2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Road Test Video

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published September 25, 2009

2:48 min

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Conventional wisdom says that you can't put a transverse V6 in a big front-drive car and call it a sports coupe. But after 600 miles with the 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE Coupe, we're going to rise above our car-geek heritage and do just that. Nissan's starting point here was the Altima sedan, already an athlete among family-friendly sedans. Instead of dropping a coupe body onto a sedan, Nissan lopped four inches off the sedan's wheelbase, and designed a fresh set of body panels, making for a notably stylish and sporty exterior design. The 2.5 S Coupe sells better, but only has a 175-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. If you want to have some fun, check out the Altima 3.5 SE Coupe, with its 3.5-liter V6, rated at 270 hp. Although a six-speed manual is available, most 3.5 SE coupes will be sold with a continuously variable transmission, or CVT. This car doesn�t have overpowering speed, though. Our CVT-equipped coupe ran to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, then laid down a quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds, a couple tenths quicker than the Altima sedan. But away from the test track, you'll be convinced this is a fast car. The V6 offers just the right balance of smoothness and personality in this grand-touring application. And the CVT proves responsive, allowing for reasonably spirited driving. Handling is another area in which the 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE Coupe reaches out to its driver. Its 68.8-mph slalom performance and 0.81g grip on the skidpad are no better than the sedan's, but somehow the compressed dimensions make the two-door feel hungrier on a curvy road. The lack of amenities went largely unnoticed, as the Nissan Altima coupe has other ways of making its driver feel energized. Just as in the sedan, the cabin of the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe has a vaguely industrial ambiance, although it still features simple, well-organized controls. The soft-touch plastic that trims the dash feels rubbery to the touch, and dials do not work as smoothly as they should. If you've got a specific craving for a more decadent rear-drive car like the Ford Mustang GT or Mazda RX-8, you shouldn't ask an Altima coupe to satisfy it. But if you're willing to admit that ride comfort, fuel economy and interior spaciousness are important, then the 2008 Nissan Altima coupe is one of the best options out there. In the arena of V6 front-drive coupes, the 3.5 SE is the champ.