2008 Nissan Altima Coupe: Sportier than you might think.


By Daniel Souza

The Altima Coupe, which made its debut in the shadows of Hollywood at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show, fills a desire among target customers for a more personal expression of style, individuality and fashionable appearance. The Altima Coupe’s unique exterior design is intended to stand out in a crowd of sedan-based two-door models with magnetic, just-right proportioned styling with a shorter wheelbase, shorter overall length and lower height than the Altima Sedan.
The smaller size and lighter overall weight also contribute to the Coupe’s sportier driving feel – other desired attributes of the typically younger, more performance-oriented coupe buyers.
“Rather than just eliminating two doors from the Altima Sedan, we gave the Altima Coupe its own style, its own dimensions and its own interpretation of Nissan’s exhilarating driving pleasure,” said Bill Bosley, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division.
Dimensionally, the Altima Coupe rides on a 105.3-inch wheelbase, a full 4.0 inches shorter than the Sedan. Overall length is 182.5 inches – 7.1 inches less than the Sedan. The Coupe also has a lower profile – at 55.3 inches it is 2.5 inches shorter than the Sedan. In terms of major body panels, the two cars share only a common hood, with all other panels, grille, headlights and rear combination lights unique to the Altima Coupe.


“A strong sedan starting point, such as the new Altima, also gives you a tremendous advantage – if you get the basics right, you can focus your efforts on the unique desires of coupe buyers, including wanting a purely personal space,” said Bosley.
The Altima Coupe, as part of the fourth-generation Altima design, utilizes Nissan’s all-new, highly acclaimed “D” platform with increased body rigidity and a redesigned suspension. This new platform was developed with the objective of making Altima one of the best performing large front-wheel drive vehicles available globally.
The new Altima Coupe is offered with a choice of two engines and two transmissions. The 3.5-liter 24-valve DOHC V6 is the “next generation” version of the 12-time Ward’s “10 Best Engines” award-winning VQ-series V6. For use in the Altima Coupe, it is rated at 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque and offers strong acceleration and refined sound quality. The V6 features reduced friction, improved cylinder head cooling and new twin knock sensors.
Also available with the new Altima Coupe is a 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve QR25 inline 4-cylinder, producing 175 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. This engine has been refined from the previous version, with a larger, equal-length intake manifold, increased compression ratio and reduced friction characteristics. It features a silent chain drive and a balancer system (with balancer changed to a center-mounted location for better NVH) that effectively negates vibrations without taking up much space – combining ideal packaging and smoothness.
Both engines feature continuously variable valve timing, modular engine design, microfinished crank journals and cam lobes, molybdenum coated lightweight pistons and electronically controlled throttles.


Both the 3.5-liter V6 and 2.5-liter 4-cylinder models are available with Nissan’s advanced Xtronic CVT™ (Continuously Variable Transmission) or 6-speed manual transmissions.
The V6 CVT features a “Sport” mode controller with a high-speed central processing unit and Adaptive Shift Controller with adaptive logic for faster shifting in both normal and manual modes. The adaptive logic feature delivers the best shift pattern based on the driving environment and driver’s perceived intentions.
Also contributing to the Altima Coupe’s sporty performance feel are a standard twin-orifice vehicle-speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering system and 4-wheel disc brakes with standard 4-wheel, 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS with Electronic Brake force Distribution.
The 2008 Altima Coupe will be available in four well-equipped models: 2.5 S 6MT, 2.5 S CVT, 3.5 SE 6MT, 3.5 SE CVT.
Expect 23 mpg/city - 32 mpg/hwy for the 4-cylinder version and around 19 mpg/city – 26 mpg/hwy for the 6-cylinder outfit.
The vehicle will be assembled at the Nissan North America Manufacturing Smyrna and Decherd, Tennessee plants.

Base Price - $20,570
Price as tested – $26,070

Daniel Souza can be reached at sixth.gear.herald@gmail.com

2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport


By Daniel Souza

Utahns certainly experience all four seasons in this state where snowy and icy roads are part of most any daily commute throughout a good portion of the year. Subaru has long been known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles, which offer superior traction and handling in inclement weather compared to many two-wheel-drive competitors. If you pay close attention to traffic on Utah’s roads you’ll notice that Subaru has won its way into more than a few driveways in this state. Pay even closer attention near any college or university and you’ll notice that the Subaru Impreza is a favorite amongst students.

Both the hatchback and the sedan versions of the Impreza always seem to have appealed mostly to a younger crowd because of their compact size and fuel efficiency, made even more attractive by sporty looks and handling. With the all-new 2008 Impreza lineup, Subaru plans to appeal to all age groups, offering something for everyone. The 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport is a continued effort to keep the loyalty of the younger generation.


This new Subaru offers a seriously upgraded interior with more space, higher quality materials and a more user-friendly control layout. The Impreza Outback Sport is only available as a hatchback, and it seats five like any other Impreza. There is a long list of standard interior features including power windows and door locks, heated front seats, power mirrors, cruise control, adjustable steering column, air conditioning, anti-theft security system, and a number of cargo and storage accessories. Also standard are keyless entry, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and cruise control buttons, a 10-speaker stereo with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer and auxiliary audio input jack, and a 60/40-split flat-folding rear seat back. Cargo volume equals 19.0 cu. ft., which more than doubles when the second row of seats is folded flat.
Also available are XM or SIRIUS satellite radio capability, and the new iPod Interface Kit. Understanding the huge popularity of iPod, Subaru is excited to tell everyone about this new option. The iPod Interface Kit offers a special, hidden docking location for your iPod in the center console. Your iPod is controlled through the factory car stereo, and is charged while in use. Turn the car off and it turns off too. Turn the car on and your playlist continues where it left off playing your music and displaying information on the vehicle’s factory stereo. Where the old Impreza was fairly basic, this new Impreza certainly offers more to its buyers.


The 2008 Impreza Outback Sport plans to keep its occupants safe with such active safety features as Daytime Running Lights, all-wheel drive, 4-wheel antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution (EBD), Vehicle Dynamics Control, Traction Control, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Passive Safety features include 3-point seat belts for all occupants; dual front airbags and seat-mounted side-impact air bags for those up front, with side-curtain airbags protecting both front and rear occupants. The horizontal boxer engine provides a low center of gravity which increases vehicle stability.
So, what motivates this vehicle? The 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder SUBARU BOXER engine has proven itself to be reliable has even won some awards for its engineering and capability. Slightly improved for 2008, this carry-over powerplant generates an appropriate 170 hp and 170 lb-ft. of torque. This is not a sports car, but it was not meant to be boring either. One can choose between an automatic transmission, and a fully-synchronized 5-speed. The fuel tank holds 16.9 gallons and Subaru claims this car can achieve up to 20 mpg city, and 27 mpg on the highway burning 87 octane fuel. Disc brakes at all four corners and low-profile all-season tires mounted on 17”, 6-spoke aluminum alloy wheels give the 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport the playful and sporty look Subaru’s after.
Pricing for the base Impreza starts at $17,000. The Impreza Outback Sport starts at $20,000.

Daniel Souza can be reached at sixth.gear.herald@gmail.com