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Sedans Toyota Camry 2007 Nissan Altima vs 2007 Toyota Camry
50 messages, Last post on Jul 13, 2009 at 6:09 AM
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When I was searching for a new car, I wanted something sporty, fun to drive, but good on gas. I had an '02 Toyota Solara that I adored. It was fun IMO, but the power in the 4-cyl was lacking compared to some more modern cars. The first car I tested was an '08 Camry SE 4-cyl. I expected a car that was a lot like my Mom's '05 Camry LE 4-cyl; easy to drive, light, reliable, and considering what I'd heard about the SE version of the new Camry, it needed to be a fun car to drive. However, I was not impressed during my test drive. The engine felt underpowered, the wheel felt heavy, the features were lacking, and while it had cool gauges, the overall fit and finish in the car was severely lacking compared to my Solara. Don't get me wrong, it was clean, but a lot of stuff in the car felt "flimsy" to the touch. Next, I went and test drove an '08 Accord EX 4-cyl, and boy was that nice. The engine was powerful, steering was light, response was great, and ride comfort was top notch. However, I hated the center stack, and the final price was about $1000 more than the Camry, and the EX I tested didn't even include leather, while the Camry SE I tested did. However, I loved how the Accord drove. I didn't even think about the Altima until later, and I was put off by the thought of driving a car with a "rubbery" CVT. I finally decided it was worth a test drive, so I went and drove a 2.5 SL sedan... I was totally blown away! The car was quick, nimble, responsive, pleasing to look at, clean, and comfortable. It was an absolute blast to drive too! I've never had that much fun in a car before... and this was only the 4-cyl Sedan. The Ikey and CVT were the best bits about the car as well... neither of these features were on the Camry or Accord I was looking at. The leather is firm but comfortable, and the interior is very clean and functional. The Accord is a little more roomy and nicer on the inside, but the Altima was far more "user friendly" with its stereo and climate control. A few weeks later, I bit the bullet and bought a loaded 2008 Altima 2.5 SL w/ connection pkg. and haven't regretted it one bit. It has been so much fun to drive, and the gas mileage has been supurb... 25-26mpg almost all city driving. I will concede that if you want straight up comfort and ride manners, the Camry XLE is a much better choice as it has several more "luxury" options, but bear in mind, you pay for those options. I couldn't see myself using that stuff, and I value a responsive ride over numb comfort, so I chose the Altima. You need to test drive the Altima to know what I'm talking about... Its responsive, but the Altima also smooths over bumps and potholes much easier than my old Solara did. It's also a lot more fun to drive. I'm not sure how Nissan did it, but the Altima is the clear winner in my books. |
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Replying to: motoguy128 (Mar 25, 2008 8:12 am) I'd be surprised if the hp hit is as much as 13hp, much less 30hp! Our Odyssey van (a 2000 model) had a 3.5L which asked for premium to make 210hp and 229lb-ft of torque. On regular, it made 205hp and 217lb-ft. Really not noticeable. Can an Altima owner tell us the numbers?
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Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 06, 2008 9:23 am) |
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On my 96 Infiniti I-30 (same as Nissan Maxima) when running on 87 octane, I get a check engine light with knock sensor code. This causes the computer to inject much more fuel than with higher octane blends, which I can attest significantly decreases my mpg. For example, with 87 octane I get about 275 miles range. With 93 octane I get close to 400 miles out of a tank. Big difference. I've commented on this extensively at the PetroZero forums, |
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Replying to: petrozero (Jun 10, 2008 12:14 pm)
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Replying to: petrozero (Jun 10, 2008 12:14 pm) With one of these new 8(12) speed transmissions the FE difference between preminum and regular may not even be measureable. *** Six "real" gear ratios plus 3 or 4 more using the lockup clutch to take the torque converter's "gear" reduction, and POOR efficiency, out of the loop. Not to address the issue of CVT's having an infinite number of gear ratios. But now everyone seems to be complaining about how often the transmissions "shift" gears. Gas is above $4.00 and headed north, rapidly, live with it. |
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Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 11, 2008 9:41 am)
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Replying to: wwest (Jun 11, 2008 10:06 am) 
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Has anyone done research on the Nissan Altima hybrid vs Toyota Camry hybrid ? In the states that have Altima hybrids they seem to have lots. Camry hybrids seem to be rare everywhere. Any ideas if you can get an Altima hybrid shipped to a non "allowed" state? |
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Hi all - last year I bought the Altima SE 3.5 after test driving practically every V6 midsize on the market and found that the Altima was vastly superior. Better fit and finish, handling, braking, acceleration, the whole nine yards. When I drove the Camry I found the handling very vague, the braking dangerously poor and the acceleration very inconsistent, something very suprising after driving Camry's in past test drives. Read a lot of posts that the Camry had major issues with the transmission not shifting, esp. in hard pushes. I also found the seats very short for a tall person like me at 6ft 3in. By comparison I found the Altima to be quiter, with better braking and neck snapping acceleration if you're so inclined. I have nearly 16K miles without any problems other than an occasional glitch with the power seat not tracking 100% perfectly. My biggest beef with the car is the crappy OEM Bridgestone Turanza's, I'd love to see nissan put Goodyear Tripletred's on instead. I highly recommend using at least midgrade gas, as I noticed a drop in mileage by about 4mpg when I tried regular and some noticeable HP drop too, despite having added a K&N air filter in.
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