, GM really needs to focus more on quality and attention to detail. The Malibu that I was test driving, the inside door handle broke, something got disconnected and I had to exit the car out the passenger side, but I still ended up getting the Mazda speed 6 because I love the interior.
11/11, 3:43 PM
posted by:
Doomsdave
At least Pontiac-era black plastic interiors live on in the Altima!
11/11, 3:44 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Again… someone tell me what is wrong with a black plastic interior? I don’t find myself reaching out and caressing the dashboard and door panels as I drive along.
11/11, 4:06 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Raine, the interiors on Nissans have always been terrible. Compare this POS to something like the Malibu or Lacrosse and you’ll see first hand the dismal quality plastics, hard edges, poor fit and shiny finishes on those jap cars. The GM interiors are flawless and should never creak, sqeek or rattle in the many hundreds of thousands of miles the car lasts for.
GM is a leader in quality, Nissan is a leader in repairs.
______________________________________________________________________
Toyota is going out of business one customer at a time. Even their salesidiots know Toyotas are pieces of sh1t!
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f72/sold-equinox-twist-85224/
11/11, 5:24 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
Johnny – you have made some very good points, and from the past 2 months looking at every single one of those models and not buying any of them, I agree with you 110%.
I think the new Sonata has some interesting lines though- maybe this will be the breakthrough this segment needs. The CC isn’t a bad buy either if you are okay spending V-6 money on a Turbo 4 with a little less headroom- plus with great leases and lots of standard equipment they aren’t that expensive – actually cheaper than the Passat.
11/11, 6:12 PM
posted by:
aggie531
Good. Now GM can shut up about the malibu having “best in class fuel economy”. GM is so fúcking annoying about their 1 mpg highway over their competitors when the city mileage (where I mostly drive) is worse.
11/11, 6:14 PM
posted by:
aggie531
but anyways, the update is good except that the taillights look really dated now.
11/11, 7:31 PM
posted by:
tomd555
I own a 2007 Altima 3.5SE and the ride quality is horrible. The overall feel of the car is very unrefined. The sport suspension feels extremely harsh and unforgiving on anything but smooth-as-glass road surfaces. There is a ton of road noise in the car, and the 3.5L with the CVT is too aggressive to “downshift” to ultra low RPMs which cause a high level of vibration in the car. The 3.5L is NOT a smooth engine.. the 3.0L VQ30 was very smooth but ever since Nissan bored it out to 3.5L the engine became very rough. They really need to redesign the engine.. the 3.5L is old, harsh, and outdated. Also, the exhaust note and sound of the engine inside the cabin is loud and (again) very unrefined. I drove a Chevy Malibu and was very impressed with how the car was so quiet and felt very solid. Also, the 6 speed auto in the Malibu feels so much better than the wacky CVT in the Altima. CVT would be great for a school bus or delivery van but has no place in a sporty car. Just my 2 cents from having driven both cars..
11/11, 8:13 PM
posted by:
orangecones
@ NMOFGM,
As a former Altima owner (99, traded in 2008) and a current Rogue owner (2008, replaced my 99 Altima)…I can tell you that well, you’re a troll, but you also don’t know what you are talking about. Even 9 years into its life, my Altima’s interior was tighter than a virgin’s ******. My Rogue does have a rather “spartan” interior (then again I do have a base model), but regardless there is fantastic attention to detail, all the panels are very tightly screwed together, sure tehre is some hard black plastic, but there is plenty more soft black plastic / rubbery black surface / black matching fabric covering where it counts (aka…where you’re likely to touch). The entire dash (for the exception of the hood covering the gauges) is squishy-soft, as are the doors north of the handle. The handle itself is wrapped in fabric, the arm rest is wrapped in fabric…etc. I can’t speak for the new Equinox b/c I haven’t tried it yet, but I sat in the old one on a dealer lot and had absolutely no desire to test drive it. The interior was so horrible that I couldn’t wait to get out. I did end up driving a Malibu LTZ V6, and LT I4…. man, can you say massive huge gaps in plastic trim? I’ve never seen holes that large in a car’s fittings before (for the exception of a Neon maybe). Also what the crap with the plastic back to the front seats….that just eats into back-seat comfort by a HUGE margin. I will admit there are things I liked about that car…..but the lack of attention to detail, as well as a ride quality that can’t even touch my Nissan… I walked away telling the dealer… “sure is better than the old one, but still not good enough to play with the big boys”.
11/12, 12:50 AM
posted by:
asb81689
I test drove a 2008 3.5 Altima a while ago, and that thing put out more then my prom date.
11/12, 10:08 AM
posted by:
dAVE mAN
I love my 2006 SE. Great all around car for the price. I didn’t get a 2007+ for many reasons, I wasn’t to keen on the new look at first, and was weary of a brand new platform. Also I wanted the 5AT that was last offered in the 2006 model. The CVT slows the car down, and I would not get a MT equipped car for a daily driver. The V6 Altima is an underrated car in terms of performance… It’s a roomy and reliable family sedan that can run mid to low 14s stock. Not bad in my book.
11/12, 10:20 AM
posted by:
dAVE mAN
Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not some gushing Nissan fan-boy. The car is not perfect:
1. NEVER – and I really mean it – even consider getting the 2.5
2. A FWD car with 250+ ft lbs and no LSD option is a cardinal sin
3. The adaptive throttle response of the drive by wire system is quite annoying
Those issues aside, it’s still a great over all value.
11/12, 1:39 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Nobody should buy it because it’s not American. It is unpatriotic to buy foriegn piles of sh1t. Or do you like sending all your money to foriegn countries?
Support GM. Without your local unions, America will die.
Be American. Buy American. buy GM. An American Revolution
11/13, 12:10 AM
posted by:
RotaxKart
NMOFG is the reason we have wars. He makes me embarrassed to be an American.
12/28, 12:27 AM
posted by:
Marc70
I just bought a 2010 Altima and I love it. It’s built in the USA by a brand I can trust, I put 193,000 miles on my ‘96 Altima before someone smashed into me and have 130,000 on my 2001 that I kept. Honda and Toyota models are boring. The Ford Fusion almost got me on the lot, but my instinct said to go with a car I know will work for me. As for the restyle, I think the new front and hood made a huge difference – for the better!