Berlin City Nissan of Portland is pleased to offer the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima  . The 2013 Nissan Altima  is gunning to become America's top-selling model. After the prior version finished 2011 in second place behind the Toyota Camry, Nissan has made a number of improvements to its midsize sedan in an effort to take the crown.

The sleek four-door's calling card is its enhanced design. The new design borrows heavily from its sister the Infiniti, the curvaceous bodywork is a few steps above its predecessor's appearance. Inside the changes are in the same vein, with a luxurious elegance replacing the attempt at sportiness in the Altima's cabin. The dashboard is now constructed of layers of high-quality plastic and wood trims that are as good as or better than anything else in the class. It's also a spacious car that still offers plenty of legroom and a bit more width than before.

Two engines are available; a 270 hp 3.5 liter V6 and a 182 hp 2.5 liter four-cylinder that Nissan expects to account for about 90 percent of sales. Both work with an updated, continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that Nissan says has a wider "gear" ratio spread than a traditional seven or eight-speed box.



Navigation is optional, as is a unique system that uses the rearview camera as a sensor for blind spot, cross traffic and lane departure alerts by analyzing the image for obstacles and painted lines on the road, rather than relying on side-mounted cameras, radars and other expensive monitoring technology.

A couple of other smart features on the 2013 Altima  include wipers that park themselves at the base of the windshield even if you shut off the car while they are mid-swipe, a system that beeps the horn when you've inflated the tires to their proper air pressure, and "zero-gravity" seats designed using research developed by NASA.

That last one involves shaping and padding the seats to promote a neutral posture, which reduces pressure points and improves blood flow in an effort to soothe your muscles and make them less susceptible to fatigue.

Overall the comfort in the Altima is very good, and it has a ride and handling balance that's spot-on for this type of car. It's more involving to drive than a number of its direct competitors - the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata come to mind  and offers good road feel through nicely-weighted steering, but what's happening with fuel economy may be even more intriguing.

The four-cylinder Altima has an EPA rating of 27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway. As if numbers like that needed perspective, they are better than those of the "hybrid" Chevrolet Malibu Eco, and all other conventional midsize cars. Interestingly, Nissan isn't even using the latest direct fuel injection technology, which means it probably left some mileage on the table that it can tap in the coming years.

Better still, while the shiftless operation of the transmission can cause the Altima sound like a motorboat at times, it also makes the most of the power on hand and won't leave you pining for the V6. After all of these years the CVT, theoretically the most efficient transmission design, may have finally been vindicated.

There's no hybrid model available this time around. With MPG ratings like that, it's easy to see why.

2013 Nissan Altima

Base Price: $22,280
Type: 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Engine: 2.5-liter inline-4-cylinder
Power: 182 hp, 180 lb-ft torque
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
MPG: 27 city/38 hwy

To find out more about the 2013 Nissan Altima please fill out the contact form to the right and one of our sales guides will contact you or come in to our South Portland  store  to schedule a test drive.

Source:

By Gary Gastelu

Published July 19, 2012