2005 Nissan Altima 2.5S
Vehicle: 2005 Nissan Altima 2.5S with auto tranny pkg, convenience pkg and personal security pkg
Price as tested: CDN$27798
Handling: One of Altima’s strongest merits has to be its dynamic qualities. There are plenty of steering feel both on and off-center while its responsive enough for driver to handle quick reflexes. As expected from a family sedan, there are enough safe understeer and body rolls to keep you awake. Although it feels undertired when push through corners, it remains a very composed car. You won’t feel you are handling a car with Altima’s size when hustling it through black top twisties. On the other hand, its ride quality is comfortable despite it feels a bit overdamping through washboard pavements and expansion joints.
Performance: With 175hp and 180 lb/ft of torque, QR25DE has always been a peppy powerplant. The 4-speed auto tranny is willing to up and downshifts without hunting for gears. The shifts are crisp and responsive. If you still want more power, the uplevel 3.5 V6 is really the hot rod of the family sedan segment. All and all, there is no shortage of performance underneath the bonnet of Altima.
Interior: The single biggest pet peeve of the current iteration Altima has always been its cheap interior. Nissan finally addressed this issue by giving it far superior materials for center console and upholstery. You no longer feel like its inside a cardboard with rough velour and brittle plastic panels. All you see and feel are high-quality materials that match the rest of the package. The upgraded seats use sport cloth have better support with classier and sportier feel. Its also more grippy through corners. There is a nice aluminum shift gate and soft rotary climate control knobs rounded out the whole package. Everything are typical Altima with great set of instrumentation, spacious back seat and large trunk space.
Conclusion: When the current generation of Altima introduced back in 2002, it was a landmark vehicle for Nissan as it singlehandly turnarounded this brand. It doesn’t come as a surprise as Altima combines style, performance, design, sportiness, comfort and value in an attractive package. Unfortunately, interior was an area that got the most criticism. Not anymore as 2005 finally has the materials and class to match the rest of the segment.
OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.25/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4.25/5