Civic and Altima

[hiwayman17]

When the current model of the Honda Civic came out there were many complaints...no more double wishbones in front...lack of sound insulation...soft suspenion...some lower quality interior components.

Honda addressed all of those problems with the exception of the double wishbones. This year's Civic is noticeably better than last years.

Will Nissan make noticeable changes in the Altima to address all the complaints?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

What would these complaints be? And to answer that question we'd have to work for Nissan..or know if they have released that information. Usually, if there are enough complaints, the company will react.

[hiwayman17]

Low quality interior and poor build. Overly light steering. Torque steer. Radio interference.

[Nizzan]

My guess is that when the new Maxi comes out, they will uprade those things on the Altima. The interior is getting put down constantly from everybody. Especially the automotive press... and most FA members. But when they do that, the Altima will be all new in another two years. So what do ya do?

[warrmax]

Nissan nearly always makes changes to a model on about the 3rd year of production. I would look for slight changes to exterior and interior in the '04 Altima.

I like the overall interior design of the Altima...but the fit and finish and the materials used are all WAY under par in this segment.

Too many hard plastics used.
Arm-rests on doors are narrow.
2-level front center armrest springs up via-a-bungie cord.
Front cup-holder door screams cheap.
All the carpet feels like it has cardboard backing.
Infamous carpet cut-out for fuel filler door release.
Doors do not close with a quality sound.
No more Dura-steel used for body panels. images/icons/frown.gif

But, since the Altima's starting price is so low I wouldn't look for any huge improvements in the materials for '04. An $18K Altima gets the same interior pieces as a $27+K Altima.

I feel your pain hiwayman17. I guess 2 1/2 years with my 2000 Maxima has me spoiled....Maybe my expectations of other cars are a little higher now? It's time to expect more from a car. images/icons/cool.gif

[ 04-12-2002, 04:31 AM: Message edited by: warrmax ]

[warrmax]

All Nissans used to be constructed with Dura-Steel. Even the previous generation Sentra was but the new Sentra isn't. As far as I know it is about the best-thickest metal used in car construction. It is also used by Mercedes.

There seems to be a trickle-down trend with Nissan eliminating Dura-Steel construction in their vehicles. More than likely the Maxima will be next. images/icons/frown.gif

[ 04-12-2002, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: warrmax ]

[SimpleS14]

I think Nissan will make minor changes or improvement within a year or so. But you have to be aware that the Altima is selling good and Nissan is barely out of the hole it feel in back in the '90s. When the company gain more profit, expect more quality, while sticking to its constant reliablity(sp?).

[Afty]

Originally posted by warrmax:
No more Dura-steel used for body panels. images/icons/frown.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]What is "Dura-steel"? images/icons/confused.gif