With its elegant profile, it looks like an Infiniti G37 coupe that shrank in the wash. The subdued growl of its 270-hp, V6 engine is a dead ringer for the 370Z. And yet, the car I got acquainted with is of a lowlier status. It is but a humble Altima 3.5 SR coupe.
The trappings account for a good part of the image it projects. This Altima is a true eye-catcher, and inquiries as to its virtues come fast and furious. I could, in fact, have sold my tester two, maybe three times during my week-long road test! Alas, no one went so far as to write me a cheque.
Be that as it may, the interest it piqued reflects an undeniable trend: the coupe is back. The triumphant return of the American Mustang/Camaro/Challenger trio, the arrival of the its-more-than-a-Tiburon Genesis Coupe, the tepid yet constant success of the Mitsubishi Eclipse… this is all proof that many motorists are coming to recognize the pointlessness of utility vehicles. The very same ones that have been eclipsing the coupe for nearly two decades now.
A recipe for success
The primary attraction of this Altima lies in the simplicity of its lineup. It boils down to two versions. The 2.5 S is powered by a 2.5-litre, 175-hp, four-cylinder engine, while the 3.5 SR, taking the 2009 3.5 SE’s place, has enlisted the services of a powerful 3.5-litre, 270-hp V6. Our tester featured the latter.
In both cases, power is dispatched to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. A CVT Xtronic gearbox with manual mode is available as an option.
While the V6 will set performance buff’s mouths to watering, the four-cylinder will appeal to thriftier drivers. According to the automaker’s data, there’s about a 20% difference in fuel consumption between the two mills. As for me, after travelling 800 kilometres in town, on the highway and on country roads, my tester averaged over 11 litres per 100 km.
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| With its elegant profile, it looks like an Infiniti G37 coupe that shrank in the wash. (Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
The trappings account for a good part of the image it projects. This Altima is a true eye-catcher, and inquiries as to its virtues come fast and furious. I could, in fact, have sold my tester two, maybe three times during my week-long road test! Alas, no one went so far as to write me a cheque.
Be that as it may, the interest it piqued reflects an undeniable trend: the coupe is back. The triumphant return of the American Mustang/Camaro/Challenger trio, the arrival of the its-more-than-a-Tiburon Genesis Coupe, the tepid yet constant success of the Mitsubishi Eclipse… this is all proof that many motorists are coming to recognize the pointlessness of utility vehicles. The very same ones that have been eclipsing the coupe for nearly two decades now.
A recipe for success
The primary attraction of this Altima lies in the simplicity of its lineup. It boils down to two versions. The 2.5 S is powered by a 2.5-litre, 175-hp, four-cylinder engine, while the 3.5 SR, taking the 2009 3.5 SE’s place, has enlisted the services of a powerful 3.5-litre, 270-hp V6. Our tester featured the latter.
In both cases, power is dispatched to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. A CVT Xtronic gearbox with manual mode is available as an option.
While the V6 will set performance buff’s mouths to watering, the four-cylinder will appeal to thriftier drivers. According to the automaker’s data, there’s about a 20% difference in fuel consumption between the two mills. As for me, after travelling 800 kilometres in town, on the highway and on country roads, my tester averaged over 11 litres per 100 km.
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| The 3.5 SR, taking the 2009 3.5 SE’s place, has enlisted the services of a powerful 3.5-litre, 270-hp V6. (Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |