2008 Nissan Altima 2.5SL 2.5L gas
Summary:
So far, truly excellent
Faults:
A tire is out of balance
A screw fell out of the center console. Easily replaced.
General Comments:
So far, with 8700 miles on the car, I wouldn't expect trouble. But from some reviews of various cars, that is apparently not the case. The car is reliable, smooth, comfortable, even luxurious with the tan leather interior. We are averaging 26-27mpg (all cold weather driving in Minnesota) on a new engine. That is a mix of city and highway--mostly highway. At 175 hp and 180lb ft of torque, the engine pulls like a V6. In fact it has the same performance numbers as some competitors' V6s. Every time I drive the car I annoy my wife by announcing my undying love for it. It's just plain an excellent car. The dealership has been great to work with both in the purchase and servicing (oil changes and tire balancing) of the car. They gave us higher than any book value I could find for our old Civic and dropped their price on the Altima to $24,600. That price reflects a $1400. discount plus 1.9% financing for 60 months. This is a 2.5SL (leather interior, dual zone climate control, aluminum wheels, trip computer, auto-dimming mirror with compass, moonroof, power driver's seat, express up and down on both driver and passenger power windows, etc.) with all the accessories (trunk organizer, first aid kit, sunroof visor, aluminum step plates, upgraded floor mats, a spoiler, and a trunk mat).
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st April, 2008
17th May 2008, 07:58
I am the original reviewer. We have 10500 miles on the car now with no trouble except the slight imbalance in one tire that has gotten no worse, so we're just living with it. Mileage has been coming up all spring and now we are getting an average of near 30 mpg. We drive mostly highway (75% or so). Using the engine computer (which is only accurate when it's warm--like now) it looks like 34-35mpg on the highway going 65-70mph should be very achievable. One oddity is that it looks like we would get 40mpg+ if we could maintain 55mph. That's interesting. I'd like to test the theory on some long empty back-roads sometime. Anyway still enjoying this car. I've read other comments about an odd side to side swaying motion in their cars. I certainly can't feel it. The only time I feel anything like that is when there is a strong side wind or the road surface reflects the motion. I'll try to post later to keep everyone up to date.