2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Good-bye, Road-tripping Friend
Miles to Date: 25,166
I would like to congratulate any owner of a <a class="model-keyword-link" data-make="nissan" data-model="altima" data-module-id="Mod271" href="https://tat-2-heaven.com/cars/nissan/altima/">Nissan Altima</a> that is equipped with a navigation system. Your nav setup is ten times better than the ones used by anyone you s
After 25,166 miles and twelve months, our Four Seasons 2013 Nissan Altima has left us. Will we miss it? Kinda. Did we say good things about it in its last days? Definitely.
Road test editor Christopher Nelson hooked up the VBox and conducted performance testing at the Chrysler Proving Grounds. Nelson's conclusion: "The Altima might be the perfect bracket racer -- it produced ridiculously consistent quarter-mile times during instrumented testing. That's largely a result of its CVT." If you're wondering (and Altima owners almost certainly aren't), the car's typical quarter-mile sprint lasted 14.6 seconds and took it to a speed of 103 mph; 60 mph came in 6.3 seconds -- very good numbers for a comfortable, spacious, innocuously stylish mid-size sedan. While we're speaking quantitatively, you should know that we averaged 26 mpg for our year with the red Nissan . That's 1 mpg better than the EPA's combined figure -- not bad for a bunch of leadfooted drivers. Owners who care a lot about fuel economy will be best served by the four-cylinder Altima, which is rated at 31 mpg combined (and which outsells the V-6 model by a lot).
Deputy editor Joe DeMatio enjoyed several days driving a "lovely, lovely" Jaguar XF Supercharged in Southern California, but upon his return to Michigan said this about the workaday Altima: "I would like to congratulate any owner of a Nissan Altima that is equipped with a navigation system. Your nav setup is ten times better than the ones used by anyone you see driving a Jaguar or a Range Rover. You know, those vehicles that cost anywhere from two to three to four to five times as much as your Altima."
Associate editor Greg Migliore drove the Altima during its final weekend with us and treated it to some autumn activities in and around Detroit. "The Altima was excellent for navigating Motown traffic, offering plenty of power from the 270-hp V-6. The CVT is inoffensive, and I enjoyed playing with the paddles. The trunk easily swallowed $150 worth of groceries, which included a case of beer and two pumpkins. All in all, the Altima did exactly what it was asked."
Migliore's closing remarks summed up our opinion of the car: "The Altima is a nicely equipped, handsome, and practical sedan. I find it a touch boring, but that doesn't detract from its widespread appeal and enduring practicality. If you are in the market for a mid-size sedan, the Altima is worth investigating."
Overview
Body style4-door sedan
Accommodation5-passenger
ConstructionSteel unibody
Base price (with dest. )$30,860
As tested$32,135
Options
Technology package
$1,090
7-inch navigation display
Blind spot monitoring system
Lane departure warning
Moving object detection
Carpeted floor mats and trunk mat$185
Powertrain
Engine24-valve DOHC V-6
Displacement3.5 liters (213 cu in)
Power270 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque251 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
TransmissionContinuously variable
DriveFour-wheel
EPA Fuel Economy22/31/25 (city/hwy/combined)
Chassis
SteeringElectrically assisted
Lock-to-lock2.75 turns
Turning circle37.4 ft
Suspension, FrontStrut-type, coil springs
Suspension, RearMultilink, coil springs
Brakes F/RVented discs/discs
Wheels18-inch aluminum
TiresDunlop SP Sport 7000
Tire size235/45VR-18
Measurements
Headroom F/R39.1/37.1 in
Legroom F/R45.0/36.1 in
Shoulder room F/R56.4/56.4 in
Wheelbase109.3 in
Track F/R62.0/62.0 in
L x W x H191.5 x 72.0 x 58.1 in
Passenger capacity100.5 cu ft
Cargo capacity15.4 cu ft
Weight3355 lb
Weight dist. F/R62/38 %
Fuel capacity18.0 gal
Est. fuel range450 miles
Fuel grade87 octane
Equipment
standard equipmentKeyless entry and ignitionPower sunroofFog lightsHands-free text messaging assistantBluetoothRearview cameraPaddle shiftersActive understeer controlHeated front seats and steering wheelCruise control9-speaker Bose audio systemSiriusXM satellite radio w/3-month trial subscriptionUSB portAuto-dimming rearview mirrorAutomatic dual-zone climate controlLeather-appointed seatsAutomatic HID headlightsLED taillightsHeated exterior mirrors
My love for cars started with a book called The Complete History of Chrysler Corporation, 1924–1985 and a triple-green 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340. The book -- currently tattered and Kool-Aid stained in my Automobile Magazine office -- fostered my appreciation for automotive history. The car -- currently with 51,000 miles and needing quite a few replacement parts in my dad’s garage -- fostered my appreciation for acceleration and how glorious it is to have at least four senses assaulted by a cool car.
Early vehicular favorites slanted heavily toward vintage Mopars. (I grew up in Chelsea, Michigan, where my dad, like most dads in Chelsea, worked at Chrysler’s proving grounds.) '71 Barracudas and '68 Chargers have been high on the dream list since back then, but I’m much more worldly these days, thanks in large part to having sampled much of New York bureau chief Jamie Kitman’s vintage British fleet, so my dream garage’s old Mopars are now joined by names like Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Ford Lotus Cortina, MGA, Sunbeam Lotus, and Jaguar XK120, which fight vehicles like AMC SC/Ramblers, bay-window Volkswagen Microbus campers, and Buick Skylark Sport Wagons for real estate in my daydream thought bubbles.
Old cars were once new, and my affections steadfastly extend to new cars. Since I started working at Automobile Magazine in 2004, I’ve been fortunate enough to have driven the majority of new cars built. Highlights of the late-model cars that currently vie for position with vintage metal in my automotive daydreams (in neutral alphabetical order): Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Dodge Ram (oh, so sorry--Ram 1500), Ferrari 458 Italia, Ford GT, Ford Mustang Boss 302, Lotus Elise, Maserati Quattroporte, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, and Porsche Boxster.
Even though I’ve driven just about every new car on the market, from exotics to econoboxes, my personal top speed in a car was established before I had a driver's license, when my dad rocketed me around the Chelsea Proving Grounds’ oval track at 155 mph in a topless Dodge Viper in 1993. Speaking of ovals, an Albion College internship at Michigan International Speedway in 2001 marked my big break into this business, and I’ve attended races at Le Mans, Daytona, Indianapolis, and Eldora, as well as Bandimere Speedway, an awesome drag strip near Denver that I frequented in my previous job as a PR guy for Team Mopar and writer for Mopar Magazine.
The addition of two daughters to my family in the past few years has led me to be much more interested in minivans and family vehicles than with sporty cars, so add a Ford Flex, a Honda Odyssey, and -- keeping the vintage theme alive -- a turbo Plymouth Voyager to the above roll call. Since becoming a father, I've executed more baby-seat installations than the Detroit Tigers have played games. I’ve also learned that a Fiat 500 is not the ideal car in which to take your family of four to a Tigers game, but it will work -- as long as you load the baby through the rear hatch.
If my wife didn’t drive a stick shift (a 2002 Honda Civic coupe) when I first met her, I’d probably be feeding a fleet of old Dodge Omnis and MGBs instead of my family, which formerly included a 1967 MGB/GT Special. Fortunately I have this job to keep me surrounded by cool cars that aren’t also personal money pits. This is better (although I might have a hard time turning down a good deal on a solid Omni or MGB).
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