Altima With Attitude

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Price, handling, upscale interior

The Bad: Small trunk, cramped rear seat

The Bottom Line: A fun, fast car at a good price

Reader Reviews

Ever since Nissan's (NSANY) redesigned Altima sedan (BusinessWeek, 3/6/07) first hit the market a year ago, it has been selling like Fenway Franks at the World Series. So why bother to come out with a coupe version of the same car, the first two-door Altima ever, at a time when coupes aren't especially popular?

Having test-driven the new 2008 Altima Coupe for a week, my answer would be: just for fun.

Coupes are generally aimed at the youth market, so it's little surprise the new Altima Coupe has more attitude than the sedan. At 182.5 in., it's 7 in. shorter than its sister model and has a 4-in.-shorter wheelbase. It's also slightly lighter, isn't as tall, and looks more rakish. In fact, the only sheet metal the coupe shares with its sister model is its aluminum hood; its side panels, headlights, taillights, and grille are all different. The coupe's rear deck is also shorter, and the car's rear profile has an almost fastback look.

Inside the car, the cabin has a snugger, more cockpit-like feel than the sedan's. The coupe comes standard with well-bolstered sport seats that hold you in place during hard cornering. There's also a hand brake in all versions of the coupe, rather than the foot pedal that's found in all the sedans with automatic transmissions.

There are two versions of the coupe. The entry-level 2.5 S is powered by a peppy 2.5-liter, 175-hp, four-cylinder engine, while the 3.5 SE comes with a muscular 3.5-liter, 270-hp, V6 that's similar to the engine in the 350Z sports car. In both cases, you have the choice of a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable (CVT) automatic with a manual shifting function.

The base-model Altima Coupe starts at $21,195 with a stick shift and $21,995 with a CVT. The 3.5 SE starts at $25,315 with a stick and $26,095 with a CVT. That's not bad considering even the base model comes loaded with standard equipment, including power windows, doors, and locks; keyless entry; a six-speaker sound system; antilock brakes; and cabin-length side curtain air bags.

Early indications are that customers are willing to spend more on the coupe than the sedan. According to the Power Information Network (PIN), the '08 coupe's average selling price is $26,279, nearly three grand more than for the Altima sedan. The average age of coupe buyers so far is 40, vs. 43 for the sedan, PIN figures.

The higher selling price is an indication that many coupe buyers are going with the V6 or taking the premium options package, which costs $5,100 in the 2.5 S and only $3,200 in the 3.5 SE. It really upgrades the car, adding leather upholstery, XM satellite radio, a nine-speaker Bose sound system, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated front seats, and wood or "metallic look" interior trim. The package costs more on the base model because it includes some features, such as a moonroof, that already come standard on the 3.5 SE.

With an automatic transmission, the 2.5 S is rated to get 23 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway. For the 3.5 SE, the figures drop to 19 city and 26 highway; in 298 miles of mixed driving in my 3.5 SE test car, I averaged 20.1. Another disadvantage of the 3.5 SE is that it takes premium gasoline, vs. regular for the 2.5 S.

If early trends hold, the new coupe is destined to be popular. Including the hybrid version of the Altima sedan (BusinessWeek, 8/3/07), total U.S. Altima sales set records in both September (up 46.7% to 27,871) and October (up 41.9% to 21,778). The coupe's sales were well over 3,000 in each month, which the company termed a "strong performance."

The Altima Coupe is a sweet little car if you're into fast, hard driving but don't want to spend an additional $10,000 or so for a BMW 328i. The fact that it's shorter and lighter helps it handle better than the sedan, and it feels as if its frame is more rigid.

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