Edmunds Long Term Road Test: Nissan Altima 3.5SE (they compare it with the new Accord)

[prontospyder]

Review

Some notable quotes:

Honda held the press introduction of the all-new Accord in Hollywood, Calif., in late June, and Wardlaw drove our long-term Altima 3.5 SE across town to attend the press conference and media drive. During the introduction of the Accord, Honda spokespeople claimed that the assembled media would "forget all about the Nissan Altima" after learning about and driving their new segment-leading sedan.

Wardlaw, as always, was skeptical. Sure, the new Accord has 240 horsepower, but displacement is limited to 3.0 liters, whereas our Nissan has a 3.5-liter V6. Torque is the key benefit of greater displacement, and the Altima's sweet V6 hands the Accord its lunch in terms of thrust and thrills. Of course, the Accord is rated to achieve better fuel economy and to meet ULEV emissions standards, so the appeal of either powerplant depends on your priorities.

Honda employed the same roads in the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of Los Angeles that the Edmunds.com editors use on a daily basis to test the wide variety of vehicles that enter our garage. Knowing the roads well, Wardlaw put Honda's claims of newfound performance and handling to the test on twists and turns that the Altima has covered on numerous occasions. The verdict? Our Nissan is far more fun to drive than the new Accord.

 

[RGN]

well, duh.

 

[Ryan]

One area in which the Honda is superior to the Nissan is refinement and quality. The new Accord is much quieter inside at speed, and the interior materials are, for the most part, better to see and feel than the cheap bits inside our Altima. There is no doubt that if fuel economy, environmental responsibility and refinement are your top goals in a family sedan, the Accord is the better car.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

One area in which the Honda is superior to the Nissan is refinement and quality. The new Accord is much quieter inside at speed, and the interior materials are, for the most part, better to see and feel than the cheap bits inside our Altima. There is no doubt that if fuel economy, environmental responsibility and refinement are your top goals in a family sedan, the Accord is the better car.

That's all that matters to me. I'd rather keep my car for a hundred thousand miles or more and have a well finished cabin, better fuel economy, and a quieter interior. I drive a lot of highway miles so those things are key to me. And on the highway, jackrabbit acceleration is NOT needed. That's better than having a car with a stiff ride that is gonna shake those cheap ass interior bits to pieces. TO ME, I see a car purchase as an investement -- I don't think about quick thrills when I have to consider how long I am going to keep a vehicle and what matters in the end. To me, a refined driving experience + quiet/fuel efficiency is tops on my list. I still love the fact that I can go 500 miles on a tank of gas in my Camry.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: rbloedow

One area in which the Honda is superior to the Nissan is refinement and quality. The new Accord is much quieter inside at speed, and the interior materials are, for the most part, better to see and feel than the cheap bits inside our Altima. There is no doubt that if fuel economy, environmental responsibility and refinement are your top goals in a family sedan, the Accord is the better car.

That's all that matters to me. I'd rather keep my car for a hundred thousand miles or more and have a well finished cabin, better fuel economy, and a quieter interior. I drive a lot of highway miles so those things are key to me. And on the highway, jackrabbit acceleration is NOT needed. That's better than having a car with a stiff ride that is gonna shake those cheap ass interior bits to pieces. TO ME, I see a car purchase as an investement -- don't think about quick thrills when you have to consider how long you are going to keep a vehicle and what matters in the end. To me, a refined driving experience + quiet/fuel efficiency is tops on my list. I still love the fact that I can go 500 miles on a tank of gas in my Camry.

I have the same view.

 

[BigSmooth]

To me, a refined driving experience + quiet/fuel efficiency is tops on my list.

I have the same view.

Not me. Take an ES300 vs. an S2000. The ES is far more refined, about 500 times quieter, and gets better gas mileage. But I would take the S2000 in a heartbeat, practicality be damned. Life's too short to always drive a sofa around. Give me quick thrills!

 

[SuperTool]

How much they pay these guys to tell us that Altima is more fun than Honda?
I do agree that if you just want a highway cruiser, Honda might be a better choice just from fuel economy perspective. I really don't see why you would get a V6 version if that's what you care about. If someone is buying a V6, IMO they want that extra performance. I would wait for the alleged 2003 Altima interior improvements before making any decisions though.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: bigsmooth

To me, a refined driving experience + quiet/fuel efficiency is tops on my list.

I have the same view.

Not me. Take an ES300 vs. an S2000. The ES is far more refined, about 500 times quieter, and gets better gas mileage. But I would take the S2000 in a heartbeat, practicality be damned. Life's too short to always drive a sofa around. Give me quick thrills!

The S2000 is not a practical car for everyday driving (6-speed + 153 lb-ft torque @ high RPMs = BIATCH), grocery shopping etc. I bet you 9 times out of ten, a person that has an S2000 uses another vehicle for "regular" chores. The S2000 is more of a "weekend" car. I would consider something like a 911 to be more of car that you could use everday.

For me, a vehicle like a Mini Cooper S is more practical than the S2000. It's well finished inside, uses quality materials, has plenty of amenities, will seat 4, and with the rear seats down will swallow more cargo than my Camry. On top of that, it gets EXCELLENT gas mileage.

The only thing that really shoots it down for me is that the Cooper S has an EXTREMELY stiff ride b/c of the run-flat tires. That gets VERY tiring QUICK. So I'd most likely go with the regular Cooper and get even BETTER fuel economy.

I do agree that if you just want a highway cruiser, Honda might be a better choice just from fuel economy perspective.

No one singled out JUST the fuel - economy issue. Here's the quote:

"One area in which the Honda is superior to the Nissan is refinement and quality. The new Accord is much quieter inside at speed, and the interior materials are, for the most part, better to see and feel than the cheap bits inside our Altima. There is no doubt that if fuel economy, environmental responsibility and refinement are your top goals in a family sedan, the Accord is the better car. "

There's more to it than just better fuel economy.

 

[BigSmooth]

I never said the S2000 was practical - it's not. I'd just rather own one than an ES300. In about 5 years, ask me the same question and I guarantee I'd pick the Lexus. But I'm young, I have no kids, and I love to drive. I have the rest of my life to be practical - if there is a time to own a car like the S2000, it would be now for me.

Oh, and if I need to haul stuff, I'll borrow my dad's dually.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: bigsmooth
I never said the S2000 was practical - it's not. I'd just rather own one than an ES300. In about 5 years, ask me the same question and I guarantee I'd pick the Lexus. But I'm young, I have no kids, and I love to drive. If I need to haul stuff, I'll borrow my dad's dually.

I'm young too (22), but I get very annoyed quickly. Things that annoy me with cars:

Stiff ride
Wind noise
Cheap-ass interiors
Poor gas mileage

Interesting enough, all four of those reasons are why my dad picked up the Highlander over the Trailblazer.

Now I could deal with those four above items (minus that interior rant) if I were driving a weekend car (Mini Cooper S, S2000, etc.), but not everday commuting.

 

[BigSmooth]

Well, I'm 23, so maybe in the next year or so you'll do some reflecting and realize you need to have some FUN in your vehicle.

Seriously, though, all your points are valid - I know cars like the Boxster, S2000, TT Roadster etc. would not be the best choices for commuter cars and ideally they would be second vehicles. But at this point in my life, I would "suffer" driving in traffic, limited cargo space, poor visibility and all of the other pitfalls of those cars if necessary - the grin on my face on a sunny weekend would more than make up for it.

 

[ElFenix]

TO ME, I see a car purchase as an investement

then you must really like what the market is doing now

Quote
I do agree that if you just want a highway cruiser, Honda might be a better choice just from fuel economy perspective.

No one singled out JUST the fuel - economy issue. Here's the quote:

i think you completely mis-read the meaning... i think the intention was that the fuel economy alone justifies the accord over the nissan, and then the rest is bonus points.

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: bigsmooth
I never said the S2000 was practical - it's not. I'd just rather own one than an ES300. In about 5 years, ask me the same question and I guarantee I'd pick the Lexus. But I'm young, I have no kids, and I love to drive. If I need to haul stuff, I'll borrow my dad's dually.

I'm young too (22), but I get very annoyed quickly. Things that annoy me with cars:

Stiff ride
Wind noise
Cheap-ass interiors
Poor gas mileage

Interesting enough, all four of those reasons are why my dad picked up the Highlander over the Trailblazer.

Now I could deal with those four above items (minus that interior rant) if I were driving a weekend car (Mini Cooper S, S2000, etc.), but not everday commuting.

That's why I bike to work everyday

Stiff ride - check
Wind noise - check
Cheap-ass interiors - no, sir
Poor gas mileage - no, sir.

The couple times a week I do drive, I want thrills.
Maxima is my weekend car and grocerygetter. I am thinking about trading it for a used Miata. I am 22 as well, and opportunity to drive a Miata around is not going to be there a few years later.

 

[Freejack2]

I don't drive far enough for it to matter all that much to me either way. But I know I want a car than can handle pretty well. Not like a boat *cough*Toyota Camry*cough*
Never driven an Altima but I know the Honda Accord handles pretty good. Rossman has driven all these cars so he might be a good person to ask the opinion of. For me, give me a 5 speed car that can handle fairly decently and I'm a happy camper.
Oh yeah, as for miles per tank. 300 or more is fine for me as I'll usually have to find a place to pee after 4 - 5 hours anyhow.

 

[psteng19]

Once again, NFS4 is reluctant to point out some of the positives of the Altima.

Putting performance aside, our Altima bests the Accord in terms of interior comfort, ergonomic design, and trunk space, too. Wardlaw noted that the trunk of the Altima is significantly larger, that the Nissan has better-designed and more intuitive controls than the Honda, and that the Accord feels slightly smaller and less comfortable. And though styling is always a subjective judgment, Wardlaw likes the rakish form of our Nissan far more than the Accord's somewhat odd and disjointed new sheetmetal.


This time around, Wardlaw used the Altima only for short commutes around Los Angeles and enjoyed every minute. "Power from the V6 is perfect for threading through traffic," he noted in the logbook. He also found the stereo to be an agreeable companion for shorter drives, since it didn't get "hot" enough to produce the awful distortion that made his winter road trip so unbearable. And though cabin materials are far from rich, he does concede that the controls and displays are well located and easy to use, and that Nissan employs lots of soft-touch materials in the cabin: "Especially appreciated is the soft padding on the upper part of the door panel, where I like to rest an elbow."

I know how to use bold too

And on the highway, jackrabbit acceleration is NOT needed.

I guess you don't have many hills in your part of the country, but here in upstate NY passing power is definitely nice to have.
Try doing that in your four-banger with a full load and the AC on.
It sucks, I know from first hand experience.

So what are you going to say when the Altima upgrades their interior for 2003?
We already know Nissan builds reliable vehicles, so so much for that argument.
It'll have nice interior, reliable, best in class V6... so maybe gas mileage will suffer a little.
But then again, I doubt the gas conscious buyers wouldn't be looking at the V6 then, would they?

And finally:

But for our man, the performance-oriented Altima gets the nod in this decidedly impromptu comparison test.

Nissan ~ Driven

 

[BigJohnKC]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: bigsmooth
I never said the S2000 was practical - it's not. I'd just rather own one than an ES300. In about 5 years, ask me the same question and I guarantee I'd pick the Lexus. But I'm young, I have no kids, and I love to drive. If I need to haul stuff, I'll borrow my dad's dually.

I'm young too (22), but I get very annoyed quickly. Things that annoy me with cars:

Stiff ride
Wind noise
Cheap-ass interiors
Poor gas mileage

Interesting enough, all four of those reasons are why my dad picked up the Highlander over the Trailblazer.

Now I could deal with those four above items (minus that interior rant) if I were driving a weekend car (Mini Cooper S, S2000, etc.), but not everday commuting.

So in the end you are saying you'd takt the new Accord over the Altima because the Altima has a stiff ride, wind noise, cheap-ass interior and poor gas mileage? Just trying to clarify here.... I drive an Altima 3.5 every day, and it is the quietest car I've ever driven - very little road noise (needless to say, just because it has more road noise than an Altima, doesn't mean it's a noisy car). The ride is not very stiff at all, but not as sloppy as an American sedan. I'll agree the interior kinda sucks, but the gas mileage has never bothered me in the least.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: BigJohnKC

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: bigsmooth
I never said the S2000 was practical - it's not. I'd just rather own one than an ES300. In about 5 years, ask me the same question and I guarantee I'd pick the Lexus. But I'm young, I have no kids, and I love to drive. If I need to haul stuff, I'll borrow my dad's dually.

I'm young too (22), but I get very annoyed quickly. Things that annoy me with cars:

Stiff ride
Wind noise
Cheap-ass interiors
Poor gas mileage

Interesting enough, all four of those reasons are why my dad picked up the Highlander over the Trailblazer.

Now I could deal with those four above items (minus that interior rant) if I were driving a weekend car (Mini Cooper S, S2000, etc.), but not everday commuting.

So in the end you are saying you'd takt the new Accord over the Altima because the Altima has a stiff ride, wind noise, cheap-ass interior and poor gas mileage? Just trying to clarify here.... I drive an Altima 3.5 every day, and it is the quietest car I've ever driven - very little road noise (needless to say, just because it has more road noise than an Altima, doesn't mean it's a noisy car). The ride is not very stiff at all, but not as sloppy as an American sedan. I'll agree the interior kinda sucks, but the gas mileage has never bothered me in the least.

Interior suckage is more than enough to get the thumbs down from me. But if it were me, I wouldn't get the Accord or Altima....I'd get a 1.8T Passat. Better than both of those IMHO.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

Just add my two cents here. 1st, the gas mileage issue the accord is rated at 21 around town, same as the altima. and there is a 4mpg difference in highway mileage. To me that is almost insignificant, especially since i drive about 50/50 city/hway. NFS4 being 22 I am suprised you like a softer ride, me I want sporty and sporty is firmer. I have driven the altima and didn't notice much windnoise, IMO less than the current accord. And I really don't think the interior is too bad, but it is nice to see nissan listen to consumer response and change it. I do think the new accord lx at 17500 is a steal though. I am sure they will sell plenty. Of course it really doesn't matter to me because being 6'5" I routinely do not fit into hondas. Passat, GTI, or Altima will most likely be my next car.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: NFS4


Interior suckage is more than enough to get the thumbs down from me. But if it were me, I wouldn't get the Accord or Altima....I'd get a 1.8T Passat. Better than both of those IMHO.

bah, for the $$$ extra you have to spend to get a passat you can get custom leather interior and have enough left over for a custom leather set for the living room too

 

[BigJohnKC]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Interior suckage is more than enough to get the thumbs down from me. But if it were me, I wouldn't get the Accord or Altima....I'd get a 1.8T Passat. Better than both of those IMHO.

I hear ya. I really liked the interior of the Passat, but when I tried to sit in one, my knees were jammed up against the dashboard, even when the seat was all the way back, plus the seat back was tilted back too. There was no way I could drive it. I can sit comfortably in the Altima, and it was the only car I tried that I could do that in.