2002-06 Nissan Altima

Nissan clearly wasn’t happy playing Newman to Honda’s Seinfeld and Toyota’s Costanza – otherwise known as the crowd-pleasing Accord and Camry.

Relegated to a small part in the mid-size sedan category, Nissan schemed to break into the best-selling gang of four (the pair mentioned above plus the Chevrolet Impala and Malibu).

It introduced the stylish Altima in 1993, winning over fans but not enough to catch up with the sales leaders, which kept getting larger and consequently more popular.

Nissan finally resigned itself to starting with a blank AutoCAD screen and re-designing its family sedan from the tires up.

CONFIGURATION

Re-launched for 2002, Nissan’s second-fiddle sedan turned out slightly larger than its flagship Maxima, with a body 14 cm longer and a wheelbase 18 cm greater than the previous-generation Altima.

It had a size advantage – longer, taller, roomier and slightly wider than the Camry and Accord – and looked leading-man handsome, too.

Assembled in Tennessee, it was the first Nissan there to benefit from the structural rigidity of a one-piece body-side component framing the doors. The stout unibody (170 per cent stiffer than the old one) promised better handing and ride characteristics.

Helping in that department was a new strut front suspension, a multilink rear suspension based on the racy Japanese Skyline model, and generous wheel and tire packages. All Altimas got disc brakes at all four corners.

Motivating the Altima was an all-new engine: an aluminum DOHC 2.5-L four cylinder complete with continuously variable valve timing and balance shafts to neutralize the shakes endemic to large four bangers. It was good for 175 hp.

Optional was the same VQ-series 3.5-L V6 found in the Maxima and a host of other Nissans, but downgraded to 240 hp so as not to overshadow the 260-hp Maxima.

Still, there was more than enough power to embarrass the V6-powered Camry and Accord of the day. All Altimas could be ordered with either a manual or automatic transmission.

Inside the expansive cabin occupants were treated to a fashionable cockpit, though owners noted the hard plastic surfaces scratched easily and tended to squeak and creak with age.

“The combination of mouse-fur seats and Tupperware plastics was a huge letdown,” blogged the owner of an ’03 model.

The car’s fetching good looks and favourable pricing goosed sales, making the Altima Nissan’s best-selling car and fourth best-selling auto in America – right on target. Auto scribes anointed it North American Car of the Year for 2002.

Not a whole lot changed for the Altima in subsequent years.

For 2005 Nissan offered a sporty SE-R model that made use of the Maxima’s 260-hp V6 along with a six-speed manual transmission, 18-inch forged aluminum wheels, 45-series tires and suspension upgrades to get the slightly enhanced power to the ground.

All V6s that year upgraded to a five-speed automatic while the four cylinders remained shackled to the four-speed autobox. All models got revised interior trim.

The breakthrough Altima was replaced by an evolutionary fourth-generation model for 2007.

ON THE ROAD

Not only did the 2002 Altima look unbland, the V6 model largely delivered an unboring performance.

The Altima 3.5 SE sprinted to 96 km/h in 7.3 seconds (with the automatic), carved out 0.81 g of grip on a skidpad and hauled down to a standstill from 112 km/h in 59 metres.

All pretty good numbers in 2002 – before the Accord and Camry got their horsepower injections.

Where the Altima fell down was in its apparent lack of refinement.

Torque steer was prevalent, the SE’s ride was firm bordering on jarring, and shifting the manual transmission was clunky and unsatisfying. Owners disliked the car’s wide turning radius, too.

That manual gearbox reduced the acceleration time to 5.9 seconds, however. The four-cylinder Altima was considerably slower, but still provided acceptable acceleration and decent fuel economy to boot.

The SE-R was more show than go, unfortunately. It was 0.2 seconds slower to highway velocity than the 3.5 SE, though it clung to the asphalt better (0.86 g) and came to a stop in just 51 metres (from 112 km/h).

WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

Star-struck by the Altima’s appealing redesign, drivers lined up to get one.

“Show me another car out there that I can buy for $25,000 that combines performance, space, reliability and looks and I’ll buy it,” wrote the owner of a 2004 model.

But it lost some of its lustre as the kilometres racked up. Owners complained about faulty radiators, head gaskets and oxygen sensors, prematurely worn struts and starting problems.

The no-start condition was traced back to bad crank position sensors, a recall item.

But as owners approached the 120,000-km mark, some were in store for something worse: complete engine failure.

“The catalytic converter had come apart and the sand-like material in it had sucked back up into the motor and ate the piston rings and walls.”

This diagnosis, given to the owner of a four-cylinder 2002 model, would be repeated often.

The pre-catalytic converter built into the exhaust manifold would reportedly disintegrate, causing increased oil and coolant consumption and, eventually, engine breakdown.

Some engine replacements were covered under warranty; owners of high-mileage examples paid the $5,500 cost out of pocket. There’s a Transport Canada recall (no. 2003060) on the catalytic converter but the dealer is under no obligation to replace the engine.

This problem mainly afflicts 2002 and 2003 four-cylinder Altimas (the V6 cars are not affected).

Coincidentally, used Altimas are relatively inexpensive and plentiful. Shop with care.