I have been riding in the 2000 Nissan Altima for a couple of years now. When my friends from out of state came for the weekend I just had to drive it around. They also have a 1998 Nissan Altima which shows you how much they love the car. They didn’t mind since they don’t know their way around and they knew I wanted to review it! I am writing this review as a lay person. I am not a car salesperson, mechanic or expert.

The car’s features:

My friends’ car is the 2000 Nissan Altima Compact Sedan 4 Door GXE Sedan. It has 34,000 miles on it. It is a 4 cylinder, has a 2.4-liter engine with an automatic transmission and front wheel drive. It also comes with an alarm system, power windows, a remote trunk release, cloth seats to name a few.

This is a 5 seater with 3 seats in the back and a center console in the front. I will tell you about space in a moment.

Inside:

Not everything in this car is standard, obviously, but I am reviewing what I drove. What impressed me the most was how comfortable the seats were. The driver’s side seat is especially comfortable. It has a lumbar support that is adjustable. The passenger seat also has a built in lumbar support but it is not adjustable. My dad’s Cadillac had that and I miss it in my current cars. That comfort addressed my back.

I wasn’t all that comfortable driving and I wasn’t sure why. At the time I blamed it on the headrest. They are part of the seat but are adjustable. I just didn’t like the feel of where my head was no matter where I put the headrest. Since I am not a car expert to say the least I didn’t understand why I was uncomfortable until I starting researching the car for this review and the answer will be in my final thoughts.

The seats in the front do not go as flat as I like. I do a lot of sleeping in cars and the farther back they go, the better.

I found 2 good-sized cup holders in the front, a map pocket on each side of the door, 2 cup holders in the back (Still leaving one person to hold their drink in their lap but it is better than other cars I’ve reviewed that have no cup holders or just one in the back.)

The armrest between the front seats has 2 storage compartments (the 1998 only had one.) There are a lot of nice features in this Nissan Altima. The clock was easily visible even during the day (I note that because I drove a car with a clock that you couldn’t see in the daylight and one that had no clock at all.)

The air conditioner worked very well. It wasn’t particularly hot that weekend but we did use it and it cooled my husband and friend in the back really well and quickly.

The front of the car is quite comfortable and roomy everywhere. The seats moved up and back easily and manually.

The inside cloth colors are either blonde or dusk. Theirs is dusk.

The back is quite large. In fact one of the roomiest in this class I have driven. It is a true 5 seater. One of my friends is a very large woman and needs to put the front seat back all the way. Even doing that my husband and her husband were quite comfortable in the back. The car’s back has a pull out armrest in the middle of only 2 people are sitting there. It is also a great way to separate children! It also has a split folding back. One side folds down and one doesn’t. I prefer cars where both go down just for that added space.

The interior of the car has a luxurious feel to it. I am partial to foreign cars anyway but trying to be objective I did not feel as if I were driving a tin can.

Outside:

The car comes in the following colors: Alpine White Pearl, Black Cherry, Blue Dusk, Brushed Pewter, Green Emerald, Platinum Metallic , Sandrift Beige, Super Black, Titanium Frost Pearl which is the color of their car. It looks very similar to the 2000 Mazda Protégé or the Chevrolet Malibu.

The trunk is a decent size. Although it appears large and we could put a lot in it, I found the opening not large enough. In other words I wanted the trunk to go up higher. (I will leave all the specifications at the bottom.)

Something else to note is the roominess of the doors when opened. Remember my friend is a large woman so this is an issue for her and she commented that this door opens wider than others she has owned and in which she has been.

It takes regular, unleaded fuel and gets 21 miles to the gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. The fuel tank capacity is 15.9 gallons.

Handling:

The car handled well for its class but not as well as I would have thought. I am partial to Nissans, Toyotas and Hondas and of the three, I like the Altima the least. It isn’t a luxury car- I realize that and won’t give me a luxury ride. I wasn’t expecting to feel as if I were driving a Cadillac. I did feel more bumps than I would have liked to feel. The bumps, in my opinion, are felt more strongly as a passenger in the back seat. I have never been uncomfortable as a passenger but I never thought this was a superb car. Driving it is slightly better.

It is a fairly quiet ride. There is some whooshing that was annoying.

The pickup was decent but I noticed that when the air conditioner was on there was a difference in pickup. (From www.edmunds.com) This car will get to 60 mph in only 8.1 seconds. Getting on and off the ramps wasn’t a problem, however, and I could maneuver it well enough. It hugs the road enough so that I didn’t feel as if I were going to tip over but I had a better ride in the Subaru Imprezu which is in the subcompact class. If you are looking for a used car, take a look at the Honda Civic. You will find it to be a best bet for the year 2000 in this price range.

Back to the Altima. I have mixed feelings about it. I did like it. It maneuvered well. We have two very tight areas on the waterfront where I live and on one occasion I had to move to avoid the car that was leaving a space without his blinker on. We also have some very tight curves. I found the Altima able to handle them well.

I actually forgot they had a Nissan because whenever I am in it as a passenger it feels like an American car to me. It feels like Chevrolets feel rather than the tight hugging of the road I like in the Toyota and Honda.

I was able to park really well. The steering is tight enough so I could even parallel park in spots that I thought I would have trouble in especially since this wasn’t my car.

Warranty:

The basic warranty is 3 years or 36,000 miles. For the drivetrain it is 5 years or 60,000 miles. For rust it is 5 years and unlimited miles.

How does it fare in a crash?

It fares fairly well especially if you are driving!

Crash Test Results:

Passenger: Excellent
Driver: Good
Side Impact Front: Average
Side Impact Rear: Average
Crash Offset: Acceptable
Bumper Bash: Acceptable
Rollover Rating: Not Tested (www.edmunds.com) That is a good crash test result as compared to other cars I have reviewed.

The above is from www.edmunds.com

Frontal offset crash test results from:
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00004.htm

The overall rating was average.
Structure/safety cage got a marginal rating.
Injury measures:
Head/neck got a good rating.
Chest got a good rating.
Leg/foot, left got a marginal rating.
Leg/foot, right got a marginal rating.
Restraints/dummy kinematics got a marginal rating.

This is really a very informative site. I will use it the next time I buy a car but I do realize that if we really let these ratings scare us, none of us would be driving.

My final thoughts:

I really wanted to rate this 3 stars but when I filled out the bottom and saw that I was answering 4s and 5s I realized just how conflicted I am about this car so I will give it 4 stars. I was going to recommend it anyway, though I would recommend others first!

This is a decent car. It is attractive but, in my opinion, conservative looking. I would target it as a family car.

Now here is where I learned why I wasn’t particularly comfortable driving the car. Apparently it has an “off-center driving position, which canted the driver three to four inches to the right of the steering wheel, making for an uncomfortable driving experience. In this canted position, the wheel obstructs the driver's view of the engine temperature gauge, creating a mandatory driving position of left arm out and right arm in.” www.edmunds.com

This would not be my first choice although my friends wouldn’t hesitate to buy a third Altima. That’s why we have reviews and various opinions! It is attractive, handled well and is priced well, but I think you can do better. I would look around before I bought this car but I will recommend it as a decent family car with more room in the back than expected. The fuel mileage isn’t bad but just as a comparison, the Honda Civic gets 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway versus the Altima's 21/28!

Remember, this is just my layperson’s opinion.


If you have any questions, please leave a comment. The specs are below as are links to sites that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about a car.

http://www.edmunds.com

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ratings.htm

******************************
More information from the frontal offset crash test results:
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00004.htm

"The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 1998 model year and modified beginning with 2000 models to change airbag characteristics.

OVERALL EVALUATION: ACCEPTABLE WITH SIDE AIRBAG HEAD PROTECTION The driver space wasn't maintained well in the frontal offset crash test, and footwell and instrument panel intrusion contributed to the possibility of knee and leg injuries. Optional side airbags with head protection and standard advanced safety belt systems are pluses. The overall evaluation of Altimas with side airbags is acceptable, while other models would be rated marginal."

Specifications:

Dimensions
Exterior:
ˇ Length: 185.8 in.
ˇ Width: 69.1 in.
ˇ Height: 55.9 in.
ˇ Weight: 2945 lbs.
ˇ Wheel Base: 103.1 in.
ˇ Ground Clearance: 4.1 in.
Interior:
ˇ Front Head Room: 39.4 in.
ˇ Front Hip Room: 52.5 in.
ˇ Front Shoulder Room: 55.7 in.
ˇ Rear Head Room: 37.7 in.
ˇ Rear Shoulder Room: 54.8 in.
ˇ Rear Hip Room: 52.6 in.
ˇ Front Leg Room: 42 in.
ˇ Rear Leg Room: 33.9 in.
ˇ Luggage Capacity: 13.8 cu. ft.
ˇ Maximum Seating: 5
Performance:
ˇ Acceleration (0-60 mph): 8.4 sec.
ˇ Braking Distance: 136 ft.
ˇ Road Holding Index: 0.77 g
ˇ Base Engine Size: 2.4 liters
ˇ Base Engine Type: Inline 4
ˇ Horsepower: 155 hp
ˇ Max Horsepower: 5600 rpm
ˇ Torque: 156 ft-lbs.
ˇ Max Torque: 4400 rpm
ˇ Drive Type: FWD
ˇ Turning Circle: 37.4 ft.

Range in Miles: (City/Highway)
Manual: 365.7 mi. / 492.9 mi.
Automatic: 333.9 mi. / 445.2 mi.

If you are interested in other car reviews, here are my links:

2000 Nissan Altima
2001 Chevy Malibu
2002 Chevy Prizm
1998 Dodge Ram Van
1996 Nissan Sentra
2001 Pontiac Sunfire
1999 Toyota Camry
2001 Hyundai Accent
1998 Chevy S-10 Pick
1999 BMW 323is
2002 Subaru Impreza
2000 Suzuki Swift
2001 Chevy Metro
Amount Paid (US$): 10.095
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Automatic GXE