Thread: Altima SE-R vs LGT vs Altima 4 cyl

Since the options for Infiniti and Nissan are very limited in the entry luxury fwd sedan market, I got rid of my P11 2 weeks ago and picked up a 2014 Acura ilx with a 6 speed. I did not want turbo, and I wanted performance and fuel economy. Acura is out to satisfy that need again for the younger market. I recommend test driving one before considering anything else. The car overall hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I think the critics are dead wrong.

My review:
Interior is great and nicely designed all around.
6 speed shifts like butter
The k24 has lots of torque, and feels like a v6
I didn't want to test drive anymore cars after I drove the ilx
36 mpg on the first tank, yes, and averaging about 31-32 mpg around town. They were very conservative with this rating, and I am doing much better than I expected. I'm usually very slow on acceleration and during the break in period, I've been avoiding going past the 3k mark.

The only thing I don't like:
They should have carried over the LSD transmission to the ilx.

Sure I miss the P11 and I'm sure I will also miss not having a car payment. But the ilx covers every desire the P11 never could have. Check it out, its worth considering.

Yeah, it went bad in my aunts 05 quest and the mechanic who did it (my old supervisor) was telling me how the tensioner bolt was a quarter of a turn from coming off

The legacy around that year range seems to have problems with the turbos blowing out pretty early but wouldn't be a hard job for you..

What is your price range?

Of the three options you listed it's gotta be LGT all the way. Real world the mileage is right there with the Altima SE-R if not better, more fun to drive since its not an open diff FWD'er and the build quality is better (and you'll find it a huge step up from the FXT on that front as well).

Nissan sucks, the 2.5L QR's are no better in reliability department. We dog on VE's and Roller Rocker's being inferior motors, but they are still at a gold standard compared to the rest of the Nissan junk.

Subaru's do have a lot of turbo issues in those years. It seems like some dimwit thought it was a great idea to put a catalytic converter before the turbo! As expected, the hot gasses break down the cat, then pieces of it flow into the turbo and destroy it. This is not a concern for me (actually can use it as a bargaining chip), because I will be using the STI turbo and aftermarket headers/catless headers. I love the boxer rumble, but equal length might yield more MPG, so could be a worthwhile upgrade.

Price range for me is going to be $7-8k and under 150k miles.



What gets me about even the FXT is it's an 04 and my 00 G20 has some better interior features. Like auto window up, electric adjustment seats, climate control that actually works (My FXT has two settings in the winter 65*F outside air or 66*F burning hot air). Now a friend does have an 09 Legacy, and I will bump a few more rides before I decide on it, but I doubt 05 will have the same features.

Did you know that Subi manual trans have a dip stick? Ingenious! I was able to see my trans oil level and quality in a matter of seconds!

That's actually not too bad, looks like the Acura version of what the G20's were. Sadly that's well out of my price range, plus I would probably end up getting a nicer version of Acura that is a few years older for the same price. I will say, if I get an Acura it will have to be an 05ish TSX or a TL (limited one), they look so much better then new Acura's!

35mpg out of that heavy car is pretty impressive though...

The trend here seems to be mpg and a modern car. This might not be an option for you but i have been driving a Chevy Volt for about 9 months now and this car is amazing. It's a rolling computer gets great mpg and can be purchased or leased for way less then ppl think. Chevy says the car goes 37 miles on a charge but I'm getting 46 miles per charge and I fill the gas tank once every two months and it costs about 27$. My fuel cost savings is more then paying for the car. And my average mpg based on fuel/energy usage is 156mpg over time. My power bill only went up about 6$ per month on top of that.....craziness I'm saving between 300-400$ per month on gas.

Has yours caught on fire yet or did Chevy fix that?

That's actually not bad, while I'm not a big fan of hybrids, eventually as technology improves I might consider it. At this point I'm looking for something in a decent price range, I hate being in debt for too long (Paid off my Forester in about 6 months).

Also I will be modifying the Legacy GT, mainly to make it more efficient, but I wont complain at additional power, probably 250whp will be enough. Still will be faster then anything I currently have thanks to AWD.

Well looks like I'm hooked on the Legacy GT. I'm going to see if I can test drive one when I get back home (there are just about none in Saint Louis area, people here either hate them or love them so much they don't want to get rid of them). Legacy makes a little more sense since I already have a Tactrix tuning cable, so will make retuning for new mods easier.

Goal is to do the basics, intake, up pipe (decatting), down pipe, headers/turbo mani, FMIC, maybe VF39, and tune. All pretty much bolt on's, nice not to worry about custom fab work...

Good choice

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It all depends on how roomy they really are, if not might just have to get a 2014 FXT, my wife is really liking her sister's car...