After my 3rd child was born i traded in my 2004 Infiniti G35 6MT Coupe for a brand new 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R. Idecided I needed more space for not only my kids but also my clients so I was shopping for a 4 door sports car. I assumed I would be buying a Nissan Maxima. When I went to my local Nissan dealership I was surprised to see the price delta between a Maxima and an Altima. With both cars parked next to each other, I realized the Altima SE-R had a more aggressive stance and I prefer the angular look of the SE-R over the Maxima.
The SE-R was black on black, automatic transmission. 2006 SE-Rs dont have many options as far my research showed, only traction control and side airbags. My car had all options installed.
The SE-R is the "performance" oriented Altima with aggresive front grill, forged 18" gunmetal rims, sports suspension and a sport exhaust. The interior has bolstered leather seats with the SE-R stitched in red. The dials are capped with chrome and the gas and brake pedal are stainless steel. The other major difference is in the dash board where you get 3 analog dials (MPG, Oil pressure and Battery volts) in lieu of a navigation system (on a luxury oriented Altima). What I gather from looking at these parts - its basically an Altima with many 350Z parts installed on it. You also get 10 more HP and some exclusivity - there are not that many SE-Rs on the road like other Altimas.
The SE-R handles very very well, its sharp and balanced on corners, accelerates effortlessly once your moving. The one thing to remind yourself is its a front wheel drive car, so thats a lot of power going to the front wheels, getting the power down from a stand still or in slippery weather can be tricky. Not much we can do to change the laws of physics. The traction control does help but its really there to save you from spinning or doing nothing but melting your front tires. It's a little bit of a hinderance during aggressive driving, but its nice to have to save you from a overloaded power slide.
The fit and finish is excellent both on the interior and exterior. It is a black car so keeping it clean is very tedious, however the gunmetal rims are the perfect color. They look good even when their dirty, unlike the typical alloy rim color, you cant tell when these rims get dirty. I love the look and color for that reason alone. <p>The car came with Bridgestone Potenza RE50a 225/45/18 which are fantastic tires for grip and performance, the problem is they wear out FAST. I lived in Atlanta when I bought the car and the hot weather really wears these tires down. My tires lasted 19500 miles before I needed to get new ones and Im not a crazy driver. I've replaced the tire with Kumhos which had a very good rating, same specs and rated for the approximately the same mileage but cost a lot less than the price of the Potenzas.
The exhaust note of the SE-R is fabulous, fire up this car and you know its something special. It has the same rapsy throaty sound of a Nissan 350Z but its a sedan that can hold 4 adults comfortably or 5 if you really need to get somewhere. That leads me to interior comfort.
The front seats are very supportive for both long trips and short trips - I've driven it from Atlanta to Buffalo (900miles) and had no issues with back or leg discomfort. The rear seats are a big surprise to many. There is an amazing of leg room. I don't know how they did it, but its very deceptive from the outside, but big adults can sit in the back and ride in comfort - I always get comments on how much leg room there is for a mid size sedan.
The audio system is Bose just like other Nissan systems. its pretty good, has a 6 CD changer plus option for SAT radio if you so chose. I recently upgraded the stereo because I wanted iPod control and Bluetooth for my cell phone. The 2007 Altimas came with bluetooth and ipod control as options - 2006 SE-R do not. If these items are not of importance to you, the Bose system is very good with lots of mid range punch that should satisfy the majority of audio fans out there.
The advertised MPG for this car is something I have yet to achieve. My average city/highway rating is 23.5MPG - I've seen it drop to 19 and go as high as 26, but never more than that - its a 3.5L V6 that loves to be revved. So I do.
The one major design flaw I would like improved on this car - the turning circle is horrendous. Not sure if its the Nissan front wheel drive system, as I've asked other Nissan sedan owners and they complain about it too. It's unreal how poor the turning radius is. My suggestion to anyone considering a quick U-turn - please becareful and have 2 full lanes on the otherside with no large curbs or you might find yourself doing a unexpected nerve wracking 3 point turn to make it. My wife's minivan has a tighter turning radius. This might be fixed in newer Altimas, i havent checked.
I bought this car in april 2006 brand new and have just rolled past the 46,500 mile mark with zero issues and no recalls. Besides regular oil changes and 1 set of new tires, everything is running well. I am going to need to replace the brakes soon - the brakes are starting to fade, which at 45,000 miles is fine with me.
In summary, I am extremely happy with my purchase. The final price for my car was $US 28,500 and Nissan was offering 2% financing at the time or $2000 rebate the price - I took the financing deal as it was the better deal although the finance manager tried to tell me the rebate was better until we ran the math together. The car suits my needs of a sporty 4 door car that can zip through the turns, sounds and looks aggressive but at a price point that's hard to beat. The fit and finish are superb as is the ride comfort, handling and exhaust note.
I would definitely add an SE-R to your list of sport 4 door sedans. I originally thought I was going to buy a Maxima but I walked out with an Altima SE-R and couldnt have been happier.
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