Welcome to New York and welcome to the car that Nissan says is going to re-energize the sedan market and stem the tide of the evil SUV.
It's the brand new Altima and the story starts right up front with not one but two new motors.
Believe it or not the most powerful one is actually the smallest.
It's a two liter, turbo charged Ford, delivering 248 horsepower and 273 pound feed of torque.
That is down a little bit on power, over the outgoing v6, but has way more torque.
And, believe it or not, Nissan says it'll offer double digit increases in fuel economy, over the outgoing motor.
How's it do that?
The engine is using Nissan's variable compression rate technology, which means it can go from a 8:1 compression ratio for more power, all way up to a 14:1 compression ratio, for more economy.
Giving you the best of both worlds, in one engine.
Your other choice is a 2.5 liter four cylinder, with 188 horsepower.
And, the interesting thing about that motor,- Is what it's attached to.
For the first time, you'll be able to option all wheel drive on an Altima.
All wheel drive on an Altima, and that is what Nissan says may help this car compete, against smaller crossover SUV's.
It'll be a front biased system by default, but it can send up to half of its power to the rear wheels, which should be useful this time of year up here in the Northeast.
Technology's also a huge part with the new Altima including Nissan's pro pile assist system which is their name for their all encompassing driver assistance package.
That includes lane keep assist, an adaptive cruise control system that can bring the car to complete stop and emergency braking front and rear with pedestrian protection.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, as is compatibility with your Android Watch or Android Wear, but not my dumb watch, unfortunately.
All that's wrapped in this new aggressive styling that I think makes this the best looking Ultima that we have ever seen.
It's grown a little bit, both front to rear and side to side.
But the wheel base has grown even more, giving this an aggressive stance that I like a lot.
Look for the new Altima hitting dealerships later this year.
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