Nissan Altima Ranks No. 1 in Mid-Priced Sedans, Consumer Reports Says
By Michelle Krebs January 9, 2008The Nissan Altima ranked first in Consumer Reports’ ratings of mid-priced
sedans. With a one-point difference in scores, the Altima eked ahead of the newly redesigned Honda Accord, which had long held the top spot. Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat followed, respectively.
It was the Altima that helped Nissan North America close 2007 with sales nearly 5% ahead of 2006, bucking the industry's trend for lower sales, according to Edmunds.com's analysis.
In fact, Nissan enjoyed the highest percentage sales increase of the Big 6 automakers in the U.S. market. Altima led the charge with sale up 22% for 2007.
In what could be viewed as good news as well as bad news, Nissan is extremely dependent on the Nissan. It sold more than twice as many Altimas as the entire Infiniti division sold total vehicles, and the Altima outsold all other Nissan cars combined.
In addition, the Altima helped move Nissan North America closer to the 1-million mark for annual sales, and closer to American Honda in total sales.
In the Consumer Reportsâ test the new and bigger Accord lost a point to the Altima because it isnât as quick nor does it achieve the fuel economy of the previous generation Accord or the Altima, but still achieved an âexcellentâ ratingâ, the magazine said.
Also included in Consumer Reportsâ of tested mid-priced sedans were the new Ford Taurus (formerly the Five Hundred), Dodge Avenger, Kia Amanti and Subaru Legacy.
The magazine called the Taurus âa solid, if unexciting contenderâ in the segment. The Kia Amanti was marked down for fuel economy â ânot a strong suit,â the magazine said. The Subaru Legacy lost points for its âsnugâ interior and less responsive four-cylinder engine. T
Reiterating what many auto critics have been saying, the Dodge Avenger ranked at the bottom of the class because, the magazine said, âthe car feels cheap and underdeveloped,â with âa stiff ride, suspension noise, lack of agility, tight quarters, uncomfortable seats, and substandard interior fit and finish.â Chrysler is rumored to be fast-tracking changes on its just introduced Avenger, and its sibling, the Chrysler Sebring.
The article appears in the February issue of Consumer Reports and online.
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Where are the GM models?
I'm assuming the new Chevrolet Malibu was not out yet when the tests were conducted. I'd expect it to make the next round. Not sure why CR excluded the Saturn Aura. Maybe price?
RE: Dodge Avenger
I am absolutely horrified that anyone is still manufaturing a car like this. My impressions during a recent rental of a 2008 Dodge Avenger with ~2K miles.
- The general engine/road noise during routine driving didn't seem to be better than a '97 Chevy Cavalier (not exactly a gold standard there) and was no comparison to the 2001 Camry I currently drive.
- The plastics inside...ugh. It isn't much of an exaggeration to say that it felt like one was sitting inside of an ice chest.
- lazy engineering on the exterior. e.g. that rear wheel well looks patched together what with 2 seams that just don't quite add up to an arch. And don't even mention the paint job on the B-pillar (close enough!) and that black plastic behind the rear passenger window to "help" it blend with the C pillar.
upshot. This doesn't even match up well to cars made 5-10 years ago, let alone the current competition...utterly depressing.
The Saturn Aura wasn't tested for the same reasons the Altima (and the Optima and Sebring) weren't tested this time: They'd already been tested last year and hadn't had any major changes. The Malibu will be a test extra next issue. I have to wondered why people are questioning an organization they seem to know little about).
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