Short Take Road Test
Honda and Toyota have tended to offer coupes built off their bestselling Accord and Camry mid-size sedans, but Nissan has never produced such an Altima. Being late to the party, Nissan has certainly gone in with a bang: The Altima coupe is about as dramatic a piece of styling as you'll see. Indeed, only the recent Pontiac G6 coupe comes anywhere near the edgy design of this new offering.
The Altima coupe is essentially a short-wheelbase version of the sedan, measuring 105.3 inches between the axles (a full four inches shorter than that of the sedan) and is 7.1 inches shorter overall, at 182.5 inches long. The only sheetmetal that's shared between the two, however, is the hood-the doors, the fenders, and the decklid are all unique.
Underneath the dramatic panelwork, the coupe is pure Altima sedan, save for stiffer suspension tuning. There are two engines, also shared with the sedan: a 175-hp, 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder and a 270-hp, 3.5-liter V-6, both of which are mated to either a six-speed manual or the so-called Xtronic continuously variable transmission. Suspension is by struts up front and a multilink arrangement out back, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes are standard. Four-cylinder models are fitted with 16-inch wheels and tires; the V-6s have 17s. Stability control is available only on V-6 models.
From the driver's point of view, the coupe's interior looks just like, well, an Altima sedan's, save for sportier, heavier-bolstered front seats and a hand-operated parking-brake lever for CVT models instead of the foot-mounted device found on CVT-equipped sedans. Features such as a smart key with pushbutton starting, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, and power windows are standard, and a touch-screen navigation system, a Bluetooth hands-free phone setup, and a rear parking camera are on the options list. There's the usual panoply of airbags, including full-length curtain bags for both front- and rear-seat passengers.
