Friday Fleet Notes: 9.7.07

Friday Fleet Notes returns with a solid batch of cars we’ve recently reviewed. This week’s installment features second thoughts on the new Nissan Altima coupe, Hummer H3 Alpha, Saturn Vue Red Line and Honda Ridgeline, giving added insight for folks who didn’t get enough from the original review.

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe

I recently spent another day or so with the 2008 Altima SE coupe reviewed in July by David Thomas. I like it now as I did then, and it got me musing on the issue of continuously variable automatic transmissions, which the Altima teams with its 3.5-liter V-6. This is one of the best CVT executions out there — a technology that hasn’t grown on me as much as I’d expected. As a class, they tend to have a delay when accelerating to pass, and they often rev the engine faster than expected under light acceleration. This results in more noise than many are comfortable with, and I think it increases the perception of lag, because surely this thing should be going faster with all the noise it’s making. Part of it is driver adjustment and part of it is a legitimate drawback.

These quirks are relatively minor in the Altima’s CVT; in fact, I believe most drivers could pilot this car never knowing there’s anything special about its transmission. When I thought about it, the other good CVT models I’ve driven also are teamed with larger — typically V-6 — engines, and that was when I’d come full circle. Larger engines and conventional automatic transmissions always make each other look good, too. It’s the small engines that shine a harsh light on automatics, so maybe the difference in CVT performance is pretty normal. — Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor

The H3 Alpha is beastly in a way that only a truck with a foot of wheel gap can be. My time in the Alpha was spent in an environment where this rig was most likely not engineered to excel … downtown Chicago. Oh geez, this thing was not fun. It’s wide, the huge mirrors stick out, and the windows (all of them) are narrow, so turning around and checking your blind spot is about as useful as staring at a metal pillar, as that’s what you’re doing. However, I did like the huge moonroof and super cool backup camera, which uses a monitor that pops out of the rearview mirror when the gear selector is in reverse. Also, the noise generated by the new V-8 (in place of the previous inline-five-cylinder) and the drivetrain/tire whirring are things truck fans will appreciate.

I’m not knocking the Alpha — OK, maybe a little — and I’m sure it is more than capable on dirt roads and off-road, but I can also guarantee that most of these won’t end up doing what they’re designed for; they’ll be relegated to urban/suburban duty. If that’s the case, then Hummer service centers should stock up on side mirrors, as I bet a few will be knocked off traveling down tight roads. — Joe Bruzek, Ask.cars.com

I was disappointed by the Vue Red Line, for two reasons: First, I’m not sure what makes it a Red Line — and by that I don’t mean the stuff you’ll see in the brochures or feature lists. I mean the actual driving experience. For example, it has a sport suspension but the body leans and feels little different from the non-Red Line. Likewise, it has the most powerful engine offered, a gutsy 3.6-liter V-6, but so does the Vue XR. You get the picture.

The second disappointment is that this is exactly how Saturn handled the previous-generation Vue Red Line, and the 2008 was an opportunity to do it right based on one of the best models GM has ever built. The Saturn Sky Red Line — a totally different experience than the base Sky – is the right approach, and brands have to be consistent for their performance variants to have credibility. Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep’s SRT treatment always significantly improves handling, power and braking, as well as delivering cosmetic changes. Even GM knows this; when Cadillac developed its CTS-V, it didn’t have to cram a Corvette powertrain in there, but it made the commitment and did it, and subsequent V-Series cars have delivered. GM finally got the message that it needed to buckle up, spend the resources and make really great products. Ironically, the regular Vue is one of them. No Red Line model at all would be better than this half-step. — Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor

After a few years on the market, I still like the Ridgeline. It’s an easy truck to navigate, it’s comfortable, has high-quality interior materials and tons of cargo areas inside. I don’t need the truck bed or towing myself, so I don’t know if I’d ever buy one, but there is one everyday feature that irked me to no end in my long commute with the Ridgeline this morning.

Before I headed into the city, the wife and I stopped at Starbucks for a latte and caramel machiatto, respectively. Size, grande. If you put these in the Ridgeline’s cupholders, don’t expect to get them back out. The rubber flaps make it impossible to remove the cup without losing the heat protective sleeve, and our Starbucks serves lattes up hot, let me tell you. Even without the sleeve, you need to lift the coffee cup by the lid to get it out. I wouldn’t make such a big deal out of it, but I’ve heard “real” truck people call the Ridgeline a truck for Starbucks drinkers, and I can definitely attest that it isn’t. — David Thomas, KickingTires editor

Related
2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Expert Review (Cars.com)
2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Video  (Cars.com Video) 
2008 Hummer H3 Alpha Expert Review (Cars.com)
2008 Hummer H3 Alpha Video (Cars.com Video)
2008 Saturn Vue Expert Review (Cars.com)
2008 Saturn Vue Red Line Video (Cars.com Video) 
2008 Honda Ridgeline Video (Cars.com Video)