Let put all the fantastic reviews this vehicle gets into this thread!

I'll make a start!

"The best Altima ever":

Anther one, this one for a 2021:

Here’s my review of changing the oil in a 21. It sucks unless you have a lift. The belly pan underneath makes no sense. I see nothing any different that needs protecting than my wife’s 18 rogue or even my 09 Altima. The oil filter is on the front as opposed to the passenger side. I drained my oil at 1200 miles after removing what seemed like 100 plastic clips and 2 10mm bolts. The oil filter at the factory was destroyed removing it as it seemed to be installed by the strongest person on the assembly line. 5 quarts and 10 ounces later an it was done. Definitely more of a pita than nissans easy oil change vehicles of the past. I’ll be doing 4-5k intervals on this car and will dread every second of it. I’ve already placed an order on Amazon for 100 clips for the belly pan as I’m sure I’ll be needing them. My experience with clipped panels, is once removed from factory install your sure to end up with something that’s gonna rattle and vibrate moving forward. I’d have been much happier seeing all 10mm bolts instead of cheap plastic clips. I love the car and was happy to see they stuck with a tranny drain bolt and I’m hoping the service procedure remains the same, as I’ll be dumping the factory cvt fluid at 10k and using eneos fluid for 1/4 the price of relabeled Nissan fluid.

D1dad wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 3:47 am

Here’s my review of changing the oil in a 21. It sucks unless you have a lift. The belly pan underneath makes no sense. I see nothing any different that needs protecting than my wife’s 18 rogue or even my 09 Altima. The oil filter is on the front as opposed to the passenger side. I drained my oil at 1200 miles after removing what seemed like 100 plastic clips and 2 10mm bolts. The oil filter at the factory was destroyed removing it as it seemed to be installed by the strongest person on the assembly line. 5 quarts and 10 ounces later an it was done. Definitely more of a pita than nissans easy oil change vehicles of the past. I’ll be doing 4-5k intervals on this car and will dread every second of it. I’ve already placed an order on Amazon for 100 clips for the belly pan as I’m sure I’ll be needing them. My experience with clipped panels, is once removed from factory install your sure to end up with something that’s gonna rattle and vibrate moving forward. I’d have been much happier seeing all 10mm bolts instead of cheap plastic clips. I love the car and was happy to see they stuck with a tranny drain bolt and I’m hoping the service procedure remains the same, as I’ll be dumping the factory cvt fluid at 10k and using eneos fluid for 1/4 the price of relabeled Nissan fluid.

I must admit, it seems like Nissan engineering almost went out of their way to make everything on the gen6 Alties difficult. Even the plastic pawls holding the seat trim are so stiff that only Godzilla can pull them off cleanly. Vis the engine, the arrangement is so convoluted that you can't replace an EGI Harness without dropping the engine out of the car. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I love the VC and congrats to Nissan for making the first reliable VC powerplants, but from the standpoint of repairability they're almost nightmarish.

Helpful hint for the belly pan, those pushclips get stubborn primarily from dirt, just like connector latches. Hitting them with a little WD40 or PB Blaster makes popping them a whole lot easier, and hitting the back sides with some before reinstallation makes them much less likely to stick the next time around.

That’s why I stayed with the 2.5 over the turbo. I know that early 2.5’s had some pre cat issues, luckily the 03 I had never did. In fact I never researched it nor did the dealer ever say anything. All I know is, when it was totaled with 176k on it , the engine didn’t use a drop of oil and I was none the wiser. In fact, it still had the original alternator and starter. The 2.5 IMO has proved itself every bit as reliable as the 3.5. I had a 2000 Volvo S60 and wrestled with that belly pan for yrs before I finally chucked it. I see nothing exposed on the 21 that justifies adding one.

D1dad wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 6:48 am

I had a 2000 Volvo S60 and wrestled with that belly pan for yrs before I finally chucked it. I see nothing exposed on the 21 that justifies adding one.

It's not necessarily exposure, we saw some issues with the late gen5's ('16~'18) actually throwing A/F sensor codes because of ventilation in the wrong places with the pan missing. We haven't seen anything like that with the gen6's, but the point is, everything is so integrated on the new models that you never know.

In my experience the QR's are more reliable than the VQ's. No chain tensioner issues and a bottom end so strong that they even survive hydro-locking 9 times in 10. IMO the best 4-cyl ever built, hands down.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 7:01 am

D1dad wrote: ↑

Mon May 10, 2021 6:48 am

I had a 2000 Volvo S60 and wrestled with that belly pan for yrs before I finally chucked it. I see nothing exposed on the 21 that justifies adding one.

In my experience the QR's are more reliable than the VQ's. No chain tensioner issues and a bottom end so strong that they even survive hydro-locking 9 times in 10. IMO the best 4-cyl ever built, hands down.

So is this engine in both the Gen 5s and Gen 6s?
I read that the 2.5 liter was "changed" but have no idea if this was mere tweaks or a new design.

PalmerWMD wrote: ↑

Tue May 11, 2021 11:31 am

So is this engine in both the Gen 5s and Gen 6s?
I read that the 2.5 liter was "changed" but have no idea if this was mere tweaks or a new design.

No, gen5's were the last QR's in the Altima. Gen6's have the new P series Variable Compression engines.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Tue May 11, 2021 12:27 pm

PalmerWMD wrote: ↑

Tue May 11, 2021 11:31 am

So is this engine in both the Gen 5s and Gen 6s?
I read that the 2.5 liter was "changed" but have no idea if this was mere tweaks or a new design.

No, gen5's were the last QR's in the Altima. Gen6's have the new P series Variable Compression engines.

But the base engine is not variable compression but a 2.5 l 4 cyl...?

Nope, they're both VC. The 2.5 is just NA while the 2.0 is turbo.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Tue May 11, 2021 2:04 pm

Nope, they're both VC. The 2.5 is just NA while the 2.0 is turbo.

Wow!

Yeah I had no idea either. I assumed the 2.5 was the 2.5 of old. I guess taking another 1/2qt of oil and the filter being in the front of the engine should have tipped me off. I will say the mpg is incredible. Not even fully broken in and I got 39 on a 90 mile round trip doing 80.

The official designations are PR25DD for the 2.5, KR20DDET for the turbo.

I've said this in other places, but it bears saying again. I think part of the difficult layout on the PR and KR are because it's an infant technology. It will take an iteration or two to clean up the serviceability issues, but the end result will be worth it, especially in the turbo world. Wastegates are basically wasting energy by definition. The engine used power to build up that pressure, then it's literally "wasted" out the gate without accomplishing anything. The option of dialing back compression to cram more air into the cylinder instead of blowing it off has barely been explored, but I think it will be a whole new turbo world once tuners discover the power of VC and use it to the hilt.

D1dad wrote: ↑

Wed May 12, 2021 2:42 am

I will say the mpg is incredible. Not even fully broken in and I got 39 on a 90 mile round trip doing 80.

Awesome!!
Other car companies will sell you a hybrid to get those kind of numbers!
Doing it without the cost and complexity of a hybrid is a real win all around. Go Nissan!

We’re not going to have a choice on electrics in the future. Better buy yourself an electric car gas can (portable generator) before the big boom. One of my friends who swears by his Tesla has been towed more than once when it ran out of juice.

D1dad wrote: ↑

Thu May 13, 2021 4:30 am

We’re not going to have a choice on electrics in the future. Better buy yourself an electric car gas can (portable generator) before the big boom. One of my friends who swears by his Tesla has been towed more than once when it ran out of juice.

Plug-in electrics are not the future, folks. Methane-hydrogen fuel cell systems are, but that's another discussion for another thread.

I will say, though -- a dirty little stationary engine making juice to get a Tesla home expresses exactly what's wrong with plug-ins as a concept.

Ugh. At 6200 miles my batteries weak. Granted it doesn’t get driven everyday but still. I just replaced the wife’s oem battery yesterday as well as the one in my 09 as they’re approaching 4yrs old. In northern Ohio I don’t chance it. Got my multimeter out as the 21 seemed to turn over yesterday a little slow and it read 11.89. I took the car on a hundred mile road trip so it should have been topped off. Does anyone know if Nissan used agm batteries in the 21? I’m gonna throw my smart charger on it today and see if it’ll take and hold a charge. If not it’s off to the dealer for warranty.

2024 Altima:
Crushes the Camry:

D1dad wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:21 am

Ugh. At 6200 miles my batteries weak. Granted it doesn’t get driven everyday but still. I just replaced the wife’s oem battery yesterday as well as the one in my 09 as they’re approaching 4yrs old. In northern Ohio I don’t chance it. Got my multimeter out as the 21 seemed to turn over yesterday a little slow and it read 11.89. I took the car on a hundred mile road trip so it should have been topped off. Does anyone know if Nissan used agm batteries in the 21? I’m gonna throw my smart charger on it today and see if it’ll take and hold a charge. If not it’s off to the dealer for warranty.

Batteries always a weak spot in modern cars.
I once had a one size up AGM that was bad only 6 months later.
Was in another country witht he car by then.. but this is really a subject for another thread

Just an update on my 21 that’s closing in on 30k. No issues to speak of. I’m gonna drain and fill the cvt soon, flush the brake fluid and look into new tires. Surprisingly the stock Hankook tires have worn very well. I’m still at almost 7/32. I have an annoying rattle at times from the cowl over the instrument column but that’d be the only issue outside of a very minor brake squeal first drive of the day. I’m probably gonna throw some Michelin pilot sports on and some coated rotors and Bendix copper free pads. So far so good though. With current interest rates I’m gonna milk ever mile I can out of my wife’s 2018 and this one.