Nissan Altima - what the heck are zero gravity seats?

[BlitzPuppet]

Have you guys ever sat in them? They're actually very comfortable and very supportive.

 

[CraigRT]

Have you guys ever sat in them? They're actually very comfortable and very supportive.

The car has a great drivers seat, I totally agree.
The last Nissan I owned, I was not a fan of the drivers seat. (2002 Maxima)

 

[Kaido]

Have you guys ever sat in them? They're actually very comfortable and very supportive.

Yes, I almost got one simply because the seats were so comfortable :biggrin: You could almost take a nap in them. I've got an older Volvo with those lazyboy seats in them and the Zero-gravity seats are pretty close - not as cushy, but supportive in a very comfortable way.

 

[A5]

That would be Mazda.

And they explain what it is all the time, just not in a 30 second TV spot. It's a lighter chassis and a more efficient engine, pretty much.

 

[Crono]

Not only are they zero g seats, they are available even in soft Corinthian leather.

I had to look up the source. Authentically from New Jersey.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

The fatter I get the more appealing zero G starts to sound. I need to go check these seats out.

 

[Kaido]

The fatter I get the more appealing zero G starts to sound. I need to go check these seats out.

I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a weight-related seat. It's more of an ergonomic design instead of like a Lazyboy-style chair.

 

[zoiks]

Have you guys ever sat in them? They're actually very comfortable and very supportive.

I rented one for 2 weeks and it felt like I was in an 80's American car (or boat).
Yes, the ride is cushy but the car's handling sucked. It was fine when you knew how much you could corner it but it definitely felt like that it was made for the average fat American.

 

[Kaido]

I rented one for 2 weeks and it felt like I was in an 80's American car (or boat).
Yes, the ride is cushy but the car's handling sucked. It was fine when you knew how much you could corner it but it definitely felt like that it was made for the average fat American.

That was really my only complaint. Ride was good, seats were great, CVT was smooth, MPG was amazing, especially for the size of the car, price was right - body roll was insane :biggrin:

 

[BlitzPuppet]

I rented one for 2 weeks and it felt like I was in an 80's American car (or boat).
Yes, the ride is cushy but the car's handling sucked. It was fine when you knew how much you could corner it but it definitely felt like that it was made for the average fat American.

That was really my only complaint. Ride was good, seats were great, CVT was smooth, MPG was amazing, especially for the size of the car, price was right - body roll was insane :biggrin:

You guys must have been driving the 2.5, the 3.5 stays relatively flat due to the different suspension. I remember the salesguy showing us that in an an empty parking lot next to the dealer.

Lot more 2.5s than 3.5s out there, I'm always surprised when I see another 3.5.

 

[Kaido]

You guys must have been driving the 2.5, the 3.5 stays relatively flat due to the different suspension. I remember the salesguy showing us that in an an empty parking lot next to the dealer.

Lot more 2.5s than 3.5s out there, I'm always surprised when I see another 3.5.

Good to know.

But you know, 27/38 vs 22/31

 

[JulesMaximus]

It is the same as the word hemi on the side of a car or truck. Meaningless lingo designed to sell cars.

 

[Perknose]

It is the same as the word hemi on the side of a car or truck. Meaningless lingo designed to sell cars.

Except the hemis actually sport a hemispherical combustion chamber.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Except the hemis actually sport a hemispherical combustion chamber.

Except that they don't.

The current-production "HEMI" engine heads are flatter and more complex than the 1950s–'70s Hemi V8 chamber. The chambers are no longer truly hemispherical.

 

[Perknose]

Except that they don't.

The current-production "HEMI" engine heads are flatter and more complex than the 1950s–'70s Hemi V8 chamber. The chambers are no longer truly hemispherical.

So . . . semi-hemis?

 

[Aikouka]

I rented one for 2 weeks and it felt like I was in an 80's American car (or boat).
Yes, the ride is cushy but the car's handling sucked. It was fine when you knew how much you could corner it but it definitely felt like that it was made for the average fat American.

To be clear, I haven't driven that many mid-sized sedans, but I always got the impression that the Altima actually had good handling. Although, most of that came from the fact that I actually "felt connected" to the ground. Most other cars made me feel like I was steering a boat; the steering was disconnected or floaty. Nissan's Maxima was like that when I test drove it.

My Fusion doesn't handle as well as my Altima did, but it's okay.

Good to know.

But you know, 27/38 vs 22/31

The 3.5L will be more fun to drive.

You guys must have been driving the 2.5, the 3.5 stays relatively flat due to the different suspension. I remember the salesguy showing us that in an an empty parking lot next to the dealer.

Lot more 2.5s than 3.5s out there, I'm always surprised when I see another 3.5.

That probably explains why I was curious about their issues as well since my experience was with my 3.5SL that I drove for six years. I drove my mom's 2.5S about a year ago, and it was okay. Although, it snowed a ton, so I didn't get a chance to really drive it.

 

[fr]

What is Pure Drive?

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Good to know.

But you know, 27/38 vs 22/31

I'm averaging 28-29 per tank. I'm happy!

The 3.5L will be more fun to drive.



That probably explains why I was curious about their issues as well since my experience was with my 3.5SL that I drove for six years. I drove my mom's 2.5S about a year ago, and it was okay. Although, it snowed a ton, so I didn't get a chance to really drive it.

The 3.5 is definitely more fun to drive. I came from a 2004 3.4L Impala (the boat as my girlfriend called it) and it's a night and day difference between the two cars. 13.9 in the 1/4 mile is fun, and the fact that I can almost touch 30MPG makes it that much better.

I had to gun it last weekend to get infront of some traffic, when I let off the gas my dog (In the passenger seat on my girlfriend's lap) almost flew onto the floor...she compensated for the weight shift a little too much.

Can't/Won't do any performance upgrades do to the fact that it's a CVT and any exhaust mods would just make it sound odd... Will probably install HIDs in the near future though.

What is Pure Drive?

I think it's a marketing term for the low level emissions found in the 2.5L engines.

 

[Aikouka]

The 3.5 is definitely more fun to drive. I came from a 2004 3.4L Impala (the boat as my girlfriend called it) and it's a night and day difference between the two cars. 13.9 in the 1/4 mile is fun, and the fact that I can almost touch 30MPG makes it that much better.

I had to gun it last weekend to get infront of some traffic, when I let off the gas my dog (In the passenger seat on my girlfriend's lap) almost flew onto the floor...she compensated for the weight shift a little too much.

Haha that makes me miss the VQ35DE in my old Altima. My Fusion has a turbocharged I4, and it's just not the same. I actually made a similar maneuver just earlier today to get in front of some slowpokes, and my car felt like a whale when trying to accelerate faster while starting at 40 MPH.

The gas mileage that you're getting is better than I expected too. I think I usually averaged from 22-26 depending on winter vs. summer in my '07. I hypermile like crazy on my drive into work (I refuse to slow people down though), but I still get awful mileage: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/aikouka/fusion

I would actually really like to go back to an Altima, but I still like the infotainment system a lot better in the Ford. The fact that Nissan's system doesn't support MP4 is an absolute deal breaker for me. I won't go through the hassle of re-encoding all of my iTunes library (I have a mix of iTunes and Amazon MP3 purchases) for it.

Can't/Won't do any performance upgrades do to the fact that it's a CVT and any exhaust mods would just make it sound odd... Will probably install HIDs in the near future though.

Hmm I was surprised to see that it didn't have HIDs already, but I think when I got mine, they were only stock on the 3.5SL. I wouldn't imagine that a HID upgrade would be easy since it requires replacing the entire housing with a proper setup... or else you get those annoying blue lights that everyone hates. I'm also stuck with normal halogens on my Fusion, and I wish there was a HID option. :\

 

[KentState]

You guys must have been driving the 2.5, the 3.5 stays relatively flat due to the different suspension. I remember the salesguy showing us that in an an empty parking lot next to the dealer.

Lot more 2.5s than 3.5s out there, I'm always surprised when I see another 3.5.

I notice the same thing with our '03 3.5 Altima. I can roast the tires off the car easily as it has a lot of power for a FWD car with an open diff.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm averaging 28-29 per tank. I'm happy!



The 3.5 is definitely more fun to drive. I came from a 2004 3.4L Impala (the boat as my girlfriend called it) and it's a night and day difference between the two cars. 13.9 in the 1/4 mile is fun, and the fact that I can almost touch 30MPG makes it that much better.

I had to gun it last weekend to get infront of some traffic, when I let off the gas my dog (In the passenger seat on my girlfriend's lap) almost flew onto the floor...she compensated for the weight shift a little too much.

Can't/Won't do any performance upgrades do to the fact that it's a CVT and any exhaust mods would just make it sound odd... Will probably install HIDs in the near future though.


I think it's a marketing term for the low level emissions found in the 2.5L engines.

I had the 3.5l engine in my '03 Maxima. Average for me was 20-21mpg in mixed driving. I managed 25mpg on a trip once but that was the absolute best I ever got out of a tank with that car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

So . . . semi-hemis?

Or... similar to many other engines.

 

[KentState]

I had the 3.5l engine in my '03 Maxima. Average for me was 20-21mpg in mixed driving. I managed 25mpg on a trip once but that was the absolute best I ever got out of a tank with that car.

Not sure why the 3.5L in your Maxima is that much worse than our Altima. I average 25mpg on my commute to work and can get 28+mpg on road trips. In heavy traffic, 23mpg was probably the worst I've ever seen.

 

[ahlusko]

That is my thought.
I suppose my problem with Nissan is not whatever the seats do, as I am sure it is BS.
It is the insult for them to think the consumer is so stupid that zero G is the best way to fool someone into thinking, "What a wizzbang car this is!"
A zero G seat would require the driver to be almost completely prone, so they can relax and fall asleep while looking at the headliner in their car. Are these silly marketing claims ever going to backfire, or will the general public never realise how these ads insult their intelligence. It is terrible becasue I generally like Nissan. I would consider buying one. But now, all I can think about is some douche thinking he is sitting on space age seats in his Nissan.

You seem very disturbed with this new "marketing claim" Nissan has brewed up.
I have personally never tried the seat.. have you? Im assuming you haven't either because you would have said so.

But I will say I have experience with long distance commutes for family and work. Perhaps there are others like me.. maybe Nissan spent millions of dollars to entertain a revolutionary idea and hire engineers whom researched and then developed prototypes and then spat out a final product. The answer for people who need a little extra when it comes to back support on long drives. Doesn't seem you've fully thought out your response to the zero g seat.. and btw the prone position is with your chest facing down.

 

[Meghan54]

Doesn't seem you've fully thought out your response....

But you did? To a 1.5 year old thread? LOL!