Okay guys, help me decide:
I was pretty much settled on the ’07 Altima 3.5 SE with 6sp. Manual transmission to replace my 2001 Maxima AE 5sp. I am basically looking for a sporty sedan with decent interior room that is available with a real honest-to-goodness manual transmission – the kind with three actual pedals on the floor. “Fun to drive” is rather high on the prioty list. The budget ceiling is CDN$40k list, which takes the likes of the BMW 3 series, Infiniti G35, Audi A4 and Acura TL off the table. (My pick from that group is the G).
Cars eliminated along the way:
Maxima SE – too big and bloated, too much torque steer.
Honda Accord SE: thoroughly excellent in all respects. Thoroughly boring in all respects.
VW Passat 2.0T – Surprisingly strong engine, superb interior appointments. Bar of soap exterior styling and iffy reliability.
Acura TSX – Tight and tossable, sweet shifter, great handling. Small interior, not enough torque to wring out a wet dish rag.
Then I went and drove the Mazdaspeed 6. Great googly-moogly, what a sweet ride.
Here’s how they are stacking up for me so far:
EXTERIOR:
Styling is subjective, of course, but I give the nod to the Altima here. I really like the redesign and think it a substantial improvement on the somewhat chunky previous generation. I have always liked the look of the Mazda 6 – a taught, clean design. It looks best in the Mazdaspeed version, with its restrained performance-oriented styling cues. But the basic look has been around for a couple years and is starting to look a touch dated to my eyes.
INTERIOR:
A bit of a push. Interior space / comfort goes to the Altima. Its freakin’ huge trunk will serve well for airport trips and golf excursions. Style points go to the Mazda, with an available two tone leather package that really livens things up some from the usual Japan Inc. ho-hum.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION:
The numerous accolades heaped upon the Nissan VQ are richly deserved. This is one STRONG motor that revs with eager smoothness, delivering a satisfying (if subdued) forward rush. The 6 sp. stick is, well, just okay. It’s definitely on the notchy side, though well short of the proverbial baseball bat in a barrel of coconuts feel. Throws are shorter than in my Max., which is good. Clutch is light and easy to modulate. Nissan has done a phenomenal job in eliminating the dreaded toque steer that plagues so many other powerful FWD cars. The six cylider sings a sweet song, but for the most part you don’t really hear it.
The 2.3l intercooled turbo 4 in the Mazda is an absolute hellion. And I mean that in a good way. This thing is fierce. Anything north of 3k on the tach and the car just LEAPS forward on a tidal wave of torque (as in 280 lb./ft, peaking at a low 3k). The numbers are probably only slightly better than the Altima, but this thing really feels FAST. I have never experienced 6th gear acceleration like this before. The shifter has just about perfect weight and feel and short throws – another pleasant surprise. The clutch is a little more – I dunno – touchy? Smooth engagement requires a more precision. There is a strong raspy exhaust note under hard acceleration, but I found the engine fairly unobtrusive in normal cruising and just about dead silent at idle.
RIDE / HANDLING:
No brainer here. Ride goes to the Altima. Firmish, but well damped. A pretty good compromise for an everyday driver with sporty aspirations. The Mazda – there is no “ish” to the firmness of the ride. It is real stiff. Not punishing, but headed in that direction. Handling – a no contest win for the Mazda, which will run circles around the Altima all day every day. The dedicated sport suspension, low profile 18in. rubber and AWD make this car feel quite literally glued to the road. And there is never any problem getting the power to the ground – the 4wd takes care of that.
FUEL ECONOMY:
It’s not often that a 6 cyl. engine kicks 4 cyl. buttski when it comes to fuel economy, but the Atli takes the prize here. 30 mpg highway versus 26 is a substantial difference. The high thirst combined with its smallish tank really limits the range of the Mazda. Probably the biggest downside to me.
PRICE / RESALE.
They are pretty comparable when similarly equipped (though two safety features: AWD and HID headlights are not available on the Altima). But the Mazda comes out clearly ahead because their dealer is so very ready to move on price and the Nissan dealer so does not want to hear about it. I am guessing that the Alti will have stronger resale simply because it targets a much larger pool of potential buyers.
Okay. That’s it. Any thoughts? Anything I am failing to take into consideration? Any vehicles I have completely overlooked?
Thanks,
Jaeger
