Confounded CVTs and other things, Another newish car review

Confounded CVTs and other things



It is apparently possible to occupy some of one’s time applying and interviewing for jobs reviewing new(ish) cars, as I have found lately. Another interview last month resulted in driving a similar car made by a different make. The car in question was a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5S, with roughly 27,000 miles (43,400 km) traveled at time of rental, powered by a 175 horsepower 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

As my last review was of a Toyota Camry, I thought it interesting to compare the two cars, as they are similar in size, configuration, and equipment. I have used the notes from my Camry review and compared how the Altima felt and behaved in most of those areas. Will this be an interesting-to-read review? Probably not, as the author is an engineering graduate, and I’m not certain much of the possible audience would even be in a situation to choose between the two, and people might get annoyed by referring to myself in the third person, but it is all irrelevant frankly.



Exterior
Well, it’s a silver Nissan Altima. Nothing much going on really. I would give a slight edge in styling to the Altima as it is a bit more interesting, mostly from the tastefully done dual exhaust. And as 2 > 1, WIN ALTIMA



Interior
-Much like the Camry, the interior is quite well-made. The panel gaps are tight, and all the switchgear operates without problems. Helping the Altima a bit, though, is that the interior is black everywhere rather than gray everywhere. WIN ALTIMA
-The Altima felt as though it had adequate space for driver and passengers, however it was not quite as roomy as the Camry. WIN CAMRY
-Like the Camry, the Altima has good padding for the door and center armrests, however the seating position is noticeably lower in the car, and so the armrests actually meet up with the driver’s arms, unlike in the Camry. Does Toyota just expect their drivers to be much shorter than Nissan does? WIN ALTIMA
-The Altima goes without keys for the door and ignition, instead having a key fob and an engine stop/start button. There is a noticeable delay after pressing the engine start button, during which the various ignition-tied systems cycle on, but the system works smoothly. It seems a bit of a gimmick, though, and since the Camry’s ignition switch could have operated more smoothly, this I feel is a DRAW
-While the Camry had steering-wheel mounted radio controls, the Altima instead has steering-wheel mounted cruise control functions. This is a much more useful feature to have located here, and it is satisfying to be able to just push up or down on the rocker switch to increase or decrease the set speed, rather than the oddly-located and oddly-functioning cruise control stalk on the Camry. WIN ALTIMA
-Nominally, the radio and HVAC controls in the Altima are similarly easy to operate as in the Camry, and work about as well, though the white lettering on black background on the buttons in the Altima is easier to read. Additionally, the clock in the Altima is located in the stereo display as might be normal, unlike the rather awkward front-of-the-dashboard location of the Camry. WIN ALTIMA
-The buttons and releases for the hood, fuel filler door, and traction control, are awkwardly-located similar to the Camry. Nothing much to compare here, and I wonder why manufacturers must persist in doing this. DRAW
-Although the engine stop/start button was nicely lit, the instrument cluster is almost too well lit, and at night the lighted rings around the gauges are so bright that a reflection of the instrument cluster was constantly visible in the driver’s door window. This proved a distraction during night driving, particularly while threading through slow traffic on the Interstate at 75 mph. Bit too much there, Nissan. WIN CAMRY



Driving
-The steering on the Altima is much heavier and has a much quicker ratio than the Camry; an accidental tug on the steering wheel can nearly send the vehicle into the next lane. The obvious plus is that the driver in an Altima feels much more connected to the road, and there is much confidence in driving through twisting road sections. WIN ALTIMA
-The suspension in the Altima is also much firmer than that in the Camry, really like the difference between a waterbed and a steel spring mattress. Combined with the better steering, the Altima feels much more composed in fast corners than the Camry. It is possible that over long distances on broken roads, persons with James May’s back might complain about the firm ride; the author feels the confident handling is worth the trade-off in ride comfort. WIN ALTIMA
-As mentioned in the title, confounded CVTs. It is bizarre driving a vehicle fitted with one, as one feels the transmission should shift at some point but it never does. The “manual” mode is particularly baffling, not at all helpful, and actually slower than just leaving it in “D.” The main practical benefit it would seem, that of totally smooth acceleration, would almost seem more suited to the Camry than the more sporting Altima. DRAW
-Driving up steep hills in the Altima did not seem to stress the drivetrain as much as in the Camry, and I cannot recall the engine ever needing to exceed 3000 rpm at any point during such driving, even while accelerating on the cruise control. In a bigger car like the Altima, pairing a four-cylinder with the CVT does seem to be useful in this area, and though I feel it would still be more suitable for the Camry, it did leave confidence in the vehicle’s abilities. WIN ALTIMA
-Aside from the manual mode, the Altima has a straight forward/backward shift pattern for the automatic, compared to the gated shifter in the Camry, which this author finds much less tedious. It is understandable, perhaps, that the gates on the Camry shifter prevent the driver from inadvertently changing to the wrong gear, but this seems to suggest to me that Nissan expects their drivers to be paying more attention to what they’re doing. WIN ALTIMA
-Over a longer journey of 663 miles (1,067 km), but also with mixed driving, the Altima yielded just under 33 mpg (7.13 L/100 km). Most impressive, though, was that it achieved over 35 mpg (6.72 L/100 km) during the first 450 miles (724 km), during mixed driving as well as highway driving between 55 - 70 mph (88 – 113 kph). Average mileage is not far from the Camry, however it exceeded the rated 32 mpg highway, while the Camry (rated the same) merely matched it. It is also interesting to note (though not entirely surprising) that the first part of the drive matched the rated highway fuel efficiency of the Altima Hybrid. WIN ALTIMA
-The interior of the Altima is adequately quiet I feel, however, unsurprisingly it was not quite as quiet as that in the bank vault Camry. WIN CAMRY
-Both the brake and throttle pedals seemed to have more feel in the Altima compared to the Camry, and the difference is especially better with the throttle. WIN ALTIMA

Conclusion
WIN ALTIMA: 11
WIN CAMRY: 3
DRAW: 3

It is probably clear that between the two, I rated the Altima as the winner. This is even despite the CVT, which I find works really well and is annoying at the same time. The Camry is a very well-made box on wheels which works for average people, whereas the Altima (by comparison) has a certain character, and is much more interesting. If people asked me to recommend them a car between these two I would likely say the Camry. If I were choosing for myself between the two, I would rather have the Altima.

How the hell does a manual mode on a CVT work? That makes no sense.

It works in "steps," the CVT just assumes certain positions to give fixed ratios to imitate a conventional gearbox.

I liked reading the review though. Any chance of doing a Mazda6 any time soon? We don't do the Altima here in Australia but the 6 is much better than the Maxima and the Camry.

It works in "steps," the CVT just assumes certain positions to give fixed ratios to imitate a conventional gearbox.

That seems dumb.

I'm not sure about a Mazda, thus far these reviews come along with distant job interviews I've had and been provided with transport for, and I've mostly just been taking whichever car they had immediately available and in the category reserved. Thus far, this has been useful in this regard as I've had three different cars for three different interviews. I do have another review coming soon (the third) that I need to work on, though the car is not entirely comparable to these previous two.

bravo. I've always heard that CVTs were really disorienting.

I'm sort of interested as to what a CVT would be like in a car. That's something I'd like to experience.

I wonder if it's as disorienting as an electric car.

It's really weird to be at a stoplight and not have the background rumbling of the engine. It's eerily quiet.

Probably not that bad, I imagine. At least, with the CVT Altima you still have a normal idle noise and feel, and a normal cruising speed noise and feel. It's just during acceleration that it's weird. Given the increasing prevalence of stop-start features for engines in normal cars, though, I suppose in the future even idle noises will disappear.

Depends on what the car is I suppose. My only CVT experience was in a hybrid camry (which is best camry imo) and it is a completely different experience to a car with a conventional drivetrain. Unless you're the kind of person who's idea of driving is placing your foot on the accelerator and steering, not all of us are enthusiasts I guess.

I would like to drive the Altima but alas, Australia is lumped with the Samsung SM5-based Maxima and it's dud Renault twin. Well adrift of Accord Euro and Mazda6.