2007 Nissan Altima 3.5SE

2007 Nissan Altima 3.5SE - Nissan had a different goal: Ramp up the sporty feeling that separates the Altima from its more reserved Camry and Accord competitors. Nissan wanted quicker responses, more agility, and easier maneuvering in the metro madness.

If you choose the SE version with the 270-hp V-6 and six-speed manual, hang on. Engine output is up 20 horsepower in the advertising but more in the car, thanks to the deflationary effect of the latest SAE rating system. Weight, at 3357 pounds, is 137 more than the Altima we tested in February 2003.

The big news is not the numbers, however. The V-6 Altima has always been powerful, and it’s always been nasty for torque steer in the lower gears. Enough already, Nissan decided. The fix: Lower the powerplant 0.6 inch to level the half-shafts and equalize the joint angles side to side. Steering geometry is also significantly revised.

V-6 Altimas come in SL and SE versions. SE, the sporty choice, has a stiffer suspension calibration with crisp-riding shocks. Its wheels are up one inch in diameter and wider by a half-inch to 7.5. It gets lower-profile 215/55R-17 all-season tires and faster-ratio power steering. Steering effort now rises with speed, a first for the Altima.

Four-wheel discs are standard, stopping from 70 mph in 180 feet. Nissan changed its brake-pedal linkage to what it calls a double-pivot design, this to keep the brake response similar in both hard and easy stops. It works. Pedal response is agreeably linear, never touchy.

The outgoing Altima was a huge success for Nissan, lifting sales from 137,000 of the older, smaller-bodied version in 2000 to 255,000 last year, making it the fourth-highest-selling car in the U.S.

Although the instrument cluster still shows you three dials, the annoying, seemingly misaligned tunnels are gone, replaced by a single-lens grouping of much improved graphics. We’re less smitten by the exterior.

This Altima is brave in its styling, thorough in its equipment list, refined in its manners, and it responds to the spurs with gusto. There will be a hybrid version early next year, too. Jet-taillight lovers, your car has arrived.