Jump to content
Server Move In Progress - Read More ×
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • Drew Dowdell
    Drew Dowdell

    By Drew Dowdell •

    Quick Drive: 2013 Nissan Altima SL

      September 27th, 2012

      Drew Dowdell - Managing Editor

      CheersandGears.com

    Is there a more hotly contested automotive segment than the mid-size family sedan market? Every year it seems there is a new darling in this slot and after this year’s media dominance by the Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata, Nissan has released its answer to the duo from Korea. Nissan knows that gas prices are foremost on American’s minds these days and with weight being the biggest enemy of fuel economy, responded by dropping the weight on the already light-weight Altima by 80 lbs. while increasing interior space in nearly every dimension. This, combined with some aggressively frugal “gear” ratios in the Altima’s CVT transmission and the addition of direct injection to the 4-cylinder allows for an impressive 38mpg highway and 27 mpg city. They achieved this number without resorting to hybrid technology or turbo chargers. This leads me to believe there is more fuel economy to found in this platform is Nissan decides to start including any or all of those technologies in the Altima.

    sml_gallery_51_475_465666.png
    During the IMPA test days, I drove a 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL. Inside, the Altima has a simple yet handsome interior that feels light and airy even in the charcoal color I sampled. The front seats are excellent and would feel at home in a sports luxury car. The instrument panel gauges have an attractive 3D depth to them and look like an expensive watch; pictures don’t do justice here. Unfortunately, Nissan equipped the Altima with a poorly located foot activated parking brake that I kept catching my sneaker on. The Altima is still a car with a low entry price point, so much of the dash and door panels are made up of hard plastic, but Nissan disguises it well and a few of the controls are in an odd location just above the driver’s left knee, but otherwise the layout is simple and straight forward. Nissan just took over the NYC Taxi cab market with their NV200 but the Altima’s rear seat room felt so huge and the trunk is even larger, that they could aim for the Town Car market with this car as well.

    In normal city driving, the CVT keeps the 2.5 liter 4-cylinder low in the RPM band, ostensibly for fuel economy reasons, but the other hidden reason for this is that the 2.5 gets rather unrefined the higher it climbs in RPM. This isn’t my first run-in with Nissan 4-cylinders making quite a racket, and I suspect the reason Nissan has gotten away with a rather unrefined 4-cylinder for so long is due to their excellent CVT transmissions keeping the engine calm.

    Over the road, you can feel the lightness of the platform in the corners. Cornering is sharp, but the car feels slightly nose heavy. Noise isolation was another sore spot for me with excess tire and engine noise intruding into the cabin.

    Nissan’s 2013 Altima has all of the basics down to take on the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima as well as the Accord and Camry, but some work to refine the engine and additional power train choices would make it a stronger contender in this competitive market.

    The full gallery of pictures from the IMPA Test days is located here and will continue to be built as quick drive reviews are added:

    Year: 2013

    Make: Nissan

    Model: Altima

    Trim: 2.5 SL

    Engine: 2.5 Liter 4-cylinder with Direct Injection

    Driveline: Front wheel drive, Constantly-Variable Transmission

    Horsepower @ RPM: 182 @ 6000 RPM

    Torque @ RPM: 180 @ 4000 RPM

    Fuel Economy: City/Highway: 27/38

    Location of Manufacture: Smyrna & Decherd, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi

    Base Price: $21,500

    Est. As Tested Price: $29,920

    Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter as @cheersngears

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    ponchoman49

    Sorry but at only 15.4 cu. ft. the trunk is no where near Town Car big and there is an additional power train choice in the 270 HP 3.5 V6 which achieves 22/31 MPG for this car which a 4 MPG improvement on the highway figure.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Drew Dowdell

    38 - 31 = 7mpg.

    NYC Towncars rarely use every last cubic foot of their trunk space. The Altima's trunk space while smaller is flat floor, square sides and large opening, perfect for big square luggage. My implication was that the trunk in the Altima and the back seats were plenty big to pull off executive airport run duty. I was not implying they were the same size.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    David

    Looking at the pictures you posted, it would seem it would make a solid commuter car or as you pointed out Olds a good Airport Run Exec car.

    Over all I get this bland simplistic look when I look at the interior photo's.

    I would pass on this as I do on anything Asian made due to being too small for me. I know you cannot get 4 6'6" tall adults in this car.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Drew Dowdell

    Looking at the pictures you posted, it would seem it would make a solid commuter car or as you pointed out Olds a good Airport Run Exec car.

    Over all I get this bland simplistic look when I look at the interior photo's.

    I would pass on this as I do on anything Asian made due to being too small for me. I know you cannot get 4 6'6" tall adults in this car.

    The interior is much nicer in person than in photos, there are small details that I just can't capture.... it does feel slightly more upscale than your regular mid-sizer.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    frogger

    The interior is pretty decent, quite a bit better than the previous generation which was almost like an uplevel Pontiac G6.

    The handling was good for its class.. Low weight helped make it funner than I expected.

    Still not used to the acceleration from stop of of CVT.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Drew Dowdell

    Sorry but at only 15.4 cu. ft. the trunk is no where near Town Car big and there is an additional power train choice in the 270 HP 3.5 V6 which achieves 22/31 MPG for this car which a 4 MPG improvement on the highway figure.

    38 - 31 = 7mpg.

    NYC Towncars rarely use every last cubic foot of their trunk space. The Altima's trunk space while smaller is flat floor, square sides and large opening, perfect for big square luggage. My implication was that the trunk in the Altima and the back seats were plenty big to pull off executive airport run duty. I was not implying they were the same size.

    I just realized what you were replying to when quoting the 3.5 V6. Yes, that is true they have the 3.5, but they still don't have as many engine choices as the main competition. In the Sonata and Optima, there are a range of 4-cylinder engines with or without direct injection, with or without turbos, with or without hybrids. In the Camry, there is the base 4, the hybrid, and the V6. The Fusion... I'm not even sure anymore, but they have a bunch. The Altima is limited to one 4-cylinder, one V6, one transmission.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    William Maley

    I just realized what you were replying to when quoting the 3.5 V6. Yes, that is true they have the 3.5, but they still don't have as many engine choices as the main competition. In the Sonata and Optima, there are a range of 4-cylinder engines with or without direct injection, with or without turbos, with or without hybrids. In the Camry, there is the base 4, the hybrid, and the V6. The Fusion... I'm not even sure anymore, but they have a bunch. The Altima is limited to one 4-cylinder, one V6, one transmission.

    Fusion engine lineup as follows (all of them fours):

    • 2.5L - 175 HP, 175 lb-ft
    • 1.6L EcoBoost - 178 HP, 184 lb-ft
    • 2.0L EcoBoost - 240 HP, 270 lb-ft

    All come with automatics, 1.6L is the only one with a six-speed manual.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Drew Dowdell

    I just realized what you were replying to when quoting the 3.5 V6. Yes, that is true they have the 3.5, but they still don't have as many engine choices as the main competition. In the Sonata and Optima, there are a range of 4-cylinder engines with or without direct injection, with or without turbos, with or without hybrids. In the Camry, there is the base 4, the hybrid, and the V6. The Fusion... I'm not even sure anymore, but they have a bunch. The Altima is limited to one 4-cylinder, one V6, one transmission.

    Fusion engine lineup as follows (all of them fours):

    • 2.5L - 175 HP, 175 lb-ft
    • 1.6L EcoBoost - 178 HP, 184 lb-ft
    • 2.0L EcoBoost - 240 HP, 270 lb-ft

    All come with automatics, 1.6L is the only one with a six-speed manual.

    + Hybrid

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    regfootball

    i wanted to get around to stroking someone to test this today, but really i cannot get amped over this car. It looks like Altima 3.0. I like the new mpg. But overall it looks on the surface to be sedate.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    pow

    I test drove one a few months back and was really impressed by it. It's definitely not my sort of car--it's too big, bland, and mainstream--but its practicality, efficiency, and functionality are undeniable. It's the sort of car I'd recommend to my parents.

    The CVT does an excellent job keeping the revs low around town. The seats are heavenly. It's got a ton of space, apart from rear headroom.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    David

    I just realized what you were replying to when quoting the 3.5 V6. Yes, that is true they have the 3.5, but they still don't have as many engine choices as the main competition. In the Sonata and Optima, there are a range of 4-cylinder engines with or without direct injection, with or without turbos, with or without hybrids. In the Camry, there is the base 4, the hybrid, and the V6. The Fusion... I'm not even sure anymore, but they have a bunch. The Altima is limited to one 4-cylinder, one V6, one transmission.

    Fusion engine lineup as follows (all of them fours):

    • 2.5L - 175 HP, 175 lb-ft
    • 1.6L EcoBoost - 178 HP, 184 lb-ft
    • 2.0L EcoBoost - 240 HP, 270 lb-ft

    All come with automatics, 1.6L is the only one with a six-speed manual.

    + Hybrid

    Plus unlike most asian or euro engines, Fords at least have Torque equal to the HP or greater to make the auto's move.

    I personally think the American Auto Industry is going into another golden age of excellent Engineering. Just need to make sure Marketing gets the message out. :D

    I test drove one a few months back and was really impressed by it. It's definitely not my sort of car--it's too big, bland, and mainstream--but its practicality, efficiency, and functionality are undeniable. It's the sort of car I'd recommend to my parents.

    The CVT does an excellent job keeping the revs low around town. The seats are heavenly. It's got a ton of space, apart from rear headroom.

    Deal killer for me and my family, if you cannot get at least 4 6'6" tall people in the car comfy, it will not fly.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive

  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • Drew Dowdell
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      The two big things you need to know are How Acidic and how well it drains or not. I took a class last year on how to grow the American Chestnut. American Chestnuts like to be high on hilltops with very well-drained soils. There's a geomapping tool in Pennsylvania that uses known land and altitude data to populate the best places for Chestnut plantings, and my property is one of the best in the county.  What I used was a mix of planter soil and something called Pittmoss, better than Peatmoss. Its manufactured here and is mostly recycled newspaper. It's good for containers because it holds moisture better than peat.  Just put them in some 5-gallon buckets and let them go.  I need to move them around a bit soon. True genetic American Chestnuts are very hard to find. If you find them online, they are most likely crossbred with something else that is blight-resistant. I got my seeds directly from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation at one of their research centers at Penn State.
    • Drew Dowdell
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      They look like sticks right now, lol. Their leaves are just starting to come back. But here's what they looked like going in.
    • David
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By David · Posted

      My wife gets starter trees for landscaping, and we use 5-gallon plant buckets that have the holes already, but you could use a normal 5-gallon bucket and drill some holes and put it in a planter plate to hold water to help with feeding. We always just use miracle grow soil and the trees are doing really well. We have a bunch of Leyland Cypress trees to be planted once I finish the yard retaining wall and new fence.
    • ccap41
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By ccap41 · Posted

      Speaking of growing trees in buckets/pots, did you over-research what type of potting soil/media to use? I think I'm going down a wormhole of too much information and overthinking.  What did you end up using? 
    • ccap41
      What did you do to your ride today?

      By ccap41 · Posted

      Interesting. I'm using my work computer so I can't exactly download anything to edit them, but I'll probably just try from my phone next time. 

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings