Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra but less so than the Nissan Maxima. The first through fourth-generation cars were manufactured exclusively in the United States and officially sold in North and South America, along with the Middle East and Australia. For other markets, Nissan sold a related mid-size sedan called the Nissan Teana which was between the Altima and Maxima in terms of size. In 2013, the Teana became a rebadged version of the fifth-generation Altima.
The name "Altima" was originally applied to a top trim line of the Nissan Leopard for the Japanese market in 1986, and then to the Nissan Laurel Altima mid-size car sold in Central America and the Caribbean before 1992. In 1992, Nissan discontinued the Stanza which was a Nissan Bluebird clone, replacing it with the US-built Altima, while remaining a compact car. The first Altima was produced in June 1992, as a 1993 model. All Altima models for the North American market were built in Smyrna, Tennessee, until June 2004, when Nissan's Canton, Mississippi plant also began producing the model to meet high demand.
First generation (U13; 1992)
Like the Stanza before it, the original Altima was the export version of the Nissan Bluebird SSS, though its original styling hailed from Nissan's California design group in 1989. Initially, the car's official name was "Stanza Altima", which appears on the early owner's manuals. 1993 models can be seen with a sticker reading "Stanza" in small lettering to the right of the ALTIMA emblem on the trunk lid.All Altima models used Nissan's KA24DE straight-four DOHC engine mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. The suspension was composed of struts with stabilizer bars at both ends and was noted for providing sporty, satisfying handling ; all wheels were 15 inches. Being one of the bigger compact cars, the Altima could seat four adults fairly comfortably, though its body was too narrow for five. Trim lines consisted of the stripped XE, mid-line GXE, sporty SE, and luxury GLE. Some options included a gold emblem package, molded mud guards, and a pinstripe. All models had small cup holders under the radio and a small glovebox which were improved in the 1998 redesign.
The base XE had manual windows. The mid-line GXE had power windows, a power retracting antenna, pass thru rear armrest, a digital clock in the dash, and color-matched plastic speaker grilles for the rear 6-inch speakers. The XE and GXE models only had the fixed intermittent wiper switch.
In addition to the GXE features, the SE had a stiffer suspension, fog lights, 3 leg mount rear spoiler, side skirts, and sport seats. It also had 4-wheel disc brakes, which came on the other trim lines when antilock brakes were ordered.
The GLE's enhancements included a digital automotive head-up display, which displayed speed in mph or km/h, turn signals, and various warning lights on a unique mirrored patch made into the windshield. The 1989 to 1994 Maxima and 240SX had similar technology but only showed speed. Other features included a coin holder built into the fuse panel cover, adjustable lumbar support on the front seats, automatic digital climate control, keyless entry with alarm, floor mats, color-matched side mirrors, cornering lights, sunroof, and a higher-powered six-speaker cassette/CD stereo which included 6X9 rear speakers with black metal "active speaker" grilles, metal color matched "active speaker" grilles for the front door speakers, and a pair of A pillar tweeters all powered by two factory amps mounted underneath the rear deck. In 1997 it gave up all of the above in exchange for standard leather. All SE and GLE models had alloy wheels and variable intermittent wipers.
1993 Altimas came with a rosewood-colored dash trim and a driver's side airbag coupled with automatic shoulder belts. The 1994 Altima gained a darker burl wood dash trim, a flush-mount passenger airbag, and regular seat belts. 1993 and 1994 models came with chrome inner door handles standard with an auto door lock/unlock feature on the passenger side. For 1995, the inner door handles were changed to color-matched plastic, and a plug was replaced where the passenger auto door lock/unlock feature was. 1993 and 1994 models also had a slim armrest lid, however, if an optional leather armrest was selected, it brought the height up to about. For 1995, all the armrest lids were thicker and about tall. The 1995 model year also brought a new venetian blind-like the grille, new tail lights, and a new 2-leg mount spoiler with a red LED brake light for the SE. Some other changes included the removal of the rear speaker grilles for a flat rear deck, a cheaper cloth interior, a plastic cover replacing the rear ashtray, and the digital in-dash clock was now optional. A 1995.5 model, entering production on March 3, 1995, introduced a raised-mount passenger airbag with a new inflator. 1996 brought new wheel covers for base models. During the 1997 model year, the GXE gained a new "Limited Edition" package including alloy wheels, keyless entry, alarm, floor mats, and a Limited Edition sticker on each side near the front wheels. The majority of final-year Altima models were dubbed "1997.5" models, signifying the added crash protection necessary to meet 1997 side-impact standards.
Second generation (L30; 1997)
The second generation was an American/Canadian market-only version, again styled by Nissan's California design center under Doug Wilson through 1994. A new interior brought a revised glove box and cup holders, a folding back seat, and depowered airbags. The Japanese domestic market Bluebird U14 has different front and rear ends, and slightly narrower width dimensions to comply with the Japanese government dimension regulations.While total volume remained identical at, 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.
In 1998 for the 1999 model year, the uplevel cassette/CD stereo got a new faceplate, GXE and SE models gained variable intermittent wipers, and GLEs gained standard alloy wheels. The majority of changes came in 1999 for the 2000 model year. The engine increased in power from 150 to 160 horsepower with 4-way sparks, while it also improved the 0–60 mph time from 8.7 to 8.4 seconds. Gearing and final drive ratios were shortened on both transmissions, stabilizer bars were thickened, and the steering was firmed up. SE and GLE models also upgraded to 16-inch wheels with lower-profile tires, new Monroe struts with "acceleration-sensitive strut valving", and a front strut tower brace for sportier handling.
The Altima grew slightly longer and got a deeper front grille, one-piece headlamps with integrated turn signals and standard low-speed cornering lamps, all-red tail lights, and the plastic trim on the deck lid. Inside were new front seats with a driver's height adjuster, cup holders for the rear seat, revised seat cloth, a new instrument panel with digital odometer, a new rear window antenna, and the keyless entry fob now included a trunk release. Side airbags were newly standard on GLE and available on GXE and SE. For 2001, the Altima GXE again gained a Limited Edition package: a power driver's seat, keyless entry with alarm, and floor mats.
Third generation (L31; 2001)
The third-generation Altima debuted in 2001 for the 2002 model year. It 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 Asian Nissan Teana is similar but not quite identical, designed for Asian market requirements; all three model lines shared the same platform. The Altima grew significantly for this generation, as interior volume expanded to. 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, the biggest in class was the Altima's fuel tank. Additionally, the Altima upgraded its rear suspension to a multi-link type and its brakes to 4-wheel discs. This was the first generation to offer a V6 engine.2003–2004 models received two-tone dash color, and the 3.5 SE received an upgrade in horsepower, from to, though torque stayed the same at. 2002–2004 models with manual gearbox were the lightest of the V6 cars. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine accelerated the sedan from 0– in 8.6 seconds.
The 2005 Nissan Altima received a facelift, including a new front grille, all-red tail lights, redesigned interior, and an optional DVD-based navigation system. The V6 was now rated at with torque rated at, and a 0–60 mph time of 6.2 seconds utilizing the 5-speed automatic transmission. Also new was the SE-R model with a and of torque version of the V6, a 6-speed manual transmission, upgraded brakes, 18-inch wheels, a suspension even stiffer than that of the 3.5 SE's, and a high-flow exhaust. Car and Driver tested the SE-R resulting in 0– in 6.1 seconds. MotorWeek episode #2432 tested a SE-R equipped with an automatic transmission that produced a 0–60 mph time of 5.8 seconds.
Reception
The third-generation Altima was well received by the press, with many critics praising the new style and extra space, being one of the most powerful and best-handling family sedans available. As the Altima offered the performance and space of the upper-market Maxima in a less expensive car, this significantly reduced Maxima sales but made Nissan competitive in the mid-size segment for the first time. While previous iterations received decent reviews, the third-generation Altima was the first to enjoy considerable success, and it was credited with a turnaround of Nissan's operations from debt-ridden to among the industry's most profitable.Most of the criticism centered on the interior found in the 2002–2004 models, which were cited for using hard and brittle plastics. Some also found the steering too light and or abrupt, and the turning circle too wide due to its elongated wheelbase.