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Re: Altima? Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Wed, 8 Jan 2014 22:46:42 In Reply to: Altima?, AeroEd, Wed, 8 Jan 2014 19:42:44 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I had a 2009 (IIRC) Altima as a rental with the 4 cylinder and a CVT. I was set up to hate it, but actually really liked it. Over two weeks I put about 2,000 miles on it and found it comfortable, reasonably quick, and surprisingly fun to drive. The CVT's behavior took a little getting used to, but once over that hurdle I felt like it did everything fairly well.
In the Fall, I had a 2013 Altima as a rental with the same configuration. the 4th (?) gen Altimas are MUCH nicer to look at than the 3rd gen car I'd had previously, but man was it a disappointing drive. I couldn't decide whether it was unresponsive or underpowered or what, but it seemed to take forever to do anything - go, stop, turn, etc. At the same time, Automobile Magazine had such a car as long term tester, and they were quite impressed with it. Maybe my rental was a dud, or maybe the shift in my expectations colored my reaction. I dunno! I think the current-generation Altima is a nicer car to look at than the previous generation Fusion, but the Fusion is still the better drive. I'd say if you value the "feel" over the "look," go Fusion, but if you're the opposite, go Altima.
I'll also mention while I'm thinking about it a friend of mine who is an accomplished race car driver (like semi-professional), gushed about his 2013 Avenger rental. I don't remember his exact words, but bottom line is that it's a car he seeks out. A quick wikipedia lookup shows that the major redesign was in '08, with an update in '11, so he's talking about "this" generation of car. I have a hard time getting over the previous Cirrus/Stratus, but if my friend says they're worth looking at, they are. ;)
And, crap, I gotta believe $15k buys you a very recent Kia Optima or Hyundai Sonata. Maybe not a turbo, but maybe. I'd rock either of those cars in a heartbeat. A friend's brother has a '13 Optima Turbo and it's a nice car in & out and a totally respectable drive. I'd definitely check them both out. It's a lot of car for the money, and the Optimas in particular are super looking IMHO.
posted by 12.195.130...
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