Nissan Altima 2009
Many Nissan midsize sedans don’t draw much attention compared to higher profile offerings from Honda and Toyota and the 2009 Nissan Altima unfortunately falls into this category as well. While in the past this is quite justifiable given that Nissan’s design are far from inspiring, in recent years this has change significantly. That’s the problem having to change buyers opinion that’s stuck into their subconscious. You can see that the Altima draws its sharp body borrows styling cues from better endowed Infiniti, which is far from boring.
The Altima firmly splits its fans into 2 groups. Those who absolutely love it for what it offers as a package and those that absolutely love to hate it! But longtime Nissan fans know a gem when the spot one and even some who have never given Nissan a second glance have been converted after test drives.
The Nissan Altima offers an entertaining driving experiences available in a family car. While it is no sports cars and should not be driven as one, many people prefer its driving dynamics compared to more popular offerings from Honda and Toyota aka the Accord and Camry. Being the lightest car in its class and a well built chassis and sorted out suspension makes it a fun car to drive. While some say the electric steering assist is too sensitive, making the steering feel too light, this is largely a matter of taste and getting used to.
The one major hang-up is the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). It is designed to be smooth and with almost linear acceleration, many drivers don’t get the kick in the butt feeling saying the car lack punch. Okay, the base model comes with a 4-cylinder 175 hp engine and might be lacking if you are looking for some serious fun. If that’s what you are after and still want to haul your family around, a 270 hp 3.5-liter V6 is available with sports tuned suspension as an option too.
Interior wise the Altima offers ample space for its occupants both front and rear. While at the rear it does lose out compared to both the Accord and Camry.
The dashboard is simple, elegant and intuitive inline with uncluttered ergonomic. Surely the reason being designing cars for a larger user group; see my post about Making Cars for Old People.
Overall, the 2009 Nissan Altima has enough fans to keep Nissan happy with sales and fans happy that for once, Nissan have something to cater to older drivers looking for some fun, once in a while, with class leading fuel economy.
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