December 12, 2007
Page B6
. P o r t la n d O b s e r v e r
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
2008 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Coupe
The True Coupe
by K athleen C arr
The new est extension o f N issan's best­
selling A ltiina lineup is the sporty new
Coupe. T he eoupe is geared for tw enty to
thirty-som ething professionals w ithout a
family w ho want a e a r w ith above-average
perform ance rather than a m ileage-con­
scious appliance.
The A ltim a C oupe sets itself apart from
the segm ent by being m ore than ju st an
A ltim a Sedan m inus tw o doors. A cool
coupe adds a certain am ount o f luster and
m ystique to a traditional sedan lineup.
W ith that in mind, the Nissan designers
designed the new m odel from the get-go
as a coupe instead o f merely a tw o-door
version o f the existing A ltim a sedan.
N issan designers chopped more than
seven inches from the overall length and
dropped the roofline by more than two
inches. It gives the A ltim a coupe an ag­
gressive and sporting stance, with broad
rear shoulders.
But there w ere consequences. You have
to duck to get into the front seats, and the
rear seats are sim ilar to wearing jeans two-
sizes-too-sm all; not som ething for long
endurance. H ow ever, people w ho buy
coupes rarely transport back-seat p as­
sengers, and the front seats have plenty of
space and com fort once you fold yourself
inside. The rear seatbacks fold dow n for
additional cargo, w hich is a good thing
because the trunk has only about seven
cubic feet o f space.
The new Coupe is part o f the fourth-
generation A ltim a design, which utilizes
N issan's all-new, highly acclaim ed “D ”
platform with increased body rigidity and
a redesigned suspension. This new plat­
form w as developed with the objective of
m aking A ltim a one o f the best perform ing
large front-w heel drive vehicles available
with global appeal.
The A ltim aScom esw itha2.5-liter, 175-
horsepow er 4-cylinder for the m ileage
m inded (23 m.p.g. c ity /3 1 m .p.g.). The SE
com es with a 3.5-liter, 270-h.p. V -6 for
those w ho spend m ore tim e in the passing
lane; enthusiasts likely will be smitten.
U nlike its four-cylinder sibling, how ever,
the 3.5 SE requires premium fuel. The four-
banger is certainly adequate for most
people, with decent acceleration and easy
highw ay cruising.
Both engines have a 6-speed m anual or
a continuously variable autom atic with
infinite gear ratios. Nissan expects about
six out o f 10 buyers will choose a four-
cylinder model, mostly with the autom atic
CVT.
A ll A ltim as have stan d ard sid e -im ­
pact airb ag s for the front seats, side
c u rta in airb a g s an d ac tiv e head re ­
strain ts for the front seats. A ntilock
b rakes are not o ffered on the b ase 2.5
m odel but are o p tio n al on the 2.5 S and
sta n d a rd on V -6 -p o w e re d A ltim a s.
N issan 's elec tro n ic stab ility system is
o p tio n al for V -6 A ltim as.
Specifications: 2.5-Liter, 16-Valve 4-Cylinder 1 75-hp@180 Ib-ft. torque Engine; Xtronic (CVT) automatic transmission;
23-City 31-Highway MPG; $23,080. MSRP
Com fort and convenience features in­
clude: tilt/telescope steering wheel, cruise
control, cloth upholstery, front bucket
seats, center console, split folding rear
seat, pow er w indow s, pow er door locks,
rem ote keyless entry, keyless access and
starting, tachometer, variable-interm ittent
w ipers, rear defogger.
M ost car buyers don't have the luxury
o f purchasing a different car for all the
types o f driving they do. W hile a sports
car for a favorite road, a luxury sedan for
a night out. That w ould be nice if you had
the m eans -most shoppers don’t. That's
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why it makes sense to look for a car that
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A ltim a Coupe plays to this type o f buyer,
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perform ance and com fort needs o f en thu­
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