2005 Nissan Altima seR

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87chevy

87chevy

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My dad just bought a brand'spankin' new Altima SER. It's nice. I'm a Chevy/Toyota fan myself, but it's a nice car. He bought the first one sold by that dealership here in town. It's 260hp, with a 6spd and pretty stiff suspension. I'll get to drive it this coming Wednesday. I'll tell ya how it drives. Oh, unfortunately it's FWD....but what isn't these days?:rolleyes:

Anybody have any expeirence with these? I'm pretty sure it's the same car as a Infiniti G35 sedan. Is there much difference?
 
It is not even close to the Inifiniti G35. The G35 is a RWD car, much like the G35 Coupe. In terms of engine, I do not know if it is a detuned version of the G35, but the new G35 has 280hp and it comes with an available AWD system. Other than that, someone here has to drive both cars to tell what the difference is in terms of handling and ride.

I went to the San Francisco Car Show yesterday and it is one sick car to sit in. I wish I could hear the engine roar, but unfortunately they do not allow cars to be started in the center :D
 
87chevy
Anybody have any expeirence with these? I'm pretty sure it's the same car as a Infiniti G35 sedan. Is there much difference?
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They're nice! Good buy! 👍

For the record, Infiniti produces no front-wheel drive vehicles, and Nissan produces no rear-wheel drive sedans. So the main difference - among many - between the Altima SE-R (260hp) and G35 sedan (280hp w/automatic, 298hp w/manual) is the drive wheels. The engine is the same, but that engine is shared among many Nissan/Infiniti products:

- Infiniti FX35 (280hp, RWD or AWD)
- Infiniti G35 (280hp automatic, RWD or AWD; 298hp manual, RWD)
- Nissan 350Z (287hp, RWD)
- Nissan Altima (250hp [SE,SL] FWD; 260hp [SE-R] FWD)
- Nissan Maxima (265hp, FWD)
- Nissan Quest (240hp, FWD)

And formerly the Infiniti I35 (255hp, FWD) cancelled this year.
 
M5Power
They're nice! Good buy! 👍
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Yes, they are, Apparently the only option is satalite radio. Becuase, well everything else seems to be standard; leather, sunroof, heatedseats, really nice 17" wheels, Bose sound system. I gotta give Nissan a 👍 for this one. I'm looking forward to driving it Wednesday.
 
87chevy
Yes, they are, Apparently the only option is satalite radio. Becuase, well everything else seems to be standard; leather, sunroof, heatedseats, really nice 17" wheels, Bose sound system. I gotta give Nissan a 👍 for this one. I'm looking forward to driving it Wednesday.
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A few options:

- Traction Control & Airbag Package: $800 (traction control, front side and side curtain airbags)
- Satellite radio: $400

I really hope you got that package! Oh, and the navigation system, optional on 2.5SL, 3.5SE, and 3.5SL, is not available on SE-R. But you get a lot of good stuff in that car.
 
I'd probably love the Altima SE-R (and the Maxima for that matter) if they were RWD or 4WD. Putting 250hp+ to the front wheels is never a good idea, unless of course you enjoy excessive torque steer.

If it was not for the drivetrain, this car would have everything going for it imo.
 
The torque steer isn't that bad. And I've decided, regarding torque steer, that bad drivers complain about torque steer, while good drivers handle torque steer.
 
M5Power
The torque steer isn't that bad. And I've decided, regarding torque steer, that bad drivers complain about torque steer, while good drivers handle torque steer.
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While the really good and knowlegeble drivers avoid it like plague!! :crazy: :dopey:

Actually, its not too big a problem unless you drive like a maniac on the road everyday like its a track.
 
True, most people will not notice the torque steer unless they drive like a complete maniac, or if they do some autocross (something which I really look forward to doing one day).

And learning to handle torque steer is almost like learning to handle understeer. You'll be able to bring the car home in one piece, but your lap time is going to take a severe beating.

And of course, I'm looking at the car entirely from a performance perspective, we all know the Altima is a very capable daily driver.
 
Nice buy I ordered a brocherue (SP?) from Nissan to see if what the specs were I oredered it during Summer and got it like 3 weeks ago. Now I gotta get my darn scanner to work I think I havent installed the program or somthing.
 
its got a hell of a nice sounding exhaust; as you rev it changes from a rasp to a bark to a zing without sounding like a rice burner exhaust. quality interior too, compared to the more plebian models. or have i seen too many pre 05 models.

i think they are a little overpriced at almost 30 large. may as well get a one year older G35 at that price.
 
M5Power
The torque steer isn't that bad. And I've decided, regarding torque steer, that bad drivers complain about torque steer, while good drivers handle torque steer.
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:lol: There is no such thing as handling true torque steer, except to fix it mechanically. The popular usage of torque steer is simply a catch-all for power-on understeer common to FWD cars, which any driver that has any performance education would admit to being a real liability.

True torque steer is caused by unequal lengthed half shafts. The longer one acts like a lever and pulls the car in one direction under power. So even if you point the wheel straight, the car wants to turn. That's just plain bad handling and bad engineering, no matter how you slice it.

I love how you try to rationalize something that is a real problem into a badge of honor, though. Its kind of like telling people who says something is overpriced the problem is theirs because they can't afford it. Or an alcoholic saying people who complain about drunks simply can't hold their own liquor.

But it wouldn't be the first time you've decided on something that was completely off the wall. :p

P.S. The new SE-R packaged Altima is pretty cool despite being FWD, not because of it.


M
 
///M-Spec
I love how you try to rationalize something that is a real problem into a badge of honor, though. Its kind of like telling people who says something is overpriced the problem is theirs because they can't afford it. Or an alcoholic saying people who complain about drunks simply can't hold their own liquor.
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:D

It goes back to my hate of people saying that "true sports cars" are rear-drive. So I've decided that people complain about that kind of trash are "true idiots" and I stare at them when I pass them on the street.

But it wouldn't be the first time you've decided on something that was completely off the wall. :p
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In the paper today there was an ad for a 2001 Hyundai XG300 for $7800. I stared at it for like twenty minutes before deciding indeed not to buy it. Do you know how cheap 2003 M45s are? Ones around here go for low-30s. You could have an M45, not that trash BMW!
 
M5Power
It goes back to my hate of people saying that "true sports cars" are rear-drive. So I've decided that people complain about that kind of trash are "true idiots" and I stare at them when I pass them on the street.
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Well, how many true sports cars are front wheel drive? I bet you could count that on one hand.
 
M5Power
The torque steer isn't that bad. And I've decided, regarding torque steer, that bad drivers complain about torque steer, while good drivers handle torque steer.
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Exactly.

I drove the 3.5 SE, and it didn't offer any torque steer at all. And it was a test drive, so I was wailing on it. It was really really nice to drive. I've almost never driven a car, including some fairly snappily-built light and powerful FWDs, that I felt had a torque-steer problem.

I'll probably be looking at Altima SE-Rs in a few years, unless I decide I want something RWD.
 
well, most of the new cars have the torque steer engineered out of them. so its bound to not be as bad as say a saab 9-3 viggen.

thats not to say the torque steer is no longer present, just that its mostly been eradicated.

and i have never heard anyone say that power on understeer is torque steer. its always been a sideways pull on application of power.
 
neanderthal
well, most of the new cars have the torque steer engineered out of them. so its bound to not be as bad as say a saab 9-3 viggen.
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:lol: Ever since it came out the 9-3 Viggen has been sort of a pinnacle of hellish torque steer. I can't even see one and think "cool! Rare Saab!". I instead think, "How do you not hit parked cars?"
 
M5Power
:D

It goes back to my hate of people saying that "true sports cars" are rear-drive. So I've decided that people complain about that kind of trash are "true idiots" and I stare at them when I pass them on the street.
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True sports cars are rear-drive.. except maybe an 80s Lotus Elan 👍 And don't make me get another restraining order against you.


M
 
Well, I didn't get to drive it tonight. My Dad's financial computer system at his office took a nose dive, so he had to stay late. He's probably still at work. But maybe i'll get to drive it tommorrow.

On torque steer: I own a Celica GTS, and torque steer in that can be a problem. I went to one auto cross, and it did impact my experience. Now, being that that was my only AutoCross, I can't compare with doing it in a RWD car. But My expeirence is that torque steer CAN be a problem, and my car only has 180hp.
 
87chevy
On torque steer: I own a Celica GTS, and torque steer in that can be a problem. I went to one auto cross, and it did impact my experience. Now, being that that was my only AutoCross, I can't compare with doing it in a RWD car. But My expeirence is that torque steer CAN be a problem, and my car only has 180hp.
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You live in north Florida, right? Did you hook up with JD Kemp and the Dixie Region gang for the autocross? Or elsewhere?


M
 
///M-Spec
You live in north Florida, right? Did you hook up with JD Kemp and the Dixie Region gang for the autocross? Or elsewhere?


M
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I live in North florida also. Oh and I saw a nice red SER yesterday! nice!
 
///M-Spec
You live in north Florida, right? Did you hook up with JD Kemp and the Dixie Region gang for the autocross? Or elsewhere?


M
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I know it was the 'Dixie' group, the guy sounds kinda familiar. The event is actually in south Georgia.

Anyways..... Drove it :D And, I gotta give a 👍 to Nissan. Now, since it was my Dad's car and hes not a crazy driver, I didn't really get to let it loose like i wanted, but I got a pretty good feel for it. It got up to 60 in 2nd pretty darn quick, and it does sound nice :) The seats are nice! I really felt comfortable driving it. I did feel a little high in the air compared to my Celica, but other than that it was nice. I preffered the clutch action of the Nissan over my car. Much smoother, the Celica's 6spd has a very short clutch action (in my opinion). The shifter feels a little loose in my hand, but I liked the feedback I felt through it. I could feel when the clutch was engaging through the shifter and I liked that, since it was the first time I had driven it, it helped me.
Lastly, I think torque-steer could become a problem in this car if you were going to auto-cross it or just open it up on a windy road. The first time i got on the gas was turning from a stop sign and I felt the the T-S. But, if your just driving it as your daily driver and aren't going to burn rubber a lot (ie. my dad) it shouldn't be a problem.

I give it 4 stars.
 
My cousin got an Altima 3.5 S a month back. I gotta say, that car is frickin amazing. He let me drive it and well... neither of us remembered that he the handbrake engaged. Anyways, when I hopped in and punched the gas, the car went on as though nothing happened. By the time I got it up to 60km/h, we noticed the thing shuddering... I pulled it over, looked down and at the same time both of us said "oh crap..." I disengaged the handbrake and turned the car around to head back home and he told me to drive it around the neighborhood again because I didn't get to "properly experience it"

0-80km/h insane. The car was more than capable of out accelerating my mom's accord at less than half throttle
cornering was very tight and it seemed very eager to take the corners at just about any speed...
Brakes - nice and responsive. They stopped the car pretty damn quick when I realized that I wasn't going to make that light

My only complaint was the slight shift lag caused by the sequential gearbox... it was much better than the Mazda 3 I got to drive over the summer though.

Considering how awesome the Altima 3.5S is, I can't help but imagine how much better the SE-R would be.

Great choice man 👍
 
we both got a laugh out of it. It's scary how much power that thing has though. Neither of us noticed that the handbrake was on until I pushed it past 60km/h. The thing was *still* moving like a rocket... but it started to shudder a lot after 60 with the handbrake. After that though, it had me pinned to the seat. I don't think I pushed it past 3rd gear for most of the drive. I pushed the car to around 80kph before letting up off the gas for fear of getting pulled over.
 
Only in an auto/semiauto can you forget the handbrake is on--and it's pretty easy to do so, too. In a manual the clutch takeup is so different, you know right away.
 
skip0110
Only in an auto/semiauto can you forget the handbrake is on--and it's pretty easy to do so, too. In a manual the clutch takeup is so different, you know right away.
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In my car, there's a note in the center of the speedometer that says, "Hey idiot, disengage the parking brake. Oh, and you're ugly too."
 
M5Power
In my car, there's a note in the center of the speedometer that says, "Hey idiot, disengage the parking brake. Oh, and you're ugly too."
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Idiot lights aren't all that idiot-proof. Once I drove with my tailgate open for about a 1/4 mile before I figured out where all the wind was coming from, despite the dash light.
 

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