About Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima is the successor to the Nissan Bluebird range, launched in 1955. It used to be larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra, but smaller than the Nissan Maxima. The first and fourth generations were produced exclusively in the United States and were officially sold in North and South America, the Middle East, and Australia. The car was officially called the Stanza Altima. This fact is recorded in the early manuals. From 1993, models could carry a sticker with the word "Stanza" in small letters to the right of the Altima logo on the trunk lid. The equipment range included the elegant XE, the midsize GXE, the sporty SE, and the luxurious GLE, with options such as the gold badge, wing design, and stripe package. All models had small cupholders under the radio and a small glove box. It was upgraded in 1998.
The base XE model had manually operated power windows. The mid-range GXE had power windows, a retractable antenna, a full-length rear steering wheel, a digital clock in the dash, and 6-inch rear speakers with colored plastic trim. XE and GXE models had only a fixed-range wiper switch. The 1993 Nissan Altima had a rosewood dash, a driver-only airbag, and automatic seat belts. The 1994 Nissan Altima had a dark wood dash, passenger airbag, and standard seat belts. The 1993 and 1994 models had standard chrome interior door handles with automatic locking and unlocking of the passenger door. For 1995, the interior door handles were replaced with colored plastic door handles, and a power outlet was added in place of the automatic locking and unlocking passenger door. Other changes were the elimination of the rear speaker grille in favor of a flat rear grille, cheaper cloth upholstery, a plastic cover in place of the rear ashtray, and an additional digital clock on the dashboard.
Nissan Altima parts online
On the other hand, many were disappointed by the new model's more straightforward design and cheaper interior. Some also felt that the accelerator pedal was now too damped. Trim levels included the stylish XE, the best-selling GXE, the sporty SE, and the luxurious GLE. The SE model had a body-colored grille, fog lamps, and a rear spoiler. The Nissan Altima was slightly longer, had a deeper grille, one-piece headlights with integrated turn signals and low-speed indicators as standard, all-red taillights, and a plastic hood. Inside, new height-adjustable front seats and cup holders were in the rear seats. Side airbags were new as standard on the GLE and were available on GXE and SE models. The third-generation Nissan Altima debuted in 2002.
The press very well received the third-generation Nissan Altima. Many critics have praised its new design and increased space, calling it one of the most powerful and best-handling family cars on the market. The Nissan Altima offers the same features and space as the Maxima in a lower-priced car. It has significantly reduced sales of the Maxima. But for the first time, it has made Nissan competitive in the midsize segment. Although previous versions received good reviews, the third-generation Altima was the first to achieve significant success. It took Nissan from a mountain of debt to one of the most profitable companies in the industry. In April 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In those model years, the lawsuit originally alleged that Nissan had manufactured defective driver and passenger side dashboards. However, a judge dismissed the case in January 2016.