Test Drive: Nissan delivers stylish fun with Altima coupe Even though front-wheel-drive coupes aren't big sellers, Nissan took the financial risk to develop a sleek, two-door version of the redesigned 2008 Altima sedan and came up with a terrific mainstream coupe.

Its stylish silhouette rivals the beauty of Nissan's Infiniti G35 luxury coupe (Test Drive, March 15). That might annoy those who paid twice as much for the Infiniti, but surely will appeal to those who want much of the G's visual cachet for considerably less money.

"Every body panel is different from the (Altima) sedan, except the hood. The investment was significant," says John Curl,. an Altima product manager. "We didn't want to just build a two-door sedan."

Power delivery in the V-6, regular-production test car was delightful. Nissan seems to have proprietary voodoo it works on CVTs (continuously variable automatic transmissions) to keep them from feeling like a manual transmission with a slipping clutch, as some rival CVTs do. Nail the throttle and there's a definite, solid downshift to a lower gear ratio for fast acceleration. No brutal revving of the engine without commensurate leap of the vehicle. Whatever Nissan does to the pulleys-and-belt CVT elevates it to the level of pleasing, appealing and satisfying.

Handling of the loaded, $31,980 test car was sufficient for most drivers most of the time. The coupe's suspension is tuned differently than the sedan's, giving the two-door a crisper driving feel, which is an accomplishment because the Altima sedan feels pretty crisp and agile and sporty. The coupe is a front-wheel-drive car, as is the Altima sedan on which it's loosely based. So the front eventually will plow straight ahead in tight, fast corners, rescued by the optional stability control if you're willing to pay extra for it ($600 on the high-end test car, not available on the base model).

"In this price range, it's not often standard," says Curl.

The test car leaked water from a windshield pillar onto the driver's left leg after a hard rain. Nissan says it appears a drain from the sunroof was faulty and allowed water to build up. It says it was unique to the test car and not a general problem.

If you can overlook the went pant leg, details were pleasing. The standard proximity key lets you lock and unlock the car if you have the fob in your pocket or purse, and lets you start and stop the engine by pushing a big dashboard button. Sounds silly, but it's one of those features that after having it awhile, you can't imagine not. Frees your hands for the miscellany that overwhelms real life. Nissan is at the forefront of making proximity keys standard.

The optional backup camera delivered a bright, crisp image of what you're trying not to hit. Nooks, bins and cup holders were adequate for daily living inside a small car. Instruments and controls were sensibly arranged.

The coupe's instrument panel is taken straight from the sedan. Smart. No need to try jazzing up what's already a handsome, useful, logical setup.

Seats differ from the sedans, and were quite comfortable up front in the test car. Wide enough for middle-age backsides, tight enough to hold occupants in place during the enthusiastic driving the car invites.

Back seats, typical of a coupe, were small and of limited usefulness. Even so, there are three sets of safety belts for those who want to cram that many riders back there.

In surveys of potential buyers, Curl says, "we heard very, very clearly that the rear-seat room isn't important, but they have to have" a rear seat to consider the car.

Coupe buyers, usually young (late 20s in the case of Altima), childless and single, "don't want to be the haulers of people," Curl says. A coupe, with obviously limited passenger space, is "a statement of their freedom and their availability."

To be clear: A coupe, by definition, is a two-door car. Automakers' occasional references to three-door or four-door coupes are not accurate nomenclature. They are pure marketing gobbledygook, in the same vein as calling something a two-wheel unicycle. A coupe, by custom, is not just a two-door version of a four-door sedan. It's a two-door car with a sleek roofline and modest rear-seat accommodations, assuming the back seldom will be used.

Coupes often are shorter and lower than the sedans on which most are based.

A coupe often is a substitute for a sports car, bought by those not hard-core enough for the punishing ride and compromised space that often are part-and-parcel of a true sports car, or those too practical-minded for a sports car but too frisky for a family sedan.

Sports cars are best as the other car. Coupes can be the only car.

Curl says Nissan began about six years ago mulling what other versions of the Altima it could develop "to more fully compete. Everything you could think of," including a station wagon.

That's an intriguing idea: High-performance V-6 engine (or maybe that U.S. diesel Nissan promises by 2010, intended for the Maxima); all-wheel drive, which the chassis theoretically can accommodate; third row of seats for times you're the designated carpooler, corner-conquering suspension for times you're not. Hoo, mama; trade in the SUV.

Wagons, done right, are very cool. No hint that we'll see an Altima wagon, but worth savoring the notion. It's useful to recall that the 1991 to '97 Honda Accord lineup included a wagon, and it handled better than the sedan and generally was more fun to drive. Really.

The lower-price, lesser-equipped, four-cylinder version of the Altima coupe, not tested, would have the same visual appeal (except for the steel wheels with fake alloy-wheel hubcaps) but would lack the V-6's quickness that's a big part of the car's appeal. Curl says 60% of four-cylinder cars will be bought by women; 60% of V-6s by men.

While not an all-out, high-performance sports machine, the Altima coupe is a sweet piece of work that gives you most of what you want for a price that might surprise you.

2008 Altima coupe

•What is it?

First coupe version of the Altima, previously sold only as a four-door sedan. Small, front-wheel-drive sports coupe. Available with four-cylinder or V-6 engine, six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmission. Manufactured at Smyrna, Tenn.

•How soon?

On sale since May.

•How much?

Four-cylinder model, called 2.5 S, starts at $21,115 including $625 destination charge. V-6 model, 3.5 SE, starts at $25,515. CVT automatic transmission is $500 option. Expect to pay close to full window-sticker price, online car-shopping sites say.

•Who'll buy?

Two distinct groups. People in their late 20s, without kids and probably without spouses, whose median household income is in the $50,000 range. And empty nesters, older and richer, who've been waiting until the kids are gone to get a cool car.

•How many? Current sales pace: 35,000 per year.

Nissan won't forecast, but says the proportion of coupes to sedans will about match rivals. Key competitor Honda expects 12.5%, or 50,000, of total Accord sales will be coupes, and applying that to Nissan suggests 30,000 to 40,000 Altima coupes annually.

•What's the drivetrain?

2.5 S has 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine rated 175 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 180 pounds-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm. Power ratings drop to 170 hp and 175 lbs.-ft. on models sold in California and these states that have adopted California's pollution regulations: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont. 3.5 SE has 3.5-liter V-6 rated 270 hp at 6,000 rpm and 258 lbs.-ft. at 4,400 rpm. Standard: Six-speed manual transmission. Optional: CVT (continuously variable automatic transmission) with manual-shift mode that provides six. specific ratios. Traction control is standard on 3.5 SE, not available on 2.5 S.

•What's the safety gear?

Expected bags, belts, plus side-impact and head-curtain air bags; anti-lock brakes. Stability control is $600 option on 3.5 SE, not available on 2.5 S.

•What's the rest?

Features, options vary by model. All have these standard features: power steering, brakes, windows, locks; cruise control; remote-control locks; AM/FM/CD stereo with MP3 input jack.

•How big?

Eight inches shorter, an inch narrower and roughly 300 pounds lighter than 2008 Accord coupe that goes on sale later this month; three inches longer, two inches narrower than Mitsubishi Eclipse and about 250 pounds lighter. Altima coupe is 182.5 inches long, 70.7 inches wide, 55.3 inches tall on 105.3-inch wheelbase.

Weight is listed as 3,052 to 3,271 pounds, depending on model. Rated to carry 1,312 to 1,379 lbs., depending on model. Rated to tow 1,000 pounds. Passenger space is listed as 89.7 cubic feet. Trunk space is listed as 7.4 cubic feet. Rear seat folds to expand cargo space.

•How thirsty? 2.5 S rated 23 miles per gallon in town, 32 (manual) or 31 mpg (CVT) on the highway, 26 in combined driving.

3.5 SE is rated 19 in town, 27 (manual) or 26 (CVT) on the highway, 22 in combined driving. Tank holds 20 gallons. Regular (87-octane) fuel is specified for four-cylinder. V-6 requires premium to get advertised power. Lower octane is OK but power, mileage will suffer, Nissan says.

•Overall: Delightful.