2006 L.A. Auto Show: Nissan Altima Coupe

When we first heard Nissan was building a two-door version of its popular Altima sedan we weren’t really sure it made much sense. After seeing it here we’re pretty impressed with the looks. The coupe is based on the new Altima sedan and will feature all the same powertrains as the four-door. However, because of the lighter weight, shorter length, and lower height the company promises a sportier driving experience than the sedan.

A full breakdown of this new model for Nissan will follow later today. For now enjoy the pictures below and expect to see the new Altima two-door on sale this summer.

Cars.com 2006 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Comments

LOOKS ZIPPY. THE WHEELS HAVE TO GO. WOULD HAVE BEEN COOL IF THERE WERE DOORS LIKE THE RX-8. GOTS POWER SO WATCH YOUR BACK HONDA ACCORD AND PONTIAC G6. THE FRONT GRILLE RESEMBELES THE TRUNK. LOVE THE INTERIOR ESPECIALLY THE BATMAN STYLE STEERING WHEEL. NISSAN AGAIN STRIKES THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY WITH ALL THEIR NEW RELEASES. NOTE: ALL CARS NEED TO HAVE OR AT LEAST OFFER BACK-UP SENSORS.

[matt]

it basically looks like a exact copy of the Infiniti G35. dont get me wrong the lines on the car are awesome but .. too bad the car looks so so so much like the G35.

[daniel]

it's the German style of all of your products looking alike. Nissan hit the ball out of the park with this latest ID. It exceeds BMW's mediocre just wrong looks Herr Bangle vomits towards us. Luckily MBZ is not being as avant garde.
Oh, and that 3.5 liter V6 gives my 1520cc motorcycle a hard time at the launch. THAT's impressive.

[Eric]

Oh come on matt, (sarcasm) yeah who would want a good looking car that looks like another good looking car. Do you complain when BMW makes their 3 series look like their more expensive 5 and 7 series? Or how Mercedes trys to make their c-class look like a shrunken down S-class? Please....

This car's styling rocks, I feel sorry for Honda and their Accord coupe.

[egon]

VERY nice. I've been waiting for this for a long time now, I'm glad they did such a nice job on it. I assume the options and powertrain will remain the same as the new sedan. I don't know if I could stop myself from buying one of these when it comes out. I LOVE the G35 coupe, and I really like how it closely follows its tradition. I am in awe.

egon | www.AutomoBlog.net

[Dave T.]

Like I said in the post, I'm very surprised at how good this looks. The Solara and Accord are a tad boring in comparison.

[rome]

i agree with matt and shut up eric!!!!, the only reason the BMWs look alike is bcuz of their signature kidney grilles, so get it straight. this is the cheap version of the G35 coupe, look @ the 1st picture!!!

[Tom]

Well, there are lots of us that can't afford a G35 but can certainly afford an Altima, so I expect there will be lots of them sold. So my spiffy-looking car looks like a more expensive spiffy-looking car... so what? I'd be happy and so would my wallet!

[ben]

whats the matter wit nissan, are they entering a look-a-like contest or something.
1st is it was the versa looks like the Quest
2nd the sentra which looks like the maxima
and now its the altima coupe which is the G35 coupe.
I know these are all nissan products, but does it have to be obvisious.

[Mandy]

I really think it's sharp. I was going to buy a G6 in the summer, but I think I am going to get this instead. Sweet.

[M3]

Never even knew this one was coming, what a nice surprise. An affordable G35/350Z? Count me in! (As soon as my kids grow up and leave home...)

jim bob dunlap,
The G6 style was stolen directly from the toyota solara. nothing original about its design. and you actually believe the reliablity of PONTIAC is better than that of a NISSAN? Wake UP!

[happymantis]

who the hell thinks a Pontiac is more reliable than a nissan?????????????

[J]

Welcome another entry to the Accord Coupe, Solara, G6 Coupe crowd.
With G35 headlights, 07 Altima's grille, M35 (tC-like rear 3/4 quarter) tailights.

Wow, almost forgot it is a front drive, so this is just basically a cheaper, front-drive version of G35?

[Tor]

What happened to the front design of the Altimas (both)? Both like great from the side and the rear, but the headlights just look lame and don't fit the sporty and dynamic car. I have the same complaint with the Ford Fusion.

"who the hell thinks a Pontiac is more reliable than a nissan?????????????"

A lot of people judge car reliability based on one data point (their own experience). Predictably this leads to some extreme beliefs. If you believe decades of evidence (and lots of data) by Consumer Reports Nissans are way better, however, they have had some quality problems lately (mostly SUVs and minivans). Also Nissans do very well in European surveys of reliability.

Yeah!!

Watch your back Toyota Solara Coupe!!! This powerful Altima coupe that Toyota never thought would be in production, will be. So watch your sales go down Toyota Solara. Just a Camry except called SOLARA so it seems as if Toyota has a lot of cars.

It's an amazing car from Nissan.

It might look like a G35 coupe, but what's wrong with that?? It's better for it to look like a G35 than for it to look like a Toyota Solara which is so boring. At least Nissan is improving its lineup.

[J]

I think the Solara actually looks better than the Altima Coupe.
Yes, the Solara looks like the SC too...

[Suny]

hmm G35 in Nissan style, looks great. I am curious what is under the hood

[Tyler]

Either a VQ35DE or the QR25DE. Power and torque figures are different from the previous generation due to the updated SAE measurement standards. The VQ in the new Altima is SAE rated at 270 horses, versus the previous VQ's 260 non-SAE horses in the Altima SE-R. If the old measurement methods were used, you'd be looking at around 285 horses or so in this new mid-sized sedan and coupe.

This may be the car that breaks the Solara. If Toyota decided to put their 3.5 litre V6 in the Solara, I'd consider it along with Accord and Altima coupe. Solara won't last with the new Altima competing in this coupe market, and Honda had better keep a tight grip on their Accord coupe.

This car may seriously vault Altima sales through the roof.

[M3]

I think the Solara tries to hard and is grossly over-styled, especially the long stretched out lights front and rear. This Altima coupe, and the Accord coupe, are much classier and understated and elegant looking. The only thing about this car is there appears to be a little too much "air space" in the wheel wells; could benefit from larger wheels or a lowered suspension.

[state]

I think it look nice but which one would you buy 2007 altmia or 2008 altmia coupe

Ok the new Altima Coupe doesn't look identical to the G35 at all, they have a similar roofline and that's about it !!! I am not a big fan of what they did to the rear cuz these stretched out tail lights look awful to me but then again some like them better then the old clear ones, who knows. I was also disappointed to see that they made the front underskirt look lame like last's years Maxima instead of giving it a more aggressive look like on the new one but hey that would only make more of you cry that they share certain styling cues with other models. All manufacturers do that and Nissan is BY FAR not the worst offender. I do although disagree with the fact that the companies take the styling of more expensive cars and past it down to the cheap entry level ones because it then takes away from the original car. I mean if Porsche came out with cheap 50,000$ car that look almost identical to the 911 then a lot of us poor people would be happy but think about that poor guy who paid 150,000 for one and now has to look at every other Joe driving a cheaped down version of his truly amazing car.

[Jesse]

Poor guy, he paid 150,000 for a car he ain't a poor guy that is for sure. This car is awesome. And there are alot more people that can afford an Altima than a 350z/g35. Young 20 somethings especially. So what if the car somewhat resembles a cool car that people like. It won't hurt the sales of the other cars, because the people that can afford a $40000-$50000 car for the most part will still want the Infinity. The Altima is meant to me Entry level, A car that introduces younger people to the Nissan Brand and as they move up in life nissans goal is to keep customers loyal to the Nissan Brand. It isnt the first time they have done this, Look back to the 1997 Altima and Infinity J30. Toyota does too, look at the Previeous Lexus ES and Camry. So my point is no harm in having a new affordable car in your line-up. Good job nissan.

[Kal-el]

No where near the G35 Styling...like someone mentioned 2 posts above...the roof line and that is where it ends. I really like the direction Nissan is taking and it will get them a whole whack of customers. If anyone thinks Honda or Toyota are lacking behind...just see the new Accord Coupe concepts at the Detriot auto show this year...not even Honda can mess that one up.

[jyd]

Just how long does Nissan/Infiniti plan on pretending that their slope roof is the pinnacle of automotive design. Almost every ad they have touts their design as cutting edge but their vehicles are morphing into clones of each other. While the roof line does have a nice flow, the front end of all of their vehicles continues it's decline into a mix of awkwardness and homeliness. Just saying you have great design is not enough. They need to actually produce something that looks both different and good. Next!

[JoNaThAn]

THIS CAR IS OK AT LEAST NOW POOR PEOPLE WILL B ABLE TO AFFORD A FAKE VERSION OF G35 WHICH BY THE WAY THE G35 IS WAYYYYYY BETTER

[06altima3.5se]

honestly...this is a sexy coupe! i dont care much for the rx-8 doorlet...honestly it looks like crap...come on mazda! buid a real two-door two-plus-two coupe and ditch that nasty doorlet. and it isnt all that roomy in that vehicle! i am 6' and it is a pleasant experience back there! i rather have this sporty, sexy looking coupe than the rx-8.

[BC]

I rented a Nissan with CVT-- great shifting up gears but as soon as you lift off the pedal it slows drastically... no coasting-- not good! Gas mileage will suck - engine needs mid price gas (cost op operations go up).. grill is ugly... wheels are too--- I'm waiting for Accord Coupe or go upscale to Infinity coupe... they SHOULD make a MAXIMA coupe --- that would beat everybody!

[jyd]

BC, they better do something with the Maxima quickly. This Altima coupe is another nail in the Maxima coffin! They have done a nice job with the Altima in terms of bringing it upmarket a bit, better fit, performance and style than Altimas of old. The problem is they have painted themselves into a bit of a corner. This is a better value than the Maxima and if you want nicer you can step up to Infiniti.

[Harry]

The car looks great, would anyone know whats the MSRP on this car??

[AB]

hey i'd just like to say that im 22 years old and I have have some money saved up for a car. This seems like a nice car for someone my age. Maybe it can look ever better with a elegant body kit and maybe a wing... what are your thoughts on that?

[Anna]

ummmmm.... nissan and infiniti are sister companies, just like toyota and lexus.
It's not uncommon to make a car that is a cheaper version of the higher class ones, especially within the same companies.
I think it is very nice, and gives people who want a good looking car a chance not to spend an extra $15,000 for it.

[John]

It does look like a G35 but who cares? Like they said earlier, this one will be a lot more affordable with comparable power and amenities. Nothing wrong with the way a G35 looks! Sad to see my Pontiac G6 GT go but I'm in awe of this car!