2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Performance Review
Performance - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe's two engine options receive fairly good reviews, but the car's performance score and ranking is hurt by disappointment that Nissan doesn't provide sports-car-like performance to match the coupe's stylish good looks. According to Car and Driver, the Coupe "handles tidily, but the ride is slightly stiff-legged."
The most praise goes to the continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the high-end 3.5 SE trim. "Mostly," says Edmunds, "the Altima coupe's lively performance comes from the CVT, which makes good on the promise that a CVT is better than a regular automatic transmission."
Acceleration and Power
The 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe comes with two engine choices. The 2.5 S is equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. Reviewers say good things about the engine without quite raving over it. The Chicago Sun-Times calls it "sophisticated." New Car Test Drive says that it has "quite competent performance," and AutoWeek felt that "at no point did we find ourselves particularly wanting for power with the four-banger." The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports the four-cylinder engine should achieve 23 miles per gallon in the city, 32 on high ways with a manual transmission. With the automatic, the Altima Coupe's four cylinder rates at 23 mpg in the city, 31 on the highway.
The 3.5 SE has a more powerful 3.5-liter V6 with 270 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and this choice elicits far more reviewer enthusiasm. Car and Driver says that the Altima Coupe "is pretty darned fast in V-6 form, with 0-to-60-mph acceleration happening in 5.8 seconds (0.1 second quicker than the sedan) and a quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 97 mph." The Chicago Tribune reports, "Plenty of life and off-the-line punch." And while Edmunds doesn't think that the engine's acceleration will set any records, they also believe that "away from the test track, you'll be convinced this is a fast car. Partly it's the sweet power delivery of the VQ V6, which offers just the right balance of smoothness and personality in this grand-touring application." But Automobile Magazine notes "270 hp can overwhelm this front-wheel-drive chassis. Lay on the gas pedal, and wheel spin prevents you from making the most of what has long been one of the best V-6s out of Japan." According to the EPA, the Altima Coupe's V6 should achieve 19 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway with the manual transmission; 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway with the automatic.
Both trims come standard with a six-speed manual transmission or optionally with an Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) with manual mode. Most report drivers should opt for the latter. "The CVT is nicely matched to the engine, is smooth and efficient, and has a quick-shifting manual mode," says Car and Driver. "From our experience of the notchy shifter in a manual-transmission Altima sedan, the CVT is the better choice." Reviewers are especially impressed with how well the CVT works compared with other, non-Nissan CVTs on the market. "Nissan seems to have proprietary voodoo it works on CVTs (continuously variable automatic transmissions) to keep them from feeling like a manual transmission with a slipping clutch, as some CVTs do," says USA Today. "Whatever Nissan does to the pulleys-and-belt CVT, it's pleasing, appealing, satisfying." The Car Connection writes: "Nissan has done a remarkable job of eliminating that rubberband effect that most other CVTs suffer through -- where you hear the engine rev up while waiting for the car to catch up, much like a stretched rubberband. And there's a manual mode that creates a series of artificial, gear-like steps, for more sporty driving." New Car Test Drive offers a rare dissent from the praise: "The CVT … seems lazy and ill at ease, leaving the engines wandering about their power curves and often sounding as if they're straining even if they aren't." Not surprisingly, they prefer the manual: "Of the two transmissions, the six-speed manual is the clear choice for fun driving." But Motor Trend sides with the CVT lovers: "We like it a lot, and so will most Coupe buyers."
Handling and Braking
Reviewers like the way the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe handles, but emphasize the difference in suspension settings between the 2.5 S and the 3.5 SE make the former the choice for comfortable city driving and the latter the one for sporty highway jaunts. Of the 2.5 S, AutoWeek says, "Rather than always wanting to push it hard on freeway ramps (as we would with, say, a Mustang), we found the car perfect for cruising around town, letting the Bose sound system fill the cabin with music -- all the while averaging 26.9 mpg during 600-plus miles of driving." New Car Test Drive says of the 3.5 SE, "It's a tauter set up, focused more on responsive handling than plush ride." The Family Car found the "ride was firm but supple" and the New York Times says that the Altima Coupe's "fully independent suspension, with struts and coil springs up front and a multilink rear setup, loves to caress the road."
The Altima Coupe's speed-sensitive variable-assist power-rack-and-pinion steering is good if not exciting. New Car Test Drive reports steering "is respectably responsive, not especially crisp, but with competent turn-in and feedback through the steering wheel. When pushed, understeer (where the car wants to go straight instead of turning) is the dominant characteristic, as expected." The Detroit Free Press writes "the Nissan's steering features well-tuned speed-sensitive power assist for a fine combination of light effort at low speeds and good on-center feel in highway cruising." The one thing about the steering that does excite reviewers is the lack of torque steer. "To its credit," says The Car Connection, "Nissan has also largely eliminated any torque steer, that annoying lurch often experienced when aggressively launching a front-wheel-drive car."
The Altima Coupe's four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes get mixed but mostly good reviews. The Chicago Sun-Times found "stopping distances were short, with good brake pedal feel." And Motor Trend feels that they "delivered consistent stops with little drama."
