Ah, the Nissan Altima. Introduced in the fall of 2001, it immediately became a star by virtue of the fact that it's fast, fun to drive, roomy and comfortable, despite some obvious cost-cutting in the cabin. Now two years later, it's still a desirable car, but the competition is catching up. Both the Accord and Camry are packing serious horsepower of their own these days, while an out-and-out sport sedan called the Mazda 6 arrived on the scene last year. In this field of 10, the Nissan had to fight its way into fourth place. Its superb engine, spacious interior and rapport with editors ultimately allowed it to slip past the Galant and Passat.

Although 11 of the 12 features we consider most important in a family sedan are either standard or optional on the Altima, our oddly equipped 3.5 SE test car didn't do itself any favors in this department. It came with cool extras like xenon headlights and a powerful Bose stereo but lacked must-have items like ABS, traction control and side and head curtain airbags — all optional on the Altima. Most of the cars in this test came standard with antilock brakes, and during a rainstorm, it was plain to us that a car with 246 pound-feet of torque flowing to its front tires ought to come standard with traction control as well.

Of course, when the roads were dry, no one complained about the power coming from the Nissan Altima's 245-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, which remains the sweetest engine of the family sedan class. Acceleration is excellent in just about any situation, and our test car's four-speed automatic transmission made the most of the motor's attributes by coming up with quick, smooth shifts. The transmission's gear selector was the source of a couple complaints, as it didn't move all that smoothly through its staggered gate when drivers wanted to choose their own gears.

In instrumented testing, the Nissan Altima tied with the Galant for the quickest 0-to-60-mph run with a time of 7.3 seconds, while the Mitsubishi held a slim, four-hundredths-of-a-second edge for the quarter-mile. Although the two cars were basically identical in straight-line performance, the Nissan earned slightly higher scores in the drivetrain categories on editors' 23-point evaluations. The difference seemed to come down to the Altima's entertaining engine soundtrack and its ultraresponsive transmission.

The Altima still offers one of the better compromises between ride quality and handling in the family sedan segment, but next to some of the other cars in this test, the compromise part of the deal is more noticeable than it once was. The 3.5 SE model has firmer suspension settings than lower-line Altimas, and this along with an accurate, well-weighted steering rack, gives the car a tight, responsive feel when taking corners. The ride is still smooth and for the most part comfortable, but depending on the condition of the pavement, it can be a bit jarring. Additionally, there's a moderate amount of road noise compared to a quiet car like the Camry. Finally, the Altima is prone to minor torque steer under hard acceleration. Most editors liked the Nissan's total package, but if you're looking for the best overall balance, you may prefer the Galant — it stretches further to the extremes, offering both a more refined ride and a tighter, flatter cornering attitude. And if you're looking for the best handler, the Mazda 6 is the one for you.

Inside, the Altima feels as roomy as an Accord, Camry or Galant. It might not lead the class in published dimensions, but in practice there's plenty of head-, shoulder, hip- and legroom in both the front and rear. The Altima was one of the few cars in this test that didn't have a leather interior, but the cloth-upholstered seats proved to be both soft and nicely contoured. A tilt/telescoping steering wheel is provided for the driver, and the pop-up center armrest once coated in rubber now has a padded cloth cover. The only improvement we might ask for up front is additional lateral bolstering to hold occupants in during spirited cornering. In the back, the otherwise comfortable accommodations are marred by the lack of adjustable headrests.

So it's not too hard to get comfortable in the Altima, but scrutinize your surroundings and you might not like what you see. Editors described the cabin as "functional," and as most of the controls are large and easy to reach, it's certainly that. And Nissan is the only manufacturer besides VW to offer one-touch control for both front windows, and all window buttons are illuminated on all doors. But even with sporty touches like individual gauge pods and faux aluminum trim on the center stack, no one would go so far as to call the cabin stylish. The main problem is Nissan's widespread use of hard plastic — it's all over the dash, console and door panels, and in cars with a charcoal interior, it's all the same dark color. Two years ago this was annoying, but now that a car like the once plastic-laden Malibu has a soft, textured dash, it's simply unacceptable. The switchgear and controls, at least, feel high in quality, and the steering wheel is attractive with a comfortable grip. But no one was enamored with the yellow-orange illumination for the gauges and controls, which can be hard to read.

Build quality was merely OK, as editors noted rough edges on some plastics, as well as a panel on the back of the center console that seemed all too easy for little hands (or big auto journalist hands) to pull off. Exterior panel fits were tight and precise, except for a slightly misaligned trunk lid.

Storage provisions are above-average by family sedan standards, but not as good as the Accord's or Camry's. Highlights include a two-tier center console, a deep cubby under the center stack and a pair of large cupholders up front. Trunk space is generous and there's a pair of grocery nets to corral your bags. Unfortunately, the trunk lid's metal hinges are not sheathed as in the Camry, and the lid has neither a liner nor an interior grab handle (it does, however, spring open when "popped").

Crash test results were mostly favorable, as an Altima without side or head curtain airbags earned four out of five stars in all front- and side-impact categories in government testing. The car earned the top rating of "Good" in the frontal offset crash test conducted by the IIHS.

With a large field of competitors in this test, we noticed the Altima's weaknesses more than ever, and Nissan would do well to address the car's cut-rate interior as soon as possible. The fact that the Altima finished as high as fourth confirms that it's still one of the better family sedans on the market and a fine choice for anyone who craves serious amounts of power and comfort.

Second Opinions:

Senior Road Test Editor Ed Hellwig says:
When the latest Nissan Altima burst onto the scene in 2002, its overwhelming horsepower and appreciable style made it one of my favorites. A couple years on and I still find it one of the most entertaining cars in this class, but next to some of its newer competitors, there's no doubt it feels a little rougher around the edges than the first time around. The sheer force of its high-power V6 still makes you want to nail it at every turn and the tight suspension yields plenty of road feel, but when you're not playing sports car, the ride is less refined than either the Mazda's or the Mitsubishi's, both of which return equivalent levels of performance.

From the inside, the Altima is still its plain old self, with a modern and functional setup that offers up little in the way of style. Maybe it's my natural aversion to orange or the acres of average-looking plastic, but there's not much to get excited about in this cabin other than the tilt gauges and surprisingly comfortable cloth seats. If you're big, there's plenty of room to stretch out, and if you like your music loud, the stereo seems to have some serious punch, but I was a little bit surprised at how old the whole setup looked after just a couple of years. If ever there was a sign that competition makes the customer king, the once-dominant Altima is exhibit number one.

Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick says:
Having never been a fan of the previous-generation Altima, I was very excited when I first experienced the 2002 redesign. I was so pleased with its new power and good looks that I recommended it time and again to friends and family shopping the latest in midsize sedan offerings. It didn't hurt that the current Altima arrived on the scene around the same time that people were starting to get excited about Nissan again. There was much talk about new designs and new models in the works, several of which have launched in the past two years.

But now, as good a car as the Altima still is, there's plenty of new competition with other powerful V6s in the Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Mitsubishi Galant. Alongside the new sedans, the Altima is already beginning to look dated, both inside and out. It's still roomy and predictable, but it doesn't do much to evoke driving excitement. Several of our staffers have remarked about the bland interior, which seemed fine just a short while ago. Now, behind the even more refined ergonomics of the Accord, and sporty looks of the Galant and 6, it seems the Nissan Altima is ready to take its place in the manufacturer's long line of impressive makeovers, even at just two years old.