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 September 14, 2007 Test Drive: 2008 Nissan Altima coupe
Discuss this story in the forum at CarTalkCanada Find this vehicle in CanadianDriver’s Classified AdsPhoto Gallery: 2008 Nissan Altima coupe Second opinion, by Chris Chase North Vancouver, British Columbia - Based on the redesigned 2007 Altima four-door sedan, the two-door Nissan Altima Coupe was introduced last June as a 2008 model. This is the first time the Altima has been offered as a two-door coupe, and it's just in time to compete with the recently redesigned 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, the Camry-based Toyota Solara Coupe, and the Pontiac G6 coupe.
Compared to the Altima sedan, the coupe is 185 mm (7.1 in.) shorter overall with a wheelbase that's 101 mm (4.0 in.) shorter, and a roof that is 66 mm (2.5 in.) lower. That, combined with its unique grille and headlamps, shorter rear overhang, fastback bodystyle, and bold red taillights, gives it a much more racy appearance than the sedan.
From the rear, there's a strong resemblance to the Pontiac G6 coupe, and I can't help wondering if Nissan used the G6 as its design inspiration.
Pricing and standard equipment
The base 2008 Altima Coupe 2.5S ($27,798) comes with Nissan's recently updated 175-hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a choice of a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional continuously variable transmission with a manual shifting mode.
Options on the 2.5S are the CVT ($1,200), metallic/pearl paint ($125), three-coat paint ($285), and a Premium Leather Package ($2,500) which includes leather seats, leather wrapped shifter, console lighting, manual driver's seat lumbar adjustment, dual-zone automatic climate control, auto dimming rear-view mirror, HomeLink garage door opener , compass in rear-view mirror, Bluetooth hands-free voice-activated phone, Bose audio system with in-dash six-CD changer with MP3/WMA playback capability, nine speakers, speed sensitive volume control, and XM Satellite Radio.
The optional Premium Leather Package ($4,100) in the 3.5SE is similar to the one offered on 2.5S, but also includes Vehicle Dynamic Control and Xenon HID headlights. An optional Navigation Package ($3,000) includes a 6.5-inch touch-screen with rearview camera, but the Premium Package must be ordered first to get it.
My test car was a four-cylinder 2.5S with the CVT, Premium Package, and metallic Adriatic Blue paint with a two-tone beige interior. The total as-tested price with options and Freight came to $32,923.
Interior impressions
The driver and front passenger have plenty of legroom and hiproom and supportive, well-bolstered front seats with seat heaters. Thanks to a height-adjustable driver's seat, most drivers will find adequate headroom, but right front passengers will find surprisingly little headroom: I'm 175 cm (5' 9") tall and my hair was brushing the ceiling (see photo). This is partly because the standard sunroof consumes at least an inch of headroom.
Rear headroom is also minimal and rear passengers sit right underneath the rear window, which can get quite uncomfortable in the hot sun. Rear legroom is okay for adults, but the centre rear seat hump is not very comfortable
Still, it's likely that most Altima Coupe buyers won't be parents with children, and will only be using the rear seats occasionally - or for extra storage space. What really matters is the front seating area, and apart from the lack of front passenger headroom, the front seats are a nice place to be.
With the optional leather seats, leather steering wheel and shift knob in my test car, I found the cabin quite attractive. The two-tone instrument panel, metal trim on the steering wheel, wood trim on the armrests and dash, chrome door handles, and aluminum trim around the shift lever, combine to give the cabin a classy look.
The optional dual-zone climate control (part of the Premium Leather Package) gives the driver and front passenger control over their own temperature settings, but not the fan speed. The temperature and fan speed indicators are illuminated for easy reference at night.
The three gauges behind the steering wheel are very easy to read - its large numerals backlit in white with a red perimeter really stand out, day or night.
Standard safety equipment includes front-seat side airbags, and side-curtain airbags, front seat active head restraints, front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) child seat anchors and tether system.
The Coupe's trunk however, is quite shallow, and at 210 litres (7.4 cu. ft.) is less than half the size of the Altima sedan's. It's also a smaller than the trunks in the Pontiac G6 Coupe (311 litres) and the Toyota Solara Coupe (391 litres). Some redemption can be found in the split folding rear seatbacks which increase the load length.
Driving impressions
The "Intelligent Key" that comes standard in the Altima Coupe uses a wireless signal to let the car know you're in the car - the driver simply pushes the Start button to start the engine, and pushes it again to stop the engine - the key can be left in your pocket or purse.
Visibility ahead and to the sides is good but rear visibility is restricted by the high trunklid, two rear head restraints and a centre brakelight housing. When backing into a parking space, I found it difficult to judge the distance to a wall, or a car behind.
The Altima Coupe's vehicle-speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion steering system offers light steering effort when parking, and a firm, steady feel at highway cruising speeds. Brakes are discs all around with standard ABS and Brake Assist to help in panic stops.
Official fuel consumption figures with the CVT are 8.9 L/100 km (32 mpg) city; and 6.3 L/100 km (45 mpg) highway, but my onboard computer showed an average of 9.4 L/100 km in my week of mostly city driving.
The Altima Coupe has a fully independent suspension and standard P215/60R-16-inch Continental ContiPro Contact all-season tires. Handling is very good in the dry, though the ride is a bit stiff over pavement breaks and expansion joints. With a shorter wheelbase than the sedan, it feels more nimble through the corners, but with the front-weight bias of front-wheel drive, the Coupe is not meant to compete with rear-drive coupes like the Infiniti G37, despite its generous horsepower. This is a sporty coupe, not a performance coupe.
Verdict
The four-cylinder Altima Coupe 2.5S with the optional continuously variable transmission is a very quiet and comfortable car with a stylish body, good performance and a classy interior. But rear visibility is poor and there's limited headroom and trunk space.
Pricing: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S CVT
Specifications
Related stories on CanadianDriver
Competitors
Crash test results
Manufacturer's web site
Greg Wilson is a Vancouver-based automotive journalist and editor of CanadianDriver
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