2008 Nissan Altima 2.5SL review from North America

A tire is out of balance

A screw fell out of the center console. Easily replaced.

So far, with 8700 miles on the car, I wouldn't expect trouble. But from some reviews of various cars, that is apparently not the case. The car is reliable, smooth, comfortable, even luxurious with the tan leather interior. We are averaging 26-27mpg (all cold weather driving in Minnesota) on a new engine. That is a mix of city and highway--mostly highway. At 175 hp and 180lb ft of torque, the engine pulls like a V6. In fact it has the same performance numbers as some competitors' V6s. Every time I drive the car I annoy my wife by announcing my undying love for it. It's just plain an excellent car. The dealership has been great to work with both in the purchase and servicing (oil changes and tire balancing) of the car. They gave us higher than any book value I could find for our old Civic and dropped their price on the Altima to $24,600. That price reflects a $1400. discount plus 1.9% financing for 60 months. This is a 2.5SL (leather interior, dual zone climate control, aluminum wheels, trip computer, auto-dimming mirror with compass, moonroof, power driver's seat, express up and down on both driver and passenger power windows, etc.) with all the accessories (trunk organizer, first aid kit, sunroof visor, aluminum step plates, upgraded floor mats, a spoiler, and a trunk mat).