♠ Posted by Admin in Nissan,Nissan Altima 2013 at 22:01
2013 Nissan Altima, introduced at
the New York auto show, is being pitched into a mid-size family-sedan
market that has never had as many new, competitive models. By the end of
2012, all of the traditional big sellers in the segment (Honda Accord,
Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Malibu, and Ford Fusion) will be either
new-for-2013 or freshly launched in the last year or two. And that list
doesn’t even include the vehicles that are newly relevant in the market,
such as the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Volkswagen Passat. And, for
good measure, a new Mazda 6 will be on sale early next year.
Nissan,
which is proud to point out that its 2012 Altima outsold everything but
the Camry last year, will enter the market with an all-new car that
sticks to the basic parameters of its proven formula. The new car rides
on the same 109.3-inch wheelbase and grows only about an inch in overall
length. It’s 1.3 inches wider than the outgoing car. It rides on a
strut front and multilink rear suspension (although Nissan notes that
the rear setup has been redesigned to improve handling prowess).
Interior of Nissan Altima 2013.
It
is powered, as it has been for years, by either a 2.5-liter inline-four
or a 3.5-liter V-6, but now will be offered at least at launch only
with a CVT automatic. (We had previously believed a manual would be
available with either engine; this is looking unlikely for now or the
future.) But that 2.5-liter gets a 7-hp bump to an estimated 182, while
dropping 11 pounds of mass. A substantially reworked CVT (70 percent of
its parts are new for a 40-percent reduction in internal friction) helps
deliver an estimated 15-percent improvement in fuel economy when mated
to the four-cylinder. Nissan Altima Engine.
It
helps improve fuel economy by 10 percent when mated with the carry-over
270-hp V-6. The end result, estimates Nissan, is class-leading fuel
efficiency of 27 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. That’s higher than
Chevrolet’s light-hybrid Malibu Eco. The V-6 models are estimated to
return 22/30 mpg, city/highway. Overall, the Altima sedan has dropped 79
pounds of curb weight, according to the company, which would make it
one of the lightest in the class. The car certainly doesn’t look light,
though. Its increased width and curvaceous, almost chunky, body makes it
appear substantial.
The
new look mixes stylistic elements from throughout the Nissan family: a
little Infiniti G37 in its surfacing, some Maxima in its headlights and
undulating flank, and, from the Ellure concept sedan shown at the 2010
Los Angeles auto show comes a big, chrome-framed grille. The body is
stiffer thanks to greater use of high-strength steel, a new front
strut-tower brace and additional structural support aft of the passenger
cabin.
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