2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SV

2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SV

The Altima V-6 certainly provides very eager throttle response and lots of power. There's a bit of torque steer, that tug at the front wheels under hard acceleration, but it's not bothersome. I was merging onto a freeway in the Altima and the merge lane traffic didn't have much of anywhere to go due to heavy traffic in adjoining lanes, so I was in one of those situations where I either needed to brake hard and dawdle, waiting for traffic to clear, or else gun it. Naturally, I chose to gun it, and the Altima's V-6 responded without hesitation, propelling the car from 55 to 80 mph easily and sounding pretty good while it did so. Nissan, which committed to continuously variable transmissions years ago, has come a long way in its CVT engineering. I didn't even remember that the Altima had a CVT until the second day I drove it.

With this all-new 2013 Altima, Nissan is eschewing the route taken by some of its competitors, like the Hyundai Sonata and the Ford Fusion, to offer only four-cylinder engines. The Altima's energetic V-6 appeals to Americans' appetite for instant, smooth acceleration. Of course, it also adds to the cost of the car, such that this $29,000 example was far from fully loaded and had a pretty boring tan-on-tan interior. That said, the seats are very comfortable, the ergonomics are straightforward, and the outward visibility is pretty good in all directions. I also appreciated the fold-down rear seatback, which allowed me to easily carry a six-foot stepladder in the trunk.

As much as I like this V-6, I'd probably choose the four-cylinder engine and spend the extra money dressing up the cabin with more equipment.

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The Nissan Altima 3.5 SV is 191.5 inches long, has a 109.3-inch wheelbase, and a 3.5-liter VQ-series V-6 engine that sends its power through a continuously-variable transmission to the front wheels. Those dimensions and that powertrain should sound familiar: they're nearly identical to those on the Altima's pricier sibling, the Maxima.

I spent my weekend with the Altima 3.5 SV constantly thinking about how similar it was to the Maxima I drove late last year. Both are impressively quick, both have massive metal shift paddles that make the continuously-variable transmission livelier, and both are interesting to look at, even if neither is actually pretty.

With the Altima's recent updates, however, it's about time for the Maxima to fade into the background. The Altima 3.5 SL (which adds navigation, leather seats, and a host of high-tech safety features) tops out at $31,950, $1250 less than the least expensive Maxima (which makes do with cloth seats, no navigation, and a standard audio system). Our 3.5 SV costs a whopping $4680 less than a comparable Maxima.

The Maxima's interior might look nicer than the Altima's, and its engine makes 20 hp and 10 lb-ft more than the Altima's, but neither addition is worth nearly $5000, and drivers won't notice the power deficit in the less-expensive car. My advice: keep the change and get the Altima.