At this moment, Nissan Altima is the bestselling family sedan in the US. When the series was first launched almost 20 years ago, the Altima made a great impression as soon as it hit the market. Over 120.000 cars were sold in the first year, overpassing Nissan’s expectation by 20%.
Next year, the series will get a revamped version with several improved features, design, a new powertrains, updated safety and better infotainment. The 2013 Nissan Altima SL lost some weight in the design process, being lighter than the current model. It is slightly longer and wider but weight has been decreased. In terms of available versions, we will still get to choose between four or six cylinders. Additionally, this time around Nissan went for some fuel consumption optimization by reducing internal friction by 40% and increasing the spread from the shortest to the tallest ratios.
The design of the sedan has been through a complete lift, with sharp edges combining a sport look with a clean family like sedan. Some of its sporting dispositions have been preserved to make the Altima a thrilling car to drive. It comes with the ZF Sachs shock absorbers and the comfortable hydraulic steering. The trunk, roof and hood are now made of aluminum while the lower part of the car uses high-strength steel to improve safety. The standard version also comes with four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, vehicle stability and traction control, tire pressure monitor, six airbags, ignition immobilizer and a computerized vehicle security system. It is clear that all these safety additions were designed to fit a family with one or two children.
On long mountain roads, the 2013 Nissan Altima SL behaves like a sports car. It has a great grip on turns and the innovative suspension design creates some sort of rear-steer effect to get the back tires involved into the cornering effort. The first thing that the driver will notice is the stability of the car when entering a bend too quickly. In tests, the average grip recorded was around 0.85 g. That is more than enough to keep the car on the road in difficult conditions.
Still, the car is not without flaws. Even if it offers a smooth ride, larger bumps will make the driver feel a deep shiver passing through the structure of the entire car. However, this is commonly accepted for sports cars and truth be told, the Altima is placed at the exact limit between a family sedan and a sports car. This can be easily observed when looking at the capabilities of the car in terms of acceleration. It goes from 0 to 60 MPH in just 7.7 seconds. This is not impressive for a sports car but at this moment, the 2013 Nissan Altima SL is the fastest family sedan.
An Ending Thought
The Altima is a great car for long drives with the family. It is both safe and fast. The revamped resign gives it a fresh look with more interior space and a slightly larger overall body. It performs great in difficult driving situations but when pushed only larger bumps will make it shake from the ground. It is bigger and yet lighter than the previous model. The 2.5 L model will probably dominate the sale numbers offering a generous 182 HP with decent fuel consumption due to the reduced friction rate.
