Since its 2002 revival, the Nissan Altima has been a very popular choice for consumers interested in a more performance oriented family sedan. When Nissan redesigned the Altima sedan last year, it focused on keeping the car's sporting credentials intact while simultaneously addressing its faults. The new Altima's significant dynamic and interior improvements contributed to a powerful five-seater that provided plenty of comfort and driving excitement for those looking for a lot more than basic transportation.

For 2008, the Nissan Altima is available as a midsize sedan or coupe. Both models are available with your choice of four engine trim levels.

The base 2.5 comes with 16-inch wheels, full power accessories, keyless entry/starting, cruise control, a split/folding rear seat and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel. The 2.5 S adds air-conditioning, a CD player and MP3 input jack, a trip computer and intermittent wipers.

The sporty 3.5 SE comes with a sport-tuned suspension with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, power-folding side-view mirrors with integral turn signals, a power driver seat, wood-tone accents and a leather-wrapped steering wheel

This Altima comes standard with lots of advanced stuff: halogen headlights, turn signals integrated into the heated rearview mirrors, trip computer, vehicle information display, intelligent key with push button ignition, AC with cabin air filter, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, auxiliary audio input jack, and an extra 12-volt power outlet.

Handling is excellent. Suspension is of conventional design, McPherson struts in front and multi-link independent in the rear with stabilizer bars at both ends. Damping is about what we would expect from a mass market sedan with a “sport’ package, that is, firm but not harsh, crisp but not jerky. We had no problem diving hard into a tight turn and pushing through near the limit of adhesion.

Safety features include Nissan’s Advanced Air Bag System, Traction Control, front seat active head restraints and all the stuff everyone else has as well. The rear seats are more than adequate for a mid-size sedan, but I have a complaint about the way it accommodates cargo. The rear seat backs go down for pass-through access to the nice-sized trunk, but not easily. Two release straps are accessible from inside the trunk but the trunk is so deep they are hard to reach. A lever releases the right seat back from inside but one must scootch all the way in to reach it and then it takes two-hands to do the job. The left side seat back only releases from inside the trunk. This is one of the worst seat back release systems I’ve seen on an otherwise nicely designed car.