2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 V6 Reviewed

Time was when the Altima was just another economy sedan from Nissan. Competing with the Toyota Camry and the Mazda 626, there wasn’t a lot to say about it, except that it was inexpensive and generally OK - a typical Japanese economy car.

But with the Sentra now occupying the economy slot in Nissan’s lineup, the Altima has been able to climb up-market, with a larger footprint and a selection of bigger engines and more interesting configurations.

You can get an Altima as a sedan, coupe, and with your choice of 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder, and hybrid engines. All available evidence says that the Altima is Nissan’s workhorse – the car that keeps the dealers in business. And that’s good news for the dealers and for Nissan, because the Altima is now a very nice car.

Our test vehicle was a 2008 Altima sedan with the 3.5-liter V6 – the same plant that powers the Nissan and Infiniti sports car lineup. From the Driving Sports perspective, Nissan is hitting all the right notes these days – the car is fast, technologically advanced, offers good value, and handles well.

The Altima with the top of the line V6 gives you 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque – and since we know the engine can do 300 in other models, you can bet that a cat-back exhaust here or an intake there can easily boost those numbers. You get a CVT transmission – and these are rapidly becoming the two-pedal transmission of choice. You don’t have to live with the power loss and shift lag of a slushbox, and they’re a hell of a lot cheaper than a true clutchless manual. I was impressed with the amount of get up and go in the Altima at all revs and under all conditions.

Handling and braking were very good – just what you’d expect from Nissan. And the car looks great for a respectable sedan. Unless your friends and co-workers have to be impressed by an expensive nameplate, the 2008 Altima will never shame you.

The car is comfortable inside – with no pretensions. There’s no fake woodgrain, nor a lot of bling to worry about. It’s plastic, yes, but tasteful matte black and grey. The climate and stereo and nav controls are well-done and easy. Oh yeah – the car comes with Nav and satellite and all the upscale stuff. And a rear-view backup camera, which has before been the province of cars priced well above the $32,485 sticker price of the Altima.

Fuel economy is good – at 19/26, you can get V6 performance without sacrificing too much at the pump. That’s the CVT working for you again.  About the only thing I wished for was that the Altima could share the rear wheel drive that Nissan puts into the Infiniti line.

I can’t really find anything that bugged me about the Altima. It feels solid, it’s comfortable, and it’s got lots of neat features. At $32K, it’s priced right in there with the competition. It’s got enough 350Z DNA to be fun, and yet it’s completely reasonable for people who need a sedan that will carry 4 adults in comfort. So, as I once said about the Infiniti G35 – if you need to haul clients, but you long to haul ass, the 2008 Altima is a good solid choice.