My dealer got in a DEMO 2013 Altima 2.5 SV, so I took it for a drive this afternoon. First off the redesigned exterior is beautiful with pleasing lines and a great looking paint job (Storm Blue). I'm 6'2" and with the seat all the way back I could barely touch the pedals, so the thing is roomy. The cloth seats though I prefer leather heated, were extremely comfortable and it was easy to adjust to just the right driving position. The instuments are well layed out and accessible. I took her on a 30 minute drive around town and jumped on the highway for a few miles. The performance was impressive and the new CVT felt tight and precise. Accelerating hard brought me quickly to 70 mph without the CVT whine of my 2008 Rogue. The steering provided good feedback having a great feel to it. All in all I was quite impressed with the overall package. My dealer is going to call me when they get a well equipped SL package one in. The 4 cylinder engine feels quite strong so I can only imagine what the 6 will be like. With the performance of the 4 though I think it would be the way to go as supposedly the 2013 gets better mileage than the 2012 version. Back at the dealers I sat in the back seat and had plenty of leg and headroom, but this Altima didn't have a moonroof. The back seats fold down for added luggage space. All in all the car impressed me and will be high on my list when I purchase a new vehicle next year. Anyone thinking about this type of sedan should test drive the new Altima, I liked it.

Thanks for sharing. I have mixed feelings about the looks though. I wonder if or rather when they're going to give the Maxima a facelift.

I think they borrowed some of the looks from the Maxima, it really looks good in person. Photos are one thing but walking around it I think it's a big improvement over the 2012 Altima.

Had my 2'nd test drive this afternoon in an upgraded Altima with the navigation package. This time I took it out for a 40 minute drive combining city and highway. Since I have a 2008 Rogue the engines are basically the same although the Altimas' has a slight boost in horsepower. In my Rogue cruising at 70 mph I'm turning around 2200 rpm in the Altima at the same speed 1800 rpm. The redesigned CVT transmission really feels great and I can't imagine someone complaining about CVTs, I love em. The seats in this one were cloth as I'm still waiting for the dealer to get one with leather heated seats. But these have to be the most comfortable car seats I've ever experienced, whatever they did, they did it right. I only hope the leather ones are as comfortable. Last week I drove a 2012 Camry for comparison and while it has a nicely appointed interior the Altima has a sportier feel and handles better, it also feels quicker. The Camry is the number one selling car in this class with the Altima chasing it and with the 2013 version I think they may just catch it sales wise. I still plan on driving an Altima with the 3.5 V6 which has to be a rocket, but the 4 cylinder is still very impressive. I floored it doing 70 to see how much it had left for passing and got up to 80 in a flash. I'm leaning more and more to buying an Altima instead of waiting for the redesigned 2014 Rogue. And I encourage anyone in the market to give the new Altima a test drive, I think you'll be impressed and would love to hear some othe opinions.

I also tested a 2.5S model a couple of days ago. Indeed, it is a very comfortable car. Even for this lower trim, the interior is still quite good. Dash panels doesn't look cheap at all. You got all the steering wheel controls and information display screen even with the S model. The seats are very comfortable. The front window view is so wide and clear. The rear window is relatively small in comparison.

The ride is very smooth. I am used to the CVT as I already have a Rogue. The 2.5L engine is very smooth and responsive. Enough power for everyone except those who wants to do street racing. During the test, I drove over pot holes and the suspension absorbs them very well. Very quiet as well. A few days before that, I went to Lexus and tried the CT200H and the GS350. I could tell you that the Altima is way more comfortable and has way better driving position than those two. Lots more head room as well. I still don't understand how Lexus could charge that much ($36000 and $51000) and still sell them.

Regarding handling, steering is very precise and feeback is good. I don't normally drive super fast and only tried to push through a couple of fast turns. I felt that it handles better than my Mazda 3. I was surprised as afterall it is just a mid-size sedan.

There are a few things I wish Nissan could have done better. First, there is no panoramic moonroof. Just a regular size moonroof. A bit boring for a 2013 car. Secondly, Nissan did not carry over that 360 degree view camera system from the Rogue to the Altima. Also, there is no rain sensing wipers and heated wipers. And it would be great if there is an option to have rear heated seats and seat memory. May be I am asking for too much.

I wasn't intented to buy that night but after the test drive, I ended up ordered a 2.5SL with the technology package right the way. (In Canada, Nissan is offering a 4 year 100,000km warranty before 31 July). Now I just hope don't have to wait too long for delivery.

Picked up a 2013 SL for the wife. Very nicely appointed and MUCH better than the 2009 S we got for our daughter. the CVT is much improved, and quite honestly, because of the improvement, we nodded for the Altima rather than the Sonata.

We chose NOT to get then nav system since we have way too many Garmin units. You still get the backup cam and XM.

Very nice car, especially for the money.

I also dropped the tech package moving from a 2010 to a 2013...honestly, smart phones are so good now with turn by turn, and you can just use Siri over bluetooth if you have an iPhone, plus the standard SL radio still does pandora, text message assistant (which was annoying more than anything), etc. I just didn't see the advantage to getting a system with static maps that cost $200+ to upgrade.