2002 Altima

[igor@af]

Article taken from FreshAlloy, written by Noel Saw:


Many would say the original 1993 Altima was the car that saved Nissan in the United States. Some might even say it was a breakthrough car. Well fast forward to 2002, and the new Altima will be a rebirth of the original Altima. Class leading power, size, features, and more importantly pricing will be the factors that decide the outcome of Nissan's efforts.

Spearheading Nissan's efforts in North America, the new 2002 Altima is being shown at the New York Auto Show.



The first thing you'll notice is the hyper aggressive stance of the nose, wheel/fender wells, and c-pillar. Some FreshAlloy.com editors have noticed the front's resemblance to current Honda products (Accord and Civic). The rear c-pillar is very European with a stretched rear door. Some of us say the car looks like a Lexus GS300. Those dual exhaust pipes sticking out in the back contribute to that look.

Another first for this class segment, the new Altima will have optional Xenon high intensity discharge headlights with four individual lenses.



The car is quite larger than the previous Altimas and actually larger than the current flagship Maxima. According to Nissan, the wheelbase has been increased 7.1 inches to 110.2 inches, overall length is up 5.7 inches to 191.5 inches and is 1.3 inches wider for a total of 70.4 inches. Height has also increased by 2.0 inches to 57.9 inches. Track has been increased by 1.8 inches in front and 2.4 inches in the rear. For comparison, the 2001 Maxima's wheelbase is 108.3 inches and the length is 190.5 inches.


The c-pillar is one of the most daring areas of the cars with rear doors that have an almost limo like length with exaggerated coupe like profile roof. And check out those IS300 rear lights! A first for a North American Nissan car, the new Altima will feature aluminum panels for the hood and trunk. Nissan claims a weight savings of 55 percent off traditional steel panels.



In a move predicted by many, the new car will come with an optional VQ series V-6 engine also seen in the Maxima. The biggest blockbuster news is the car will have the VQ35DE engine. Wait, isn't that a 3.5 liter engine? Why yes it is. Why such a large displacement engine considering the current 2001 Maxima has only a 3.0 liter? Obviously Nissan wants to claim the horsepower throne in the class segment. And we're speculating that Nissan is planning to slowly phase out the 3.0 liter engine. (Consider the new Infiniti I35, the Maxima's twin, also debuting will have a 3.5 liter engine next year.) The VQ35DE in the Altima application is good for 240 bhp with 246 lb-ft of torque.

The standard engine will be the new inline-4 QR25DE engine (also found in the spunky Sentra SE-R) delivering 180-horsepower. Again this beats out the current Accord and Camry. You'll have your choice of a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic. The automatic appears to have a gated shifter for semi-manual operation. All Altima models will come with a very large 20 gallon fuel tank for long range trips.

Even a car with a great engine can't survive by just that merit. The new Altima continues it's tradition of excellent handling. The previous generations fared well with four wheel independent strut suspension with passive rear steering. The 2002 Altima ups the ante with a high tech multilink rear adapted from the Skyline GT-R and Infiniti Q45. The front suspension continues to be a strut design but hasn't been ignored with an all new design featuring extensive use of aluminum parts.

Standard four wheel disc brakes lend a high level of braking stability. Unfortunately anti-lock braking is not a standard feature unlike the Maxima model. The new Altima does benefit from electronic brake force distribution when ABS is ordered as an option. Also coming with ABS is "Brake Assist" which applies more brake pedal pressure when a panic braking situation is sensed by the braking system. Finally, automatic transmission V-6 vehicles can be ordered with an optional throttle controlled traction control system.



The interior is much sportier and driver oriented than the previous generations. Three cluster backlit guages (again similar to the GS models) prominently sit atop the dash. The ignition key has been moved from the steering column to the dash for a more high end flair. The steering column gains a telescoping feature in addition the ubiqitous tilt adjustment. The rest of the interior will be available in three designer "atmospheres" (very Audi-like) or themes. Certain luxury trim models will be available with the obligatory wood around the cabin.

Even though Rockford Fosgate has joined the party in other Nissan models, Bose retains its flagship status. In the new Altima, expect an optional 8 speaker Bose 150 watt stereo system with 6 disc in-dash changer.

Nissan hasn't released any pricing information for the Altima in this competitive segment but a Nissan source said "pricing will be competitive and aggressive for the value the car represents." The car is scheduled to arrive at dealer lots sometime in mid September.


The Altima project was codenamed "Total Knockout" by the product planners at Nissan. We couldn't agree more that this vehicle sets the climax after a string of vastly improved vehicles in the Nissan (and Infiniti) lineup. We've been waiting to say this but we think this truly is the time to say...




I really love the new Altima!
I think it could be the next best seller, cause it's WAY better than the Camry

[Adam]

i saw an article in CAR and Driver. i never really cared for Nissans, and i would rather have several other cars than that in that class, but it isn't bad -- for a Nissan

[Chris]

Whaddda yah mean, the altima isn't any good. IT IS TOTALLY BITCHIN!!!
With 240 hp in a car like this, it will give BMW seekers something at a cheaper price! It is bigger than a maxima, so expect an update soon. But it is awesome! Car and Driver's artcile wasn't as long as Igor's, which makes me salivate. Does anyone know about pricing?? The big 6 even has a manual, a rariety these days. It should sell awesome, cuz' of the power, looks and the fact that it should have excellent reliability, fit and finsih, etc.
I could gush on forever (I mean that, I am forcing myself to stop right now, I just want EVERYONE to be as excited as I am), but you can draw your own ideas.

THIS IS THE NEXT BIG NISSAN, THEM AND Z-CARS WILL SELL AWESOME!!!!

PS, isn't that the Pathfiner engine?? If so, shouldn't the manual have 250 hp, and the Auto way more torque?

I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT ALL!!!:flash:

[R35]

I have to agree with Igor on the fact that it is better than the Camry as it currently stands. I wonder what Toyota will do to make the Camry more competitive Maybe the Accord Tupe R will become the norm

The only thing that I may not like on the new design would have to be those tail-lights. Nope don't like em Then again I may change my mind when I see one in person, but from the picture they look more like the Impala lights gone clear and the trunk in general reminds me of a Mazda.

I do like Nissan's idea of leading the class in horse-power. Maybe now they will get their heads out of their collective arse and bring over the Skyline.:frog:

BTW: Anyone else think the Altima looks closer to the XVL concept that I was talking aobut?

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Well Honda is coming out with a new Accord to compete with the new Altima. I don't have the specs right now but rumors are that it will be over 200hp stock. And the best news, V6 with a stick!!

[R35]

Isn't the current Accord V6 200HP?

Just curios since I have a 2K Odyssey and it has the same V6 as the Accord, just tuned to put out 210HP. Of course mine does a bit more with the few tweeks that I have done

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Here's one article.
http://www.vtec.net/news/items/671.html

These are the specs for a Accord LX
Type V6
Displacement 2997 cc.
Horsepower 200 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Torque 195 ft-lb. @ 4700 rpm
Transmission 4-spd Auto
Layout Front Engine/FWD


The new accords are looking at maybe more than that.

[Chris]

The Odyssey makes more power with premium fuel (booo!).
An accord with a stick makes it much more appealing to me, But I still take the new Altima with 240 hp and a stick. I can't believe it is actuallly coming out!! A mini-M3 (remember, last M3 had 240 hp too), for a mini-mini-M3 price. Quite possibly the new family car of enthuasists everywhere!! I know it appeals to me.

[R35]

Well even with low grade fuel (89) I have seen an Oddy do 207HP, so Honda is just trying to cover their butts.

I agree that the new Altima with 240HP will lead it's class no doubt about it. If the price is right as they say it will most likely do well.

However if Honda comes out (or even Toyota) with a new model with say 230HP, chances are most people will go for name brand recognition and not care as much about the HP difference. i.e. "I'm looking for a new car to replace my old Accord/Camry, wonder what the new model is like?"

I just like the fact that the auto makers (at least the Japanese ones) are looking at bringing out some REAL competetive cars and not just a bunch of gass guzziling SUV's.

Thank you Nissan and keep up the work. Thank you Subaru for bringing the WRX state side and hope you started a trend.

[Chris]

Yah, people are loyal asses. ALthough according to studies, that is changing, which is good for nissan. I was raised a GM, anit-ford kid. I have broken away from that, and rate cars on their merit, not brand name.
Although everyone who likes driving and has kids, you can bet what car I will say first (coughed out) ALTIMA!!:frog:

[Morpheus XIII]

Alright, most of us seem to be giving the '02 Altima the thumbs up. It's built ground up as a fresh new product, including an all new corporate platform.

Have any of you Nissan enthusiasts out there recently heard about current new platform developments? The only one I've come across was the XVL concept, whose parts were to be put to use in the market, chassis inclusive. Many are also stating that the new Altima shares resemblance with the XVL, no doubt due to design/parts sharing.

What makes me scratch my head is that the XVL was created and intended to be the next generation REAR-wheel drive platform, for both Nissan coupes and sedans alike. Yet, the 2002 Altima is still a practical FRONT-wheel drive mid-sized sedan. Is the XVL platform versatile enough to maintain both front and rear-wheel drive drivetrains? Or does the new Altima sit on a completely different skeletal structure? Someone please clarify...

[Chris]

hmmm... good point. I know the Z car is based on the XVL, which was an infinity concept. Maybe it had provision for all wheel drive, so then it would be easy for front, rear, or all-wheel drive.

[Morpheus XIII]

FWD + RWD = AWD! Wow, I never thought of it that way; sure sounds mighty tasty.

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Even newer info on this car. 2002 Nissan Altima

[Morpheus XIII]

Well that didn't explain much. The press jabbers on about the new Altima, but they sound like broken records. The same specs, over and over again.