The Nissan Altima, on the market for 15 years, is a practical five-passenger family sedan with handling and performance that impresses consumers. There have been four generations of Altimas. The sedan has more recently been aimed at traditional segment leaders, and as such it has quickly matured in terms of features, finesse and power. The Nissan Altima manages to distinguish itself by offering ample yet refined power, especially with the optional V6, along with perhaps the sportiest handling of any family sedan. It also boasts a pleasant
interior. Anyone in search of used practical yet lively daily transportation should give the Altima a hard look.
Second generation used Nissan Altima 1998–2001
The second generation Altima was an American market-only version. A new interior brought a revised glovebox and cup holders, a folding back seat (except on XE), and depowered airbags. While total volume remained identical at 108 cubic feet, most felt it was distributed better and resulted in a slightly roomier-feeling cabin. On the downside, many were let down by the new model's plainer styling and cheapened interior; some also felt the gas pedal was now too lightly sprung. Trim lines were the stripped XE, volume-selling GXE, sporty SE, and luxury-trimmed GLE. The SE can be distinguished by its body-color grille, fog lights, rear spoiler, alloy wheels, and white-faced gauges. In this generation of Altima, all GLEs had leather seats standard. For 1999 the uplevel cassette/CD stereo got a new faceplate, GXE and SE models gained variable intermittent wipers, and GLEs gained standard alloy wheels. Many changes came for the 2000 model year. Gearing and final drive ratios were shortened on both transmissions, stabilizer bars were thickened, and the steering was firmed up. The Altima grew slightly longer and got a deeper front grille, one-piece headlamps with turn signals, all-red taillights, and plastic trim on the decklid.
Third generation Altima 2002–2006
The third-generation Altima was the first mass-market product built on Nissan's new FF-L platform, which was unique to North America and had no equivalent model in Japan. The Altima grew enormously for this generation, as interior volume expanded to 118.8 cubic feet. The Altima's interior dimensions even surpassed that of the higher-end 2000-03 Maxima, so the 2004 Maxima was moved more upscale into the full-size bracket. Also biggest in class was the Altima's 20-gallon fuel tank. The new Altima also upgraded its rear suspension to a multi-link type and its brakes to 4-wheel discs. 2003–2004 models received two tone dash colour, and the 3.5 SE received an upgrade in horsepower, from 240 hp to 245 hp, though torque stays the same. In 2005 the Altima received a facelift, including a new front grille, all-red taillights, redesigned interior, and an optional DVD-based navigation system.
Fourth generation Altima 2007–present
The fourth generation Nissan Altima was the first vehicle to use the smaller Nissan D platform, with a new front and upgraded rear suspension. The wheelbase is 1-inch shorter than the third generation Altima, but interior space is mostly unchanged. The 2007 Nissan Altima uses revised versions of the engines from the third generation model. The 2007 Altima sports some more recent innovations in the market, including, but not limited to, standard "push-button start", Bluetooth capability for cell phones, and a parking camera.
Used Nissan Altima Hybrid
The Altima Hybrid is Nissan's first hybrid car. When first introduced in 2007 and continuing through the 2009 model year, the Altima's hybrid-drive system is licensed from Toyota's hybrid technology. The company has asserted that subsequent hybrid models will be based on hybrid technology developed in-house. The Altima Hybrid is also available in Canada. The Nissan Altima Hybrid is also used as a regular taxi vehicle and as a police cruiser with the NYPD. The Hybrid Altima features a 2.5 L QR25DE engine, CVT and electric motor/generator. Its fuel efficiency is 42 mpg-imp; 35 mpg city and 40 mpg-imp; 33 mpg-US highway.