For a recent test my wife and I went to Kearney, NE, for Memorial Day and a stop at Fort McPherson National Cemetery, where relatives’ remains are located.  The cemetery was created on a 20-acre plot over 140 years ago on the grounds of Fort McPherson, near North Platte.  The Fort was finished in October of 1863, and served as an outpost to protect travelers between Fort Kearny (now Kearney, NE) and Colorado.

The Cemetery has over 10,000 interments located there, and we visited the site in a 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL sedan.  It was painted Pearl white and had beige leather seating for five inside.  I photographed it at the Julesberg, CO rest stop, and got over 31 miles per gallon on the round trip to Kearney.

Power for the front-wheel-drive Altima SL is supplied by a 2.5 liter, four cylinder engine with 182 horsepower (6,000 rpm) and 180 lb. ft. of torque (4,000 rpm).  Nissan gave in to the 4-cylinder trend with this car, and my trip was pleasurable, even thoughin the past I drove the V-6 Altimas.  A continuously variable automatic transmission is mated to the four cylinder engine, and acceleration was fine.  EPA mileage figures are 27/39 mpg for city and highway (18 gallon tank), and the combined rating is 31 miles per gallon.

The white Altima SL I tested had as options a moonroof package ($800.00), carpeting floor and trunk mats ($210.00), premium pearl paint ($395.00), and technology package ($1,700.00).  Total M.S.R.P., counting the $835.00 for freight, came to $32,510.00.  With rear backup camera, moon roof, navigation system, keeping this sedan under thirty-three  grand is an accomplishment.  Of course it had key-in-your-pocket ignition, tilt/telescope, power locks and windows, cruise control, satellite radio/CD, Bluetooth, and UBS connection.  Seating, as I mentioned, was for five, and the trunk held 15.4 cubic feet of cargo.

Styling for the new Altima, introduced in July of 2012, is an improvement over prior Altimas.  It looks bigger than it actually is, which is 191.5 “ in length and 3,177 lbs. in weight.  Chrome door handles are attached to the Nissan, and dual fog lights are up front along with a bold grill.  Ride is great, and it’s quiet in the cabin (71 decibels).  Ten-spoke, two-toned 17” alloy wheels are surrounded by P215/55R17 Michelin Primacy MXV4 all season radials.

Nissan’s best seller, this Altima, should hold up well in the sales wars with Honda’s Accord and Toyota’s Camry, as it doesn’t offer a person many opportunities to complain.  I spent a long couple of days on the Interstate with it, and the driving didn’t get tiresome, the audio was great, and time flew on our trip to Nebraska.

A Versa Note SR was delivered to me last week for reviewing, and the first thing I noticed was that it was a model I had never tested (nor seen) before.  It was more attractive than prior Notes in that it had interesting ten-spoke black-accented wheels and lower-body sporty fascia on both ends of and the sides of the car.  This Note is 11.7” shorter (at 163.7”) than the Versa sedan that Nissan sells while resting on the same wheelbase of 102.4”.  Thus, maneuverability is enhanced in this car without a reduction in interior space.  My test Note was painted Metallic Peacock (blue-green) and inside it was equipped with charcoal sport synthetic suede seating for five.  Not only does it seat five, it does it quite comfortably and has a large 18.8 cubic foot cargo compartment behind the back seats.  Two buckets are up front and in the rear is a 60/40 split fold down bench seat with plenty of legroom for back seat passengers.

The cloth front buckets have a console in between, a single armrest attached to the driver’s seat, and also a hand brake that I always prefer.  Four cup holders are included as are power windows and locks, cruise control, steering wheel audio controls, intermittent wipers, Bluetooth phone setup, Ipod interface, remote keyless entry, power mirrors, and MP3 playback stereo.  As an SR, the car is also equipped with a rear vision camera and satellite radio.  The car has five doors counting the hatchback, 16” alloy wheels with P195/55R16 Bridgestone Ecopia Grand Touring EP422 low rolling resistance, all-season radials, chrome-trimmed fog lights, and chrome accented mesh grill.  Under the hood rests a 1.6 liter, four cylinder, DOHC, 16 valve engine that puts out 109 hp with 107 lb. ft. of torque.  Redline is 6000 rpm, and reportedly 0 to 60 time is 9.8 seconds.  Fuel economy ratings are 31 city and 40 highway, 35 combined (10.8 gallon tank), and I observed 35.9 mpg during my week at the wheel.  That is pretty darn good for running around, mostly in town.  As usual, I took a trip to Denver on the Interstate, and found that the ride and handling were compliant, and wind noise was minimal.

Base M.S.R.P. for the Note SR is $17,530.00, as my test car was equipped with the CVT automatic transmission, SR convenience equipment package ($660.00), carpeted cargo and floor mats ($180.00), and freight ($825.00).  The total came to $19,195.00.   CVT stands for continuous variable transmission, part of the PureDrive system on this 2015 Nissan Versa Note, enabling the car to exceed next year’s Cafe fuel economy and CO2 emission standards.  In addition to the transmission, this PureDrive Versa Note has aerodynamic body styling, friction-reducing micro-finished engine components and variable valve timing.  I earlier bragged about the fuel economy, and these features are the reason why.

My week in possession of the Versa Note was pleasing, both to the senses and the pocketbook.  I would like a different color, but seven alternates are available, as are 3 other models that are less expensive.  The Versa Note SR is a little car I could see myself owning.

Two years ago I wrote of Al Hirt, famed New Orleans trumpeter and bandleader, owning a bar on Bourbon Street in the 60’s, and that I was sure that I had been in it at some point while serving in the Air Force nearby.  My favorite watering hole, however, was Larry & Katz (pictured), an establishment a few blocks away from the French Quarter, where only white patrons were allowed inside.  Everyone else had to drink outside on the sidewalk in front of the bar.  That wasn’t my attraction to the place; that’s just the way it was all over Louisiana in 1967.

Al Hirt closed his Bourbon Street Club in 1983 because, as he said, the area had become “too dirty and dangerous”.  His career, on the other hand, was illustrious, and included production of such hits as “Java” and the theme song to TV’s “The Green Hornet”.  Java, and its accompanying album “Honey in the Horn”, sold a million copies.

What does all this have to do with my latest test car, the 2014 Nissan Altima?  Not much, really, except that the color was called “Java”, and I had never seen that name associated with factory paint.  The car, as you can see, looked a little like black coffee and this Altima had the charcoal cloth interior.  It was the SV model, next the top of the Altima lineup.  Their SL, perched at the top, has leather seating and a Bose stereo.

Power for the front-wheel-drive Altima SV is supplied by a 2.5 liter, four cylinder engine with 182 horsepower (6,000 rpm) and 180 lb. ft. of torque (4,000 rpm).  Nissan gave in to the 4-cylinder trend with this car, and my week was pleasurable, even though two years ago I drove the V-6.  A continuously variable automatic transmission is mated to the four cylinder engine, and acceleration was acceptable.  EPA mileage figures are 27/38 mpg for city and highway (18 gallon tank), and during the week with the car, I averaged 32.4 miles per gallon.

  The Altima SV I tested had as options a convenience package ($1,350.00), carpeting floor and trunk mats ($185.00), and technology package ($1,090.00).  Total M.S.R.P., counting the $810.00 for freight, came to $27,615.00.  With rear backup camera, moon roof, navigation system, keeping this sedan under twenty-eight  grand is an accomplishment.  Of course it had key-in-your-pocket ignition, tilt/telescope, power locks and windows, cruise control, satellite radio/CD, Bluetooth, and UBS connection.  Seating was for five, and the trunk held 15.4 cubic feet of cargo.

Styling for the new Altima, introduced in July of 2012, is an improvement over prior Altimas.  It looks bigger than it actually is, which is 191.5 “ in length and 3,177 lbs. in weight.  Chrome door handles are attached to the Nissan, and dual fog lights are up front along with a bold grill.  Ride is great, and it’s quiet in the cabin (71 decibels).  Ten-spoke, 17” alloy wheels are surrounded by P215/55R17 Michelin Primacy MXV4 all season radials.

Nissan’s best seller, this Altima, should hold up well in the sales wars with Honda’s Accord and Toyota’s Camry, as it doesn’t offer a person many opportunities to complain.  I spent a long day condo-hunting in Denver with it, and the driving didn’t “Hirt” too bad because I had a “Honey” of a car to accomplish the task.

The 1963 Beach Boys hit was the b-side single opposite “Surfer Girl”, and was about a b-car, the 1932 Ford model B.  “Deuce” in the song title was a result of the last digit in that model year, and the Nissan I drove last week was another “deuce coupe”, the 2012 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 2 door.  A lot of things have changed in eighty years, and as an example, “pink slip” in the lyrics of that song meant the title to the souped up Ford.  In today’s jobless recovery a “pink slip” would refer to the termination notice that might be found in one’s pay envelope.  “Little Deuce Coupe”, “409”, “Shut Down”, “This Car of Mine”, and “Fun, Fun, Fun” were examples of Beach Boy car hits of the 60’s, and like my kids, I loved them all.

I grew rather fond of the Altima in our time spent together, as well.  The Ford back then cost $490.00, so in inflation adjusted dollars, the Altima may be a little pricey ($32,165.00), but then again it’s pretty loaded with equipment not even dreamed of in 1932.  The M.S.R.P. included a base of $30,700, floor and trunk mats, and a rear spoiler.  The SR is the top line Altima with bolstered charcoal leather seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, Bose stereo, USB port, XM satellite radio, Bluetooth wireless cell phone link, rearview camera, auto-dimming rearview mirror, compass, moonroof, universal garage door opener, and xenon headlights.  Also included is, of course, power windows and locks, tilt/telescope steering column, a smallish leather wrapped steering wheel with lots of controls on it, pushbutton starting, real “hand” brake, keyless entry, and an excellent cruise control.  Back seat room is designed for three people, but by the looks of it back there, I think the less entrants the better.  It is, after all, a coupe.

Under the hood is a DOHC, 24 valve, 270 horsepower V6 with 258 lbs. ft. of torque.  It provides plenty of snap through a close ratio 6 speed manual transmission (a coupe exclusive) and front-wheel-drive configuration.  It’s fun to drive and provides fuel economy ratings of 18/city and 27/highway (my observance – 21.1).  I set sail for Cherry Creek mall in the “Red Alert” Altima and noticed a lot of attention being paid to me at stoplights in LaSalle, Platteville, and Brighton.  The styling of the car includes a re-designed chrome grill and foglights up front with a Maxima look, 18” ten spoke alloy wheels, and dual tip exhausts at the rear.  Ride is compliant, but firm, and as mentioned earlier, acceleration is fine (reportedly zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds).

The main competition for the Altima is the Honda Accord coupe with similar size, horsepower, and dimensions.  As I understand it, the Altima comes out on top relative to sportiness and handling.  I would certainly rate it as a top pick in this particular category.