Nissan Altima 2.5 S

      The Nissan Altima 2.5 S is a boring car to look at.  Sure, it takes you where you want to go-- last year, on my family's vacation to Alaska this popular midsize sedan proved to be a very capable sedan for our 1,500 mile driving trip-- but there was nothing impressive visually on either the inside or the outside.
      It starts with the disappointing front fascia. The headlights have a very smooth and elegant outline, but the actual headlamps themselves appear as a jumbled mess of contrasting straight and curved lines. The grille's shiny chrome surround and three horizontal bars are fine but it feels a little small, creating a slightly cheaper look.  The Altima also looks quite cheap on the lower front fascia. The fog lamp housings have no fog lamps (the housing is there for more upscale Altima models), and instead have a flimsy looking plastic cover. This is a common problem when car companies get into cost-cutting measures--it always shows and it always looks awkward.

    The lower grille and intakes look fairly lackluster because of the plastic body colored cross-bars. One detail that works is the character line from the headlights which dips down and curves underneath the lower grille, creating a U-shape. Also the power bulge and creases on the hood  add an athletic vibe to the sedan. Still, these few small positives can't outweigh the cheap look that pervades the front.
     Around back, the taillights are actually quite nice--they are very detailed and it almost feels as if you're looking at a cross section of the taillight. The only complaint could be that they look a little robotic, and that look could be considered a little juvenile, but I don't mind it. The rest of the rear has nothing remarkable about it, although the dual exhaust pipes add a slightly sporty appearance. The short rear deck makes this car feel a little smaller than a midsize sedan (Actually, when I was little I thought the Altima competed in the compact segment).
      Inside is more of the same: a boring and slightly lackluster design that isn't particularly appalling or enthralling. Our car had a grey and black interior, and these drab colors might have contributed to how unexciting the interior appeared. I like the three circular air conditioner vents at the top of the center stack, but the rest seems over-cluttered by buttons, and I found the orange color of the radio screen especially gross. While not very pretty, the storage bins, beneath the center console and behind the gearshift), were useful. The steering wheel was ugly and bland, while the gauges and gearshift weren't bad. In the backseat I had a few complaints. While the seats were comfortable, I felt a little cramped for headroom. I also thought the fold-down bit of the middle seat could've also held a storage bin, instead of all the unused space.

 Grade
Front: C
Back: B
Overall: C+