Saves gas, too
There's a sensible side to all this gearless delivery of Nissan's howling V6 performance, too. Driven gently in 'Drive', the Xtronic feels like a smooth and very responsive automatic. It can keep engine revs pegged steadily under 2000 RPM as the car makes its way to 80 km/h or more, which does big things for refinement and fuel mileage in city driving.
On the highway, your correspondent observed mileage of less than 8L / 100km during steady cruising at 120 km/h-- with an overall test average of just 9.5L / 100km. That’s particularly thrifty given the available performance.
More importantly than all of the above, Altima Coupe shoppers can save $1,500 and get a proper six-speed stick if they like.
A Korean Headache
All in all, the Altima Coupe has a lot of things going for it-- except for that a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 offers 36 more horsepower and some track-ready chassis upgrades for less money. It's rear wheel drive, too, which is a hot powertrain configuration these days.
Planning to cross shop? You'll likely find the Genesis a tremendous go-fast value, though it's thirstier and somewhat heavier and more demanding to drive.
End of the day, the Altima Coupe hits hard where uniqueness, heritage, performance and, perhaps surprisingly, fuel economy are concerned. After all, nothing says a fast performance coupe can’t be a little sensible, too.
There's a sensible side to all this gearless delivery of Nissan's howling V6 performance, too. Driven gently in 'Drive', the Xtronic feels like a smooth and very responsive automatic. It can keep engine revs pegged steadily under 2000 RPM as the car makes its way to 80 km/h or more, which does big things for refinement and fuel mileage in city driving.
On the highway, your correspondent observed mileage of less than 8L / 100km during steady cruising at 120 km/h-- with an overall test average of just 9.5L / 100km. That’s particularly thrifty given the available performance.
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| The Altima Coupe is relatively new in the world of Nissan sports cars. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |
More importantly than all of the above, Altima Coupe shoppers can save $1,500 and get a proper six-speed stick if they like.
A Korean Headache
All in all, the Altima Coupe has a lot of things going for it-- except for that a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 offers 36 more horsepower and some track-ready chassis upgrades for less money. It's rear wheel drive, too, which is a hot powertrain configuration these days.
Planning to cross shop? You'll likely find the Genesis a tremendous go-fast value, though it's thirstier and somewhat heavier and more demanding to drive.
End of the day, the Altima Coupe hits hard where uniqueness, heritage, performance and, perhaps surprisingly, fuel economy are concerned. After all, nothing says a fast performance coupe can’t be a little sensible, too.
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