2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Interior Review
Interior - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe's interior is pleasantly upscale. "Nissan once had some pretty marginal looking interiors," says the Chicago Sun-Times, "but the coupe shows the automaker can come up with pretty good ones." The Altima Coupe gets a good overall score and ranks in the middle of affordable midsize class for its cabin.
Seating
The Nissan Altima Coupe's seating is comfortable, as long as you're either the driver or the front seat passenger. "The support and comfort offered by the heavily bolstered sport seats are excellent in the Altima coupe," says AutoWeek. The Car Connection notes a unique set of bucket seats, "which are both comfortable and supporting. After several hours of driving, we felt none of the fatigue we often experience sliding around in some competitors' poorly padded and bolstered seats."
Despite the front row's lower roof, the Detroit Free Press says "front headroom is excellent, as are all dimensions in the roomy and comfortable front seat." USA Today describes the seats as "wide enough for middle-age backsides … tight enough to hold occupants in place during the enthusiastic driving the car invites." The Chicago Sun-Times says, "There's good room for two tall occupants up front in heavily bolstered bucket seats."
But in the second row, "legroom is minimal," as the Detroit Free Press writes, "but headroom is a more serious problem, making the rear seat virtually uninhabitable for anyone much taller than 5 feet 9 inches." The Chicago Tribune says, "don't expect lavish room in back -- especially head room. Cupholders built into both cabin walls will hold the water to wash down the aspirin after you clunk your melon on the ride." Motor Trend, however, finds "you can stash a pair of average-size adult friends in the aft quarters -- at least for short-distance runs."
Interior Features
AutoWeek says the Altima Coupe's overall layout "is attractive and easy to navigate, and the switchgear feels substantial, not cheap and flimsy. In fact, the same staffers who said they'd pass on the 350Z when it bowed based solely on the cheap interior couldn't say the same with the Altima coupe." But a few have minor complaints about the choice of materials. "Aside from a few chintzy trim pieces," says Automobile Magazine, "our 3.5SE test car's leather-trimmed interior -- replete with the same white start button you'd find in a G35, well-bolstered sport seats, dual-zone climate control, and an optional Bose stereo that makes the side mirrors shake -- was hardly that of a poor man's car." To Edmunds, "the cabin of the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe has a vaguely industrial ambience … The soft-touch plastic that trims the dash feels rubbery to the touch, and the action of the various dials feels grainy and unpleasant."
The dashboard is generally thought to be nicely designed. Even Edmunds likes the "simple, well-organized controls." New Car Test Drive notes: "Much of the Coupe interior is borrowed from the Altima sedan, so the dash has been well de-bugged. The layout is comfortable, with gauges, audio and climate control heads and storage facilities where they should be and in the expected quantities."
The 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe has a good set of interior features. "For the base price of $20,490, the Altima 2.5 S Coupe is reasonably well equipped," says The Family Car. Motor Trend says, "Even at entry level, there's a lot to like here." These features include power windows, remote door locks, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD sound system, dual-zone air-conditioning and security/immobilizer systems. AutoWeek adds, "The only feature we found lacking was a shallow cubby for an iPod or cell phone." The favorite feature of many reviewers is the keyless entry system and push-button ignition. "The standard proximity key lets you lock and unlock the car if you have the fob in your pocket or purse," says USA Today, "and lets you start and stop the engine by pushing a big dashboard button. Sounds silly, but it's one of those features that after having it awhile, you can't imagine not."
Cargo
The Altima Coupe's trunk space is limited. According to the Chicago Tribune, "The wheelwells eat into the sides while speakers in the parcel shelf behind the back seat dip into it from above." Edmunds says, "The coupe's trunk space is minimal at just 7.4 cubic feet, but it's a useful space with a wide opening and the 60/40-split rear seats fold completely flat, providing a cargo area large enough to bring home an awful lot of dry-cleaning plus some groceries, too." The Chicago Sun-Times adds "it's best to flip down the rear seatbacks to significantly enlarge the rather modest cargo area."
