2008 Nissan Altima: My thoughts after 6000 miles.
Yesterday I went over 6000 miles on my 2008 Nissan Altima and thought now would be a good time to expand on my past reviews of the car. Not much has changed which bodes well for the car, considering I’ve had nothing but good things to say about it. Now that I’ve had some serious time behind the wheel I can honestly say the car rides like a dream. The one thing I thought the 2008 Honda Accord might have on the Altima was comfort, but after all this time I have no regrets with my choice. I’ve kept records of every gas fill-up so far, and when I average out those numbers I am getting 26.62 MPG, which I think is more than respectable from a car that advertises 23 city and 31 highway (which combined is about what I am getting). I’d say the majority of my driving is city streets, or highways under construction and in rush hour, so basically city streets. One thing I’ve noticed is the cars readings on gas mileage average around 1.5 MPG higher than my calculations, which is no big deal to me.
You’d think that a 2.5L 4 cylinder that gets decent gas milage would be a dog, but you’d be wrong. Now my other car is a Mustang (really, it is) so I’m not going to say my Altima is fast, but I never have any problems when I need to accelerate. The CVT has a lot to do with this (Continiously Variable Transmission, wasn’t available on the 2008 Accord, the other car I was considering) and is still one of my favorite features of the car, it’s so smooth you don’t know it’s shifting and it can stay at an optimal RPM (almost stays at a specific RPM) while accelerating. My other favorite feature and another one of the features that makes the Altima unique from similar cars like the Accord, is the Intelligent Key system. I’ve become so used to the convenience of just leaving the small key pod in my pocket while opening the doors, trunk and starting / stopping the engine with buttons on the car, that when I drive other cars now (like my Mustang) I have to reprogram my brain. If it isn’t obvious, I’m very happy with my first new car, and would recommend a new Altima to anyone. If you’re considering a new Altima but want to know more, feel free to ask me about mine.
Night photo of Push Button Ignition.
April 10th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
How is the noise in the cabin of the car? I just purchased a brand new, 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5s with convenience & convenience plus packaging. I must say that so far, after only 150 miles, I cannot find myself too happy with the car. It seems like a rattle box inside the cabin when I go over bumps in the road. My friends 2000 Camry rattles less. I have also read up on the engine clatter noise that seems persistent in the Altima 4-cylinder engines… especially with a cold start up. Have you encountered or noticed any of these issues in yours. I greatly appreciate your reply in advance. I really hope I didn’t make a mistake.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hi Mike. Before your comment I hadn’t thought about it much (meaning noise didn’t bother me), plus I ride alone 98% of the time and have the radio on 95% of that time. So initially my thought is the cabin noise isn’t that bad. Since your comment though I have paid more attention. I live in Michigan where we have some of the worst roads in the country. In comparison to cars I have owned in the past, most of which were more than used, my Nissan is quite. For a new car though I can maybe see where you are coming from. Ultimately for me I don’t think it is all that noisy though, even on Michigan’s terrible roads. I’ve heard the “engine clatter noise” you wrote about, mostly when the car has been sitting for a few days and on cold starts like you mentioned. I’ve never looked into it but will now. What have you found? I drove the 6 cylinder version also before buying and it had a lot less engine noise so I chalked this off to the 4 cylinder version being at higher RPM’s more often.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Hey Jim, thanks for replying to my post. I believe that most of the rattling noises are coming from the rear deck panel where the speakers and brake light is located. It seems to be made a bit cheaply. I took it by the dealer today and of course for the most part, it didn’t make much noise but finally towards the end of the road test, it did. I also showed the mechanic how lightly pounding on it makes the rattle sound. So they ordered a new rear deck panel. I’m not sure why they couldn’t just reinforce the original, but hey, I’m not an expert.
As for the engine clatter, I really haven’t been able to drive in another Altima 2.5L to see if the same noise is present in others. Putting aside the clatter noise in the cold weather, the engine overall just seems very rough to me. However, I haven’t owned or driven a 4-cylinder engine since the late 90’s and that was a domestic car. I know for a fact that typically, 4-cylinder engines are noisier than V6 engines. In the V6, you just hear more power. Other things add into the equation such as the use of timing chains instead of belts, which are noisier but in turn, far more durable. This combined with the fact that not much concentration was put into soundproofing the cabin from engine noise makes for a bit noisier drive than what you would encounter in a comparable trim level in a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. Either which way, anyone who chooses an Altima over a Camry or Accord is most likely going after three things… 1) More bang for their buck, 2) Better cosmetics and 3) Handling performance. Out of the 3 makes, the Altima 4-cylinder by far has the most peppy engine given it’s higher torque. This can be afforded due to the smooth transition of the CVT transmission. As you stated in your original post, the lack of changing gears allows the engine to consistently operate at a beneficial RPM and therefore, most likely allows Nissan to beef up the torque. I think this 4-cylinder will easily take on the 4-cylinders in a Camry and Accord. Today, I actually held my own with an Acura TSX, which only boasts about 15-20 more horsepower than the Altima.
Sorry for the long post, but to conclude, the car is mine. I bought it in full cash and so for now, we are married so to speak. I think I just need to adapt to life in a 4-cylinder engine and accept the fact that the Nissan Altima 2.5S is NOT a luxury car. It’s a model to get the most bang for your buck and hopefully, the reliability that Nissan has been known for. I would love to hear your thoughts and once again, I really appreciate your reply and feedback as a fellow owner of a Nissan Altima 2.5.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:00 am
Hi Guys,
What kind of gas should i buy for my 2008 altima to get the most gas mileage. So far I only get around maybe 17 mpg.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:14 am
Terry- I think there is something wrong here, and it’s more than the gas you’re using. I just use regular 87 octane and see about 26 mpg on my daily commute and about 30+ on the highway. Your gas mileage is so off I’m thinking something is wrong. If I were you’d I’d be contacting the dealer and having them check it out.
Jim
May 20th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Hello,
I am typically a Honda/Toyota guy, but the Nissan Altima has really caught my eye as far as looks and functionality combined.
I would like to learn how the intelligent keys work as far as powering up the car. I see that you can start the car engine by pressing the button, but how can you just power on the car if you just want to roll up/down the window or turn on the radio?
Mike
May 21st, 2009 at 8:16 am
Hi Mike-
You have to press the brake pedal while pushing the Start button to start the car. If you don’t press the brake pedal then you can use the Start button to put the car in Acc or ON mode allowing you to do just what you said, use the power windows or turn on the radio, etc. I do this all the time while on lunch at work- good question. This is of course on my 2008 model, not sure if things have changed on the 2009, probably not but you never know. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for stopping by.
Jim
May 25th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Hey,
I just bought a 2009 altima 3.5 SE yesterday and am really excited. Thanks for letting me know about that trick to not hold the brake when u hit the Start button…didn’t know you could put it in Accell mode like that. I have a concern though. After I start my car, after about 10 seconds of driving it makes this “cling” noise. Do the new altima’s come with some auto-parking brake or something? b/c that is what it sounds like. Also, there is a “VCD OFF” button…what does that do?
Thanks,
Ajay
May 26th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Hello Ajay-
Glad I could help. That noise you mentioned doesn’t sound like anything I have heard on my car. It happens after you start driving so I doubt it has anything to do with an auto parking brake, unless it is malfunctioning. I’d call the dealer if you’re concerned, they may know what you’re talking about and if not they should look into it for you. As far as the VCD, do you mean VDC? If so VDC stands for Vehicle Dynamic Control, which is basically a fancy traction control system. Turn it off if you want your car to run wild, turn it on if you want it to stay calm. LOL.
Jim
May 26th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Ya i meant VDC. Hmm, ok ill take it to my dealership this weekend and find out what that sound is. I doubt anything is wrong with my car, considering i bought it brand spanking new. So you have a 2008 and your does not make that sound? maybe it is some new feature added in the 2009…ill find out and let you know. i have one more question. how come whenever i go downhill and let go of the gas (while on drive) the car seems to auto brake? i tried turning off the VDC but it still won’t coast. is that also some new feature in the 2009’s?
May 27th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I’d call the dealership service center, they may know the sound you speak of and be able to confirm what it is right over the phone. Let me know what you find out, I’m curious.
My car does the same thing down hills when I let off the gas. I believe it is just down shifting to maintain speed. This should be easy to test, next time I’m going down a hill I’ll put it in manual shift mode and keep it in it’s current gear. I’m fairly certain it will coast then, rather than down shift, if I am correct. I’ll let you know.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Jim, I’ve got the answers
I called the dealership and he said that my question is very commonly asked amongst us newbie altima buyers 
The sound you hear after 10-20 seconds after turning the car on is the ABS Control Unit activating. Also, while going downhills, yes the car does indeed auto-brake. He said there is no way to turn this off (because i tried turning off VDC but it still does it). He also said this is just part of the transmission (CVT = continuous variable transmission = AWESOME!). i asked him “if i put the car on neutral mode or on manual (ie tiptronic) mode while going downhill will it still do this?” he wasnt sure. ill have to test it out like you are!
May 28th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Ajay- Interesting, good to know. I guess I hear something, but not so much a “cling”, more like a super faint thud which is why I didn’t associate it with the same sound you’re having.
I did my down hill test last night. He may call it an “auto brake”, but on my car all it is doing is down shifting, so no actual “braking” is happening, just the feeling of braking. Going down a hill last night I put it in manual mode, it didn’t down shift (auto brake?) and as soon as I put it back in auto mode it down shifted. You’ll notice if you are going down a hill but don’t let off the gas pedal all the way (don’t coast) it won’t down shift either. I might be wrong, it might be doing some actual braking also, but I know for a fact that it down shifts and my guess is that is all it is doing. If I have time I may do some more research to confirm. Thanks!
June 30th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
that rattle noise on start up your hearing could be your ivt (intack valve timming) spocket. there is a service bulletin out #NTB07-021b tell your dealer its either that or your heat sheilds. nissan 07,08,09 2.5 engine are having this problem. my 07 altima with 29000 mi sounds like a diesel for 1-2 seconds. i am taking it to my dealer in two weeks. will update
July 1st, 2009 at 8:34 am
Interesting. Thanks for the info. I look forward to your update.