The recent make-over of the Altima included the addition of cross members to the underbody; this brought greater stiffness to enable the suspension to work more efficiently. A wider track (59.3 in. at the front and 58.9 in. at the rear) improved performance and stability. The solid front (21 mm) and rear (16 mm) stabilizer bars are also standard. The alloy wheels come wrapped with P205/60R15 Firestones. Add these elements to the SE's tuned suspension and the result is excellent road feel and handling for a car of this class.Whether turning, braking or shifting, the driver never loses the sensation of being connected to the road. The SE handles well in fast corners over uneven pavement. It is balanced well and doesn't get upset by hard throttle changes. It's an easy car to control on bumpy, twisting back roads. Both the brakes and the power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering provide good feedback and offer excellent response. Put all that together and the SE is a satisfying car to drive. Super Toe Control, which helps keep the rear tires upright in cornering, acceleration and braking maneuvers, greatly improves the overall stability of the SE. It always feels firmly planted. Pushed to the limit, the Altima exhibits a fair amount of understeer - the front tires lose grip before the rear tires. That's the best balance for most drivers, but highly skilled drivers may find it a little limiting. Altima's 2.4-liter engine has been massaged to give better torque response at the low end and the manual transmission is geared well for the engine. With 152 foot-pounds of torque and 150 horsepower, Nissan's 2.4-liter engine deserves praise for its smoothness and gutsy response. Our Altima came with ABS and we found it steady and progressive with good pedal feel and little front-end dive. As responsive as the Altima is, it also offers a smooth ride quality on the highway.
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