Rental Review: 2015 Nissan Altima 2.5 CVT - Well, it is 2015, and time for another Nissan Altima examination. My research Casamigos ...
Well, it is 2015, and time for another Nissan Altima examination. My research Casamigos hampered said TTAC did a review of the Altima every year since 06, except for 2011. Go ahead, search Nissan Altima, I'll wait. You are the B & B and you'll probably find me missing the exam.
Looks like I am the first this year to lose rental car roulette.
I spent 2013 in the Middle East. My vehicle default capable and reliable Toyota Fortuner, but those in a position less taken with a CVT-equipped Altima. On an exit where I do not drive because I'm hammered looking to enjoy the local culture, we usually took a Nissan dubious maintenance.
On the door, I hate this car. I know hormonal teenage fans of One Direction amped about diet Mountain Dew longer able to make a decision that the Nissan CVT transmission.
This is my opening state of mind before I spent one hour line at the counter of the dollar to William F. Houston Hobby Airport to get my reserved car full size.
They told me I could take a drive along the line "M." I polled my choice, a gray Nissan Altima, Nissan Altima Nissan Altima black and white. Apparently Dollar Rent A Car does not read TTAC or they realize that it is a medium sized car.
Dear reader, I share with you to put in my state of mind when I got into the Altima. Yes, the right emotions and previous experience to cloud my analysis of this car. My neutral journalistic aspirations could use some training, but my integrity is completely intact.
I left the parking lot of the Dollar en route to my hotel at 20 miles. My first observation was the lack of a USB port. Petty yes, but a rental Chevrolet Sonic comes with Bluetooth and USB.
Once in motion, the CVT did not disappoint. It was the same rev-happy, indecisive collection of rubber bands I remembered. I made the point inside. The seats are terrible, flat and hard; I fiddled with the controls for most of the trip. I suspect that most of the time was the mileage. I bet there were more than once that the window had been left open during a thunderstorm.
At dinner, I parked in front of a Chevy Malibu. Visually, the dimensions are not far away. The Malibu is marketed as a full-size car in some rental fleets, so I may have been judged. My mood improved with few calories and on the back, I tried the "S" setting on the transmission. Nissan should relabel this "T" tolerable. It's not sporty, but looks nicer.
Interfaces side, the stereo is quite capable of boring the next car at a stoplight with Foo Fighters tune.
Before dawn I found myself in the Altima, in a better mindset. I knew the secret of transmission was "S" and the seats were bad. Maybe I was a bit hard on the old gal.
No. I was always right. Not quite fans of One Direction hormone, but the teenage hormonal certainty level. Freeway on ramps are an absolute conflict of perception and reality. The engine is revving for all its worth giving indications of what should be a launch neck-snapping. The reality is more speed Hyundai 80 for the ramp and a "please have mercy on me" fusion.
For all its sound and fury, the feel of Altima speed was 80 as a diesel VW. the numbers tell me that car hits 60 of a gnat hair under 8 seconds. this makes it faster than a base Camry and puts it on par with an Agreement entry level. I must logically conclude this is my misperception, largely due to the transmission and engine noise. what credence to this car ads being better than I will admit.
the obvious advantage of the CVT's fuel economy, for which I am ashamed to say that I can not give a solid observation. I was in Houston for a very wet race and fuel consumption race car was half of what was expected, so that my tank was filled to the track in an effort to empty the team transfer tank. Driving 20 miles from the airport to the hotel, then another 18 to the track barely moved the gas gauge. After the tank has been overloaded, I drove over 20 miles to dinner, 20 back to the hotel, then almost 20 return to the car rental counter. This has not deflected the needle of the "F" on the dipstick. So it was about 60 miles with a fuel gauge probably "sticky", but in any case, I can not complain MPG. In fact, its quite impressive.
So to all my venom, honestly, I can not call it a bad car. As I get further away from my time with the Altima I have to judge on the merits rather than impressions and stacks better than I would have admitted last weekend. But there is a reason why there was all that was left in the lot Dollar. It is simply a car without interest, long in the tooth, due to refresh and Nissan people got lazy with the updates needed to remain competitive with Honda and Toyota.
If you are looking for a comfortable sedan that can, and your waist size increased a bit since your degree, you would be very happy in an Altima. If you spend much time in traffic during peak hours, transmission would probably achieve higher returns on MPG. It's cheap, but not cheap. My internet search produced consistent price of $ 23.5 based on 2.5, but a limited selection in most dealerships in metro Atlanta.
But you are the B & B. You operate willingly old slant six darts, and Ford Flex. You're discriminating and consumers deserve better. You know Kia and Hyundai offer a superior product for less and you enjoy vehicles with at least some impression of a personality and dare I say, the soul. Although I can not call Altima a bad car, I am comfortable to say that if you bothered to read this far, Nissan Altima not the car for you, and which includes as a rental.
Christian "Mental" Ward has owned more than 70 cars and destroyed most of them. He graduated from Panoz Racing School, still loves cartoons and once exceeded the speed of sound. Married to the most patient woman in the world; he has three dogs, a philosophy degree and a genuine Yamaha Vino scooter, so it was his first CVT transmission. Follow him on Twiiter, Instagram and Vine M3ntalward
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