Rental Car Review – Nissan Altima Coupe

A few weeks ago I was sent to sunny San Diego for a business trip and as a result rented a car. My intermediate car furnished by the Avis counter was a late model Nissan Altima Coupe with a bit under ten thousand miles on the odometer. It was a 2.5 S model in ocean gray metallic paint. The car was typical of midsized rental cars with an automatic transmission, power everything and cloth seats. The 2.5 S is the lowest end of the model line for the Altima coupe and is front wheel drive, powered by a 2.5 liter DOHC variable valve timed four cylinder engine with 175 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 180 ft-lbs. torque at 3900 rpm which is plenty of power for a car that weighs just over 3100 pounds and is being driven at sea level.

The Altima Coupe is easy to get into even though it is a coupe though the rear seats look small and I didn’t bother to try to get back there after having a difficult time putting bags there. Even though the car is relatively small it rides larger and just feels like a big car from the front seat. It is equipped with 17 inch wheels but that doesn’t make much of a difference in the ride character of the coupe which drives similar to a typical family oriented sedan when a sporty ride is expected. The mirrors are acceptable and they need to be as rearward visibility is nearly non-existent without the ability to turn one’s head all the way around.

Engine drone from the four cylinder is noticeable when accelerating to freeway speed but is not too much of a bother when cruise control is on at about 70 mph. The Altima Coupe accelerates well in traffic with its peppy feeling CVT automatic transmission; I didn’t bother with the manumatic feature that allows for simulated manual shifting via a secondary gate below D which forces the transmission to hold a gear ratio.

Entertainment is provided by a six speaker stereo with 24 station settings and an in dash CD player plus an in-dash MP3 player auxiliary input. The stereo face is orange on black and easy to see with glare. It is easy to operate with auxiliary controls for preset selection and volume on the steering wheel. Dynamics are limited to treble and bass and audio quality is acceptable though no one will praise the quality of the sound.

As a Nissan owner it is easy to compare other models to my own and this car is similar in layout to the front cockpit of my Infinity G37 with a lower quality of materials. Striking about the Altima Coupe in comparison is that it seems larger inside and rides like a larger car than the G37. Because it is a coupe and looks sporty, it’s easy to be taken aback by how similar it is to any other 4 door sedan in presentation from the driver’s seat.

Overall, the Altima Coupe is a full featured, nice, decent, sporty looking car with good gas mileage (EPA 23/32) and an affordable price (starts at $23,460) that serves as a good alternative for a typical sedan buyer who doesn’t need the extra room, prizes a nice looking two door and doesn’t like adult passengers much.