Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Nissan Altima
Attractive styling, great gas mileage and new tech features help make the redesigned-for-2013 Nissan Altima stand out in the competitive midsize car class, according to Cars.com Editor Mike Hanley. Though the front seats are very comfy, the car’s relatively bland interior design puzzled Hanley. It was one of only a few complaints he had about the new version of Nissan’s best-selling car.
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It was just announced that the new Altima has gotten it's EPA mpg numbers validated and they came in at the expected 27/38. Wow. The V-6 came in at 24/31 for a combined of 27. Saw this on automobilemag.com and hope the V-6 numbers aren't a typo because that is pretty impressive.
Lance,
We're actually working on that fix right now. As you can guess it takes a lot of work to get a review published and we didn't have the info when it was built. Hopefully it will be updated soon. Thanks for the comment.
in pix those seats remind me of a mid 90's Buick!! I think the Optima looks better but this will prolly sell better....
You are right the interior is very blah like it came out of the '90's. The trunk pass-through is rather small. The styling is still not pleasing to my eye. The shoulder line dipping at the front of the front door makes it look like the car got smashed down right there. I guess I'll have to see it in person.
@d
I don't really care what the seats look like as long as they are supporttive in turns and comfortable on a trip. From what I've read from over a dozen reviews, the seats are one of the best things about this new Altima.
@wtf
If you mean it doesn't look like a spaceship console like the Hyundais and Fords you are right. However, I personally like the low key more Euro look that isn't flashy but uses quality materials and is functional.
@david thomas
I didn't post to correct you guys, I was just adding some info. Obviously, a reveiw of this type takes a while to put together and wouldn't include information that just came available the very day it was posted. But keep up the good work, it is a good review.
How was the head room? My mother-in-law has an outgoing model and my head rubs the headliner when I drive it (6'2"). I have more room in my Aura. Glad to hear about the seats as the current front seats are very flat and hard.
With the regular gas engine and a CVT tranny, its able to get 38 MPG highway and that's excellent. For the YTD-2012, its ahead of Accord, I guess it may overtake Camry as well.
As far as styling goes, it's almost like Nissan said "We must concentrate all of our efforts to the exterior...then we will throw together an interior and call it a day."
Re: Steering Feel. Do the comments in the review about inconsistent feel, vague centering / excessive play, etc. apply equally to the I4 and V6 models? Do the better tires on the V6 trims make a difference?
I've had several Altimas as rentals during 2010, 2011, and this year.
I think it is a reasonably good value for the money, as long as you buy the version that costs around $21K.
Anything more than that and I would recommend a Sonata, Camry or Accord, in that order.
My only objection is the CVT. I don't care for them. Pulling out of the airports I would floor the gas pedal and the engine would drone on as I slowly got up to speed.
It was like stepping on a banana peel and the droning never quit.
No matter how fast or how slow I was going the drone remained the same because the CVT was doing all the work, matching speed ratios to load.
With a six speed manual this Altima would be hot!
No thanks I'm waiting on the new Fusion. Now that's a great looking car!