Nissans entry in our 4-cylinder family sedan comparison is the 2008 Altima 2.5 SL. MT Associate Editor Allyson Harwood gives us her impressions.
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00:00 This is the 2008 Nissan Altima SL.
00:08 This features the 2.5 liter inline four, which has 170 horsepower and 175 pound feet of torque.
00:15 And it's backed by a continuously variable automatic.
00:18 This is actually the most expensive car of the group as tested.
00:22 While base price is around 21,000, ours came out just over 29.
00:27 Remember that you do get what is essentially the top line model with a four cylinder.
00:32 That comes with leather, power everything, XM satellite radio, nav system, and a rear
00:38 view camera.
00:39 But it's going to be up to the consumer to decide whether or not spending that amount
00:43 is worth it to have a four cylinder sedan when you can get something like the Sonata
00:47 or the Camry or even a different trim level on the Altima for a lot less money.
00:52 The Altima's exterior design does have that distinct Nissan look.
00:56 It's rounded, yet it has an edge to it.
00:58 And that's a good combination for this vehicle.
01:01 You also see something similar to that inside, which is a modern monochromatic layout.
01:06 There are a lot of functions.
01:08 There are a lot of features.
01:09 Yet because of a fairly clean, simple design to the center stack, they're really easy to
01:14 use and easy to learn.
01:15 The Altima does have some performance and some sportiness to it.
01:19 It is quick.
01:20 It does hold its own in turns.
01:22 But at the same time, it's not groundbreaking.
01:24 At the track, the Nissan Altima went from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7.7 seconds and
01:30 completed a quarter mile in 16 seconds at 88.5 miles per hour and went from 60 to 0
01:38 miles per hour in 129 feet.
01:42 It circled our figure eight course in 28.1 seconds at .58 G average and its maximum lateral
01:49 acceleration is .79 G average.
01:54 Overall, the Altima is a very good vehicle in this category.
02:00 The two and a half liter four has plenty of power.
02:03 It's quick.
02:04 You'll never have to worry about that on the freeway.
02:06 It handles well.
02:07 But at the same time, it's not necessarily best in class.
02:11 Another issue here is, you know, it's pricey.
02:14 You can get rid of some packages and get a lot of the same car for a lot less money.