Nissan Altima and Nissan Maxima

Nissan AltimaSedan shoppers have established the Altima as their favorite car in Nissan's line; a complete redesign for '98 promises to push this popular four-door to even greater heights. Wider and longer than the old car, the stylish new Altima has more interior room, a fresh instrument layout, and a more rigid, quieter body structure. Styled at Nissan Design International in La Jolla, California, the new Altima is intended to evoke an affordable luxury theme, with a bit more mature, performance-oriented flavor than the old car. Evolutionary enhancements to the capable 2.4-liter/150-horse inline-four complement a revised electronically controlled four-speed automatic. The Altima can be had in XE, GXE, SE, and GLE trim levels.

Nissan MaximaPlanning to get T-boned? You'll want to check out the new Maxima, which offers optional front-door side airbags on the SE and GLE trim levels. Even if you're not expecting to crash, the Maxima is one of the finest sedans in its price range. A roomy, well-arranged cabin gives it the basic practical virtues demanded of a current sedan, while the sensations you get from the driver's seat are above average-particularly in the case of the exceptionally good SE sporting version. All Maximas are delightfully overpowered, thanks to a brilliant 3.0-liter/190-horsepower V-6. Coupled with a manual transmission (available in the sporting SE), that's enough energy to blast you to 60 mph in under 7 seconds.