Nissan Altima SE-R
 

For those who care:

I'm predicting that 1 of 2 things will happen.

1. The SE-R will only have supspension, brake, aero, and maybe +5HP in
modifications.

2. It will be AWD (Rumors are going around that there is some BIG surprise in
store), have at least 265HP, 6-speed, LSD, etc. Or maybe it will get
Neo-VVL?


If number 1 happens.....eh who cares?


If number 2 happens, that would be the nail in the Maximas coffin. Also since Honda is not one to lay idle in the HP wars, the accord concept that was shown a while back with the Powerful engine and all, will go into production to challenge the Altima.

Any other predictions?

"Apr. 7, 2004" :eh:

Yeah, a performance Accord to eat into TL sales. Brilliant. Would be the same thing as the Altima eating the Max sales. So that would be bad in Nissan's case, yet OK in Honda's case?

So this SE-R Altima is probably going to cost at least $27K...My local Infiniti dealer sells base G35's for $27.9K all day long...Hmm...If you were spending that kind of $$$ on a sedan, why would it be on an Altima SE-R? No makes sense to I. :)

BTW, any pics?

I doubt that a performance version of the Accord would eat into the TL sales the way the Altima would eat the Maximas. For one the TL is 10x more luxurious than the Maxima, and it has a higher level of luxury compared to the accord.

no pics yet...

I wouldn't necessarily think a low-volume sports model of the Altima would put a dent in G35 sales. I'm assuming that the Altima SE-R would get some performance improvements such as more horsepower/torque, cosmetic improvements, a sportier interior, and MAYBE AWD. Even with the refresh, in terms of refinement and luxuriousness, its a few steps behind an Infiniti. And since interior changes are likely to be somewhat tacky, as they are on the Sentra SE-R, I'm sure that will be enough to steer would-be G35 buyers back to Infiniti dealerships.

I never meant to imply that the Altima SE-R would eat into G35 sales. I was simply mentioning a price comparison.

Go drive or sit in a TL and you'll see why it wouldn't even matter.

the altima already eats into maxima sales...maxima sales are doing poorly compared to the mid 90s where the altima was a 4 door economy sedan and the maxima was a v6 powerhouse sporty sedan

yes but when you compare sales of the altima/maxima combo for those years to the current sales of the combination, I'd rather have the sales of today. Also, the maxima and altima are quite a bit more expensive then they were then, even when you add inflation into the mix.

The only way I would be impressed however with the se-r variant of the altima is if the get rid of all the torque steer. The only way I see them doing this is to add awd. If they dont do this then who really cares?

Why are you guys all convinced this Altima SE-R is going to have a V6? That part of Nissan's lineup is already overcrowded with the Altima 3.5SL and Maxima 3.5SE overlapping in price.

Maybe it'll be a sort of "tuner" interpretation of the four cylinder model?

That's what I was thinking. 220 or so horses, high revving, LSD, 6 Speed, underbdy kit, crap like that. Although I'm not sure they could get over 200 HP out of their 2.4L truck engine without F/I...

The current Altima doesn't use the KA24DE which was in the old trucks, 240SX and first two generations of Altima. It has a QR25DE which is shared with the Sentra SE-R.

After the total uninspiring mess that the Sentra SE-R turned out to be, I can't exactly say I'm waiting with baited breath.

because the altima se is v6. so se-r would also have to be v6. There is no SE version on the 4 cylinder so there likely wouldnt be an SE-R.

supercharged xterra engine?

:rolleyes:

So? In Nissan's current nomenclature there isn't a Sentra SE.
It makes less power than the VQ35DE.

Yes but Nissan has gone away from forced induction because its not cost effective. Forced induction is the only way that the 4cylinder can better the 75hp advantage that the 6 cylinder has. They cant have the SE less powerfull then the SE-R. Also the 4 cylinder would also end up costing more than the 6 which would be suicide.

I have no idea what you're talking about, but ok...

What I'm saying is that the SE-R is always more powerfull then the SE. And if the SE-R were to have a 4cylinder, the only way it would be more powerful then the SE is if it had forced induction, which nissan wont do because it wouldn't make any sense.

Except for that minor detail of the only SE-R model in Nissan's current lineup not having an SE equivalent.

Yeah right, :rolleyes:

Maybe u meant to say.... After the total uninspiring mess that the New Civic Si turned out to be....

In either case an Altima Se-r in my opinion would be a bad idea.

No, no I didn't.

I think Car and Driver put it best:

:chuckles: I'm concerned why, with all the much better cars out, people buy new SE-R's. I mean, there's the Si, the SVT Focus, the mazda 3, and the SRT-4.

My theory: They like the torquey feel of the engine, and are too stuck up to buy domestics.

More Car and Driver goodness about the SE-R Spec V:

I've driven an SE-R, Si, Mazda 3s, and SVT Focus. Amazing as it may seem, I like the way the Si drives the most. It may not be very nice to look at nor do its specs seem that impressive, but when you get in and drive the thing it simply feels the best of the bunch.

http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia...ltima_SE-R.jpg
http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia...ltima_SE-R.jpg
http://s87049031.onlinehome.us/pictures/SE-R.GIF

Not bad. I was hoping for AWD. Still wouldn't get it though, considering that a G35 6spd can be had for a couple grand more w/o Torque Steer. It would have been better if they used the smoke color for the press pictures. Can someone tell me what those gear ratio numbers mean in regular terms, and if they are good or bad?

The 6spd manual, HID, and Navi were reasons why to jump up to the similar size Maxima, but now that the 2005 Altima has them, I fail to see the point of having the Nissan Maxima anymore.


Oh wait...Maxima has that standard piggy bank slot glass roof that doesn't open an the Elite Package that basically subtract one extra passenger in the configuration. :rolleyes:

I too, fail to understand the overlapping jumble of models at the top of the Nissan sedan lineup, but oh well.

Not bad. I dunno about the SRT-4 wheels, but overall it looks nice.

Consumers agree about the Alty/Max...Maxima sales are TERRIBLE since the new Altima came out. Nissan is stupid.

Hood is a bit too much for me. I think they tried for something that looked like power but wasn't extreme, and got crap.

I think Nissan was a little shortsighted in it's redesign of the Maxima. It's no design wonder, and the 3.5L 6MT Altima dynamically outshines it. Never mind the overlap in pricing. As such, I predict the Maxima will die before this decade is out.

This SE-R Altima is not half bad looking, although I still don't like the "tuner" inspired taillights...they cheapen the look of the car.

Ya know it's weird, that style of wheel went out of fashion in the aftermarket probably around '96 and now it's showing up on a bunch of production cars. It's also on the Mini Cooper S.

Its like Toyotas Japan lineup

Yeah except Toyota has probably at least the same market share over there in Japan as GM has here.

Any word on what the final HP/TQ specs are?

So far all the info I've seen is still listing it as "250-plus hp."

Since the G35 is being bumped up to 277 hp for '05 and the Maxima is rated at 265 hp, I'm guessing the Altima SE-R will be somewhere within that range.

It's been said that Toyota enjoys something like 40% market share in JDM.
GM only has 28% of the US market.

[mutter mutter] Typical Toyota dealer staff. All arrogance and no knowledge. :)

Ever since Honda started a car company Toyota has tried to push Honda under and get rid of them...Toyota has enjoyed a ~40-50% home market share since the 60's...Hondas gains have been slightly at the expense of Toyota but more to Nissan, Mazda, and Mitsu...now like Honda they are small companies and cannot afford to revamp its entire lineup every year like Toyota does (customers are fickle and want the latest and greatest)...800lb guerilla Toyota is...especially when they try to beat Honda in motorsports by often cheating (banned from WRC, penalized by F1, blasted by CART for its behavoir and influence leading to its demise as a ford spec series)