Nissan Altima
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| Nissan Altima | |
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| Manufacturer: | Nissan |
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| Production: | 1993–present |
| Assembly: | Smyrna, Tennessee Canton, Mississippi |
| Predecessor: | Nissan Stanza |
| Class: | Compact (1993-2001) Mid-size (2002-present) |
| Body style: | 4-door sedan |
| Layout: | FF layout |
| Similar: | Honda Accord Mitsubishi Galant Pontiac G6 |
The Altima is a mid-size car currently being manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the "bloodline" that began with the Nissan Bluebird in 1957. It is larger, has more features, and is more expensive than the Nissan Sentra compact car; but is cheaper, less luxuriously appointed, and offers less powerful engines than the Nissan Maxima sports sedan. It competes with the Honda Accord, Mazda6, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata.
In addition to North America, the Altima is available in the Middle East. In other markets, Nissan sells a related midsize sedan called the Nissan Teana built on the same FF-L platform.
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[edit] The Altima Name
The Altima name was originally a trim line of the Nissan Laurel mid-size car sold in the Caribbean before 1992.
[edit] History
In 1993, Nissan discontinued its much-criticized Stanza compact car, replacing it with the US-made Altima, originally as a compact car. The very first Altima rolled off the assembly line on June 15, 1992 as a 1993 model. Until June 2004, all Altimas had been built in Smyrna, Tennessee. However, in June 2004, Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, plant began producing additional Altimas to meet high demand.
The Altima has had four design generations: 1993 to 1997, 1998 to 2001, 2002 to 2006, and 2007.
[edit] First generation (1993-1997)
| First generation | |
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| Also called: | Nissan Stanza Altima |
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| Production: | 1993–1997 |
| Engine: | 2.4 L KA24DE I4 |
| Transmission: | 5-speed manual 4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase: | 103.1 in |
| Length: | 180.5 in |
| Width: | 67.1 in |
| Height: | 55.9 in |
| Related: | Nissan Bluebird |
The original 1993 Altima was a rebadged Japanese-market Nissan Bluebird. The official name of the car was the Nissan "Stanza Altima", and the trunklid had a sticker reading "Stanza" in stylized lettering.
The 1993 Altima had a single airbag on the driver's side, and used automatic shoulder belts for the front seats.
Trim levels are XE, GXE, SE, and GLE. The sporty SE has stiffer suspension and rear spoiler.
It came with the KA24DE I4 DOHC engine capable of developing 150 hp.
The Japanese U13 Altima (Bluebird) built on the same U13 chassis was equipped with the powerful SR20DET powerplant, all wheel drive (featuring Nissan's Attessa torque transfer system) and other cuting edge features like ABS brakes, a head up display (HUD) and featured a larger front bumper with a cutout for the front mounted intercooler. Both manual and automatic transmissions were made available at the time. The flywheel featured on these cars was a 9.5 inch unit vs. the 8.5 inches on other models.
[edit] Second generation (1998-2001)
| Second generation | |
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| Production: | 1998–2001 |
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| Engine: | 2.4 L KA24DE I4 |
| Transmission: | 4-speed automatic 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase: | 103.1 in |
| Length: | 185.8 in |
| Width: | 69.1 in |
| Height: | 55.9 in |
The second generation, codenamed L30, was an American market-only version. It was designed in Nissan's California design center. It was criticized by the public for its new styling despite largely being based on the same previous mechanical model.
It came with the same KA24DE I4 DOHC engine as the first generation Altima. In 2000, the engine was upgraded to produce 155 hp. That year, the car also received a minor facelift with a new front fascia, one-piece headlamps with turn signals and new seats.
 1995-97 Nissan Altima |
 2000-01 Nissan Altima |
[edit] Third generation (2002-2006)
| Third generation | |
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| Production: | 2002-2006 |
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| Platform: | Nissan FF-L platform |
| Engine: | 2.5 L QR25DE I4 3.5 L VQ35DE V6 |
| Transmission: | 5-speed manual 6-speed manual 4-speed automatic 5-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase: | 110.2 in |
| Length: | 192.3 in |
| Width: | 70.40 in |
| Height: | 57.9 in |
| Related: | Nissan Maxima Nissan Murano Nissan Quest Nissan Teana |
The third generation Altima, codenamed L31, first sold in 2002, has been well received by the press because of its design, power, and style. It crosses over to the mid-size class this time. It was the first mass-market product built on Nissan's FF-L platform. It is unique to North America and has no equivalent model in Japan, where smaller vehicles tend to be favored by buyers. The Japanese Nissan Teana is similar, but is not identical and slots between the Altima and Maxima in size.
This Altima is much bigger than the previous Altima. So big, in fact, it became the size of the Nissan Maxima that came before it.
It comes with either a QR25DE engine - 2.5 L straight-4 DOHC engine with a power of 175 hp (130 kW) or a more powerful VQ35DE engine (the one used in the Infiniti G35, Infiniti FX35, Infiniti M35, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Murano, Nissan Quest and Nissan 350Z) - 3.5 L V6 DOHC engine with a power of 250 hp (186 kW). In 2005, the Altima recieved a new front grille, and the back taillights recieved a change. The amber color top taillights were changed to red making the entire taillight red. Also, in 2005 saw the addition of a sporty SE-R model making 260 hp (194 kW). The Altima SE-R became the first sports model for the lineup sporting 18" Forged Aluminum wheels, along with upgraded brake system, suspension, performance exhaust, lower body sculpting and more.
The Altima won the North American Car of the Year award for 2002.
[edit] Fourth generation (2007-present)
| Fourth generation | |
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| Production: | 2007-present |
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| Platform: | Nissan D platform |
| Engine: | 2.5 L QR25DE I4 3.5 L VQ35DE V6 |
| Transmission: | 6-speed manual CVT |
| Wheelbase: | 109.3 in. |
| Length: | 189.8 in. |
| Width: | 70.7 in. |
| Height: | 57.9 in. |
The fourth generation Altima was announced at the 2006 New York Auto Show on April 12, 2006. It is 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 said to be unchanged. The Maxima and Murano will continue on the larger FF-L platform.
The 2007 Altima will use revised versions of the engines in the third-generation model. The VQ35DE 3.5 L V6 engine will produce 270 horsepower, and the QR25DE 2.5 L I4 will produce 175 horsepower.[1] A 6-speed manual will be standard, and a continuously variable transmission will replace a traditional automatic as the optional transmission. The 2007 Altima will sport some more recent innovations in the market including, but not limited to, "Push-button start", Bluetooth capability for cell phones and a parking camera.
The redesigned Altima looks similar to the redesigned Toyota Camry, with a similar wheelbase and resemblence.
[edit] Hybrid
Nissan entered an agreement with rival Toyota to use some of its hybrid technology in the new Altima for the 2007 model year. The Altima Hybrid will be Nissan's first hybrid car. The company has asserted that for subsequent hybrid models will be based on hybrid technology developed in-house. Up to 40,000 per year will be built at Nissan's Smyrna plant. Sales of the hybrid model will be limited to California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont for the 2007 model year, with other states possible in subsequent years.
The Hybrid Altima features a 2.5 L QR25DE engine, CVT and electric motor/generator.
[edit] External links
- Official Nissan Altima Website
- Altima SL AutoGuideWiki.com
- Review: 2006 Nissan
- Modified Nissan Altima SE-R
- Nissan Altima Owner and Enthusiast Forums
[edit] Hybrid
- Nissan Altima Hybrid.
- Nissan Altima Hybrid in Greencar.com.
- Atima Hybrid in Autobytel.
- Nissan Altima Hybrid - Road Test & First Drive - Motor Trend.
- Find the Nissan Altima - mySimon.com.
[edit] References
| Part of the Nissan series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | 100NX | 1200 | 200SX | B210 | 240SX | 240Z | 280ZX | 300ZX | 350Z | 510 | 720 | R89 | R390 GT1 | Almera | Altima | Armada | Avenir | AZEAL |Be-1 | Bluebird | Caravan | Cedric | Cefiro | Cima | Crew | Cube | Elgrand | Fairlady | Figaro | Frontier | Fuga | Gazelle | Gloria | Hardbody Truck | Laurel | Leopard | Lafesta | Liberty | Livina Geniss | Maxima | Micra | Multi | Murano | Navara | Note | NX | Pao | Pathfinder | Patrol | Pintara | Platina | Prairie | Presea | Primera | President | Pulsar | Qashqai | Quest | R'nessa | Rasheen |S-Cargo | Saurus Jr | Sentra | Serena | Silvia | Skyline | Skyline GT-R | Stanza | Stagea | Sunny | Teana | Tiida | Titan | Urge | Versa | Wingroad | X-Trail | Xterra | |
| Engines | 4 cylinder | D | C | G | J | H | L | A | Z | CA | CG | CR | E | FJ | GA | KA | SR | QG | QR | YD | HR | MR | MA |
| Inline 6 | L | H | S20 | P | RB | TB | RD | SD | |
| V6 | VG | VE | VQ | |
| V8 | Y | VH | VK | |
| See also: Infiniti division | Edit this template | |
