The Nissan Altima has long been a decent car with a weird size.  The family sedan was smaller than comptetitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, but too large to compete directly against the Corolla and Civic.  The Altima’s only other “in-between” competition, the Ford Contour, bit the dust two yeas ago.

Luckily, the Altima’s precarious market position wasn’t overlooked during Nissan’s ongoing rejuvenation.  For 2002 the bread-and-butter sedan from Nissan is larger and sportier, and it’s finally ready to do battle with the big sellers from Honda, Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet.

The Altima has been redesigned from the tires up, of course.  No longer a wallflower, the new Nissan strikes an impressive, aggressive pose on the street.  The only element to carry over from the previous car is the steeply sloped trunklid, which helps the car to cut a unique shape in the fairly unexciting family sedan crowd.  Up front, flush-mounted headlamps flank an charcoal-colored grille, and the front bumper barely protrudes.  At the rear, the flat look continues, with distinctive round taillights under clear plastic and a unique, steeply raked rear end.  The look is similar to Mitsubishi’s “geo-mechanical” design, but without the silly-looking strakes and bulges it’s much cleaner.  17″ wheels fill the fender arches nicely, and are standard equipment on the Altima SE.  It’s much better looking than the dull, family-oriented offerings from Honda or Chevrolet.

Inside, the Altima looks like a more expensive car.  It’s not until you start touching things that it begins to feel like a more affordable car.  The instrument panel flows away from the front seat passengers, improving leg room and space.  A broad, flat console is easy for both driver and passenger to use.  The gauges are housed in deep, sports-car style pods and backlit in orange.  The plastics used in the dash feel less expensive than they look, and we wondered about their durability.  It’s family-friendly, too, with extra power outlets, large cupholders, and available side-impact and side-curtain airbags.  A Bose sound system is available, with an in-dash six-disc changer.  Nissan has also taken a hint from German luxury manufacturer Audi, and offers the Altima in a series of uniquely-accented and colored interior “atmospheres.”  Wood trim is available too.  Our only complaint inside the Altima was its gated automatic shifter, which didn’t always navigate its pattern smootly and resulted in the occasional struggle to get into Reverse or Park.

The heart of the new Altima is its 3.5 liter V6, which is standard on SE models.  Nissan’s been winning awards for this engine in its various guises for the past seven years, and it’s easy to see why.  With 240 horsepower, the Altima feels as eager and sporty as the Maxima did, back in its “four door sports car” days.  A dual exhaust underlines the sporty-engine’s purpose in life.  It breathes life into the idea of what a family car should feel like.  Mated to a four-speed automatic, the V6 is powerful on the freeway and in traffic.  A 175-horsepower four-cylinder is also available–as is a five-speed manual transmission, with both engines.  Closet gearheads take note; it’s rare to find a family-sized sedan that offers a version with a clutch pedal.

Navigating the Altima around town is also a breeze, thanks to a light, aluminum-intensive front suspension which improves responsiveness.  Of course, the big wheels don’t hurt either.  The Altima uses a multilink suspension in the rear that’s similar to the one used on the big, luxurious Infiniti Q45.  Instead of the common strut units, the shock and spring are separate units in the Altima’s rear end, improving freeway noise reduction.  Traction control is available on V6-powered, automatic transmission-equipped Altimas, as is an anti-lock braking system.

The Altima is available in four flavors:  three grades of 2.5 four-cylinder models and the 3.5 SE V6.  Our test car was an SE, with the optional side and curtain airbags, Bose sound system, traction control and a sunroof..  Fully loaded, the Altima stickered for $26,963.  More affordable models start closer to $21,000.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Nissan Altima SE, which we tested.
Length:     191.5 in.
Width:        70.4 in.
Height:        57.9 in.
Wheelbase:    110.2 in.
Curb weight:    3273 lb.
Cargo space:    15.6 cu.ft.
Base price:    $23,149
Price as tested: $26,963
Engine:     3.5 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Horsepower:     240 @ 5800
Torque:     246 @ 4400
Est. mileage:    19/26
Fuel capacity:    20 gal.