2010 Nissan Altima Coupe Review

First Impressions

I suppose the only time I could get away with stating something has a cute little rear end would be describing a car like the 2010 Nissan Altima Coupe (view photos). Although the new exterior styling lacks a bit in the front, the long framed door windows and two chrome exhaust tips peeking from the rear turn this ride into a stylish and sporty 2-door sedan.

What ups the interest even more is this coupe-cutie waves a friendly price tag at you. Even by adding two popular options such as a rear backup camera with a 4.3-inch color screen and a moonroof, your total cost is still below $27k, making this the more economical version of the 2010 Infiniti G37 (view photos) and one of the best picks in the Nissan lineup.

Pricing, Trims and Options

The 2010 Altima Coupe comes in two styles, the S and SR. The S trim offers the smaller 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine ($22,440) and the SR a larger 3.5-liter V6 ($27,270). Both are available with a 6-speed manual or Nissan’s automatic Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Altima also comes in a sedan and hybrid version.

My 2.5 S trim test drive was outfitted with the 2.5 S Premium Package ($2,070) that featured a 7-speaker Bose stereo, a 4.3-inch color display with Nissan’s RearView Monitor, and a moon roof. Another available option includes the Convenience Package ($1,070) with 8-way power driver’s seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with mounted controls.

Although the Altima at this price didn’t include a navigation system, you can choose a hard-drive option that includes a 6.5-inch VGA color display and a 9.3GB hard drive for music.

Interior Features

The good news about the interior of the Altima Coupe is you get a fair amount of goodies for the overall price. Aside from what’s mentioned in the above packages, count in dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.

Nissan makes great use of the smaller coupe space by delivering a very functional layout on the control center (omit the overdose of neon-orange lighting). And I personally appreciate that the digital temperature readouts are right there on the climate control dials.

A backup camera on a coupe can be a necessity for some due to the lowered and bolstered seating and sedan-sized chassis, so I liked the optional 4.3-inch screen display. The system gave me some nice colored digital lines to work in and out of tight spaces (like the kind of spots you find in an airport parking lot), but additional safety features like a warning beep would have been a welcomed addition. While the screen itself is easy to navigate and read when working audio, this coupe deserves a finer touch on the premium audio system’s sound quality. Let’s chalk is up to the fact Bose/Nissan needs to offer better balanced volume and sound improvements for digital music files.

I get the feeling the genius for the coupe bumper design came from simply slenderizing the sedan’s, which unfortunately now puts a constraint on fitting larger boxes into a truck that offers a mere 8.2 cubic feet of cargo space. It’s a bit too small for my needs.

Safety, Quality and Reliability

All 2010 Altima models now include Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control. The Altima Coup earns five stars for driver and passenger protection in frontal impacts and five stars for driver and passenger protection in side collisions.

The 2010 Altima Coupe comes with the following standard safety features: