2007 Nissan Altima

[Bimmer325]

More coming at Nissan's press conference midday tommorow.

[Croc]

HAWT

[Northstar]

Hmm, I don't know. The crease seems a little too low and it looks like more of a refresh than redesign.

[Variance]

Looks pretty sleek. Can't wait to see the front.

[turbo200]

They cleaned up every Nissan line except for that funky crease going down the from the taillight. However the rest of the design looks hot at this point. Not as dramatically different as I expected, nor does it look amazingly better than Aura, with just a few sportier trim pieces Aura would have this.

[Moto_08]

They cleaned up every Nissan line except for that funky crease going down the from the taillight. However the rest of the design looks hot at this point. Not as dramatically different as I expected, nor does it look amazingly better than Aura, with just a few sportier trim pieces Aura would have this.

This is so nice it looks way better than the Aura the Aura is nice I like it I actually think it'll do great but the Altima is way better looking than the Aura I mean the side view on the Aura looks like an old peoples car with all that overdid chrome but thats good for mainstream buyers to compete with the Camry. I mean come on the Aura's rear looks very similar to the G6,Impala, and Lacrosse its gettin kinda tired with the same rear end.

[Snate]

Still looks like japanese generic to me...then again I don't really care for the Aura either and they look somewhat similar.

[CSpec]

I like it, except the taillights wrap around too much and I dislike the diving body crease (probably to give it a family resemblance to the disgusting Sentra).

[pow]

AURA? What AURA?

[Nick]

Can't wait to see more...if there is a Japanese manufacturer I like, it is Nissan/Infiniti. So far, so good.

[ToniCipriani]

Hmm, I don't know. The crease seems a little too low and it looks like more of a refresh than redesign.

Ditto. Doesn't look much changed right off the bat.

Need more pics.

[sciguy_0504]

I agree, the crease does start too low in the front but the rear looks good so far. I think this is just your basic refresh.

You should see the 2007 Maxima. The headlights have been changed and wood added to the interior. That's about it. The next-gen E-Class (as Benz is calling it) silences the crowd, too, and not in a good way.

[Flybrian]

Nice. A version of the Maxima's bloated ass. Thanks, Nissan.

[Variance]

I agree, the crease does start too low in the front but the rear looks good so far.  I think this is just your basic refresh.

Not really. It's sitting on an all-new platform and has a new V6 engine.

[Paolino]

Not really. It's sitting on an all-new platform and has a new V6 engine.

Really? I thought the same 3.5 was being carried over?

[ToniCipriani]

Isn't the rumoured 3.7L V6? Remember G37 trademark?

[Variance]

Isn't the rumoured 3.7L V6? Remember G37 trademark?

Actually, no. It's a new 3.5.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...E/60410001/1041

The redesigned 2007 Nissan Altima is the first Nissan built on the automaker's new D platform. Engineering enhancements include a new front suspension, upgraded rear suspension and improved body rigidity. The Altima's wheelbase is 1 inch shorter than the 2006 model, but Nissan says the redesigned car has the same interior space as the current model. The 2007 Altima is the first Nissan to receive the automaker's new 3.5-liter V-6 engine and the first Nissan sedan offered with a continuously variable transmission. Nissan says the updated V-6 engine will provide slightly more horsepower than the current 250-hp V-6. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard with V-6 and four-cylinder engines. The car goes on sale this fall. A hybrid model goes on sale in the winter of 2007. \

[Intrepidation]

Wow, so far so good, the ass isn't fat anymore! If the front looks as good I think this'll be better than the Aura.

[regfootball]

I agree, the crease does start too low in the front but the rear looks good so far.  I think this is just your basic refresh.

You should see the 2007 Maxima.  The headlights have been changed and wood added to the interior.  That's about it.  The next-gen E-Class (as Benz is calling it) silences the crowd, too, and not in a good way.

the interior is what turned me off of getting a maxima last fall. the numbers were right and i love the hp but why does Nissan have to screw up their interiors so much?

[regfootball]

how can Nissan's VQ get any better?

6 speed and new engine? HMMMMM this could be interesting

kinda looks like a shortened cab forward maxima with a 3 series crook in the window.

personally though, i hope Nissan delivers some serious blows to Honda and Toyota this year.

ever notice (and it shows up here too) how badly Nissan does at matching plastic rear bumper finishes to the adjacent sheet metal? Even on Maximas and stuff....the paint and sheen and the way the surfaces read and reflect light are visually off each other a LOT more than almost every other manufacturer.

edit: a longer look DOES make it seem like just a reskin. the rear bumper has been puffed up. the side window glass looks about the same as does the diving character line. the wheel treatments are bolder. notice how they didn't show the front end.

I sure hope they changed the interior.

Edited April 12, 2006 by regfootball

[Cory Wolfe]

The sexiest midsize sedan... I like.

[Intrepidation]

New pic of the Altima. Front view this time.

[regfootball]

you beat me to it!

there is "another forum" that is posting an interior pic!

[regfootball]

the new center stack looks a bit G6ish meets 3000GT and lower part meets accord with very GM parts bin looking radio and climate control knobs and its NOT that great!

Edited April 12, 2006 by regfootball

[regfootball]

if i may post this

Edited April 12, 2006 by regfootball

[regfootball]

frankly, Nissan lost it here!

[CSpec]

The new Altima is a huge disappointment. Awkward looking on the outside and plain boring on the inside. I'll take an 06, please.

[regfootball]

get an SE-R with the nice bolstered seats while you still can!

[Intrepidation]

Great exterior I think, Interior is alright, but I like the current Altima's interior better.

[thegriffon]

And now we see what all the Teana/SM5s were all about—this is an SM5 with a cosmetic update to the front and rear fascias, not a new platform at all.

[ToniCipriani]

I'd rather they just move the Teana here. That interior is much (and I mean MUCH in caps) better.

Japanese manufacturers have a bad habit of dumbing down their cars, and if they don't, they swap the badge and bump up the price and make sheep pay for it.

[Paolino]

Wow, tell me that's NOT the interior. That is SO boring and plain.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

That Pontiac interior is so awful! The new Altima dashboard could use some zing, but the exterior is a nice evolution of the current model-stylish but not overly so, ditto the 2007. Saturn Aura and Ford Fusion (and Toyota Camry) have some serious competition here....

[Cadillacfan]

Love the interior.. hate the new exterior. I thought the Maxima look for new Nissans was going away. I guess I was wrong.

Edited April 12, 2006 by Cadillacfan

[siegen]

I for one, hate both the interior and exterior. The car looks plain (&) ugly, I would take a much classier looking Accord over it any day.

[Northstar]

Everyone would be bitching if GM "redesigned" a car like this, which is basically a refresh (3 of them in one day for Nissan). The exterior is like a bland version of the current Altima, and the interior, well...

+

=

And what's with the huge dropoff after the center stack and before that big cubby space or whatever? It looks like it was designed for a bench seat and the center console was an afterthough (like some old GM designs).

[turbo200]

I'm not a fan of the interior, but the bitching is not here likely because the Altima was already a very competent car. A few changes here and there, an exterior style refresh, and you've got a pretty much all new car that is once again as desirable as class leaders. The changes to the suspension will surely be good, and the exterior is crisp and winning. The interior is plain and has Accord vibes to it, but at least it's better than what was there before. The interior was never the reason Altima was successful: this car is all about power, looks, space, handling.

[Croc]

And what's with the huge dropoff after the center stack and before that big cubby space or whatever? It looks like it was designed for a bench seat and the center console was an afterthough (like some old GM designs).

Well, since I wasn't on the design team, I cannot say for sure, but looking at the pix you posted actually makes it seem like a good decision. I don't see "afterthought" like you do, but rather that Nissan decided to push the shifter forward to allow for more center console storage...or possibly better, bigger cupholders (whatever is beneath that lid). It makes sense to me, since the space between the center stack and the shifter is usually wasted space or a very small, often worthless cubby. The console is too well-integrated beneath the dash for the "afterthought" hypothesis IMO. I dunno...I'll have to sit in one before I judge, but the armrest looks substantial and that covered area is large. Nissan may very well have a great interior packaging solution here...

[Variance]

And now we see what all the Teana/SM5s were all about—this is an SM5 with a cosmetic update to the front and rear fascias, not a new platform at all.

I don't think that's true...

The new SM5 is based on the the Altima's old FF-L platform.

[thegriffon]

That was my point — the "new" D-platform is the Teana's shorter version of the FF-L platform. Although NNA has made greater changes than I first thought, under the skin it remains the same platform as the Teana, SM5 and SM7. Much wider wheel-arches and a new body do not create a new platform. The W-body has recieved much greater updates over the years.