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Nissan Altima

Kepler

Kepler

Cornell Big Red
The Altima has a hybrid transmission where you can either drive in automatic or manual. The manual doesn't have a clutch, you toggle the shift up or down to switch gears. Reverse is only accessible from automatic. When you brake in manual the computer automatically drops you to 1 to prevent stalling. You can switch between the modes on the fly -- switch to manual puts you into the appropriate gear.

What are your thoughts on which mode to drive in? One salesman said he drove in manual all the time for higher MPG. A salesman at another Nissan dealership said he thought manual was an all but irrelevant sales geegaw.

Any other thoughts on the model would also be helpful.
 
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Re: Nissan Altima

Kepler said:
The Altima has a hybrid transmission where you can either drive in automatic or manual. The manual doesn't have a clutch, you toggle the shift up or down to switch gears. Reverse is only accessible from automatic. When you brake in manual the computer automatically drops you to 1 to prevent stalling. You can switch between the modes on the fly -- switch to manual puts you into the appropriate gear.

What are your thoughts on which mode to drive in? One salesman said he drove in manual all the time for higher MPG. A salesman at another Nissan dealership said he thought manual was an all but irrelevant sales geegaw.

Any other thoughts on the model would also be helpful.
Click to expand...

My Lancer has the same feature. I can't say I've noticed any significant increase in MPG in one versus the other. It was never sold to me as a way to improve MPG, just as a different and fun way to drive.
 
Re: Nissan Altima

I believe the Hyundai Genesis has that feature, and my brother (mechanic for them) says that there's really not a big difference between the two, however, it's easier to mess up the car if you use the manual (user error sort of thing, if you don't know how to properly use a manual transmission).
 
Re: Nissan Altima

I had a similar discussion with my auto tech regarding some of the "manual" transmissions that don't require use of a clutch on higher end cars. He was of the opinion that there's very little appreciable difference in performance or mileage. They are more automatic than manual, and more efficient than the old "5 speeds". Frankly, I've probably only used the Tiptronic in my Audis 2-3 times. For city driving I'd rather let the car do the shifting.
 
Re: Nissan Altima

My Acura has this, and I get the feeling that it is just a gimmick. All it really does for me is allow me to do more engine braking. I rarely use it.
 
Re: Nissan Altima

I had an Altima as a rental and got bored with the shift dealio in a hurry, even driving on the Pacific Coast Highway. The fun part of a manual is working the clutch....
 
Re: Nissan Altima

I drive in automatic all time time, but between phones and kids, I have enough distractions in the vehicle.
 
Re: Nissan Altima

If I'm not mistaken most of the "auto-shifts" today are fail-safe... meaning that they either shift up/down anyway or govern the throttle speed so as to not hurt anything. For example, I don't think you can over-rev the engine by staying in 1st gear, nor can you downshift at 65 mph, etc.

In the end I think it's just a marketing gimmick and does absolutely nothing for performance or economy.
 
Re: Nissan Altima

I've driven my Altima for ten years now (the last new 2000 model new off the lots in MN, I was told). Minimal complaints, they're more annoyances, really. Outside of general maintenance, I've put in about $450 in repairs, all done myself - an alternator as one of the bearings started whining at me ($170 at 120k miles), multi-function turn selector ($100 at 100K miles), driver's side power window/lock control ($100 at 110 miles), and the valve cover gasket ($80 at 105k miles). Beyond that, I have slight electrical problem - the dash lights flicker out every so often during the spring and fall. They come right back on, though, when I play with the dimmer switch. It's like a game it plays with me. :)
 
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