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Stop me if you’re heard this before. The new (insert car name here) is going to finally convince mid-size sedan buyers to look beyond the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.

OK, don’t stop me. Otherwise, you’ll never learn that this year’s model is the 2002 Nissan Altima sedan. And, in my eyes, it’s a contender, not a pretender.

The Altima arrived early in the ’90s as a smaller mid-size sedan with an attractive exterior. It did pretty well, for a while. A second-generation Altima arrived in the late ’90s, and its exterior wasn’t as distinctive and buyers realized that less isn’t more, it’s just less.

Nissan had been playing a game with the Altima, pairing it with the bigger, faster, more expensive Maxima and battling Camry and Accord with two models instead of one.

Now, the games have stopped. The third-generation Altima is a no-compromise model. It’s much bigger now, comes with either a strong four-cylinder or a super V-6, and has a body that’s far more expressive than its conservative competitors.

At 191.5 inches, the Altima grows a half foot longer than the 2001 model. And it’s about two inches longer than a Camry or Accord. The wheelbase grew, too, from 103.1 inches last year to 110.2 inches now. The car also is a little wider and a little taller than in the past.

The most obvious place where these dimensions are significant are in the passenger compartment, where space grows from 94 to 103.2 cubic feet, which again tops Camry and Accord. The trunk got bigger, too, so that at 15.6 cubic feet, it’s larger than the one in an Accord, but still a bit smaller than the one in a Camry (16.7).

Besides the size difference, the new Altima makes itself known on the road, too.

Its dual-cam four-cylinder 2.5-liter engine makes 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. That compares to 157/162 in the ’02 Camry and 135/145 in the ’01 Accord. A short drive in a four-cylinder Altima along Highway 1 south of Carmel showed this engine to be surprisingly responsive, especially with a five-speed manual transmission. (A four-speed automatic is available.)

The biggest difference, though, between Altima and its competitors is the power of its V-6 engine. Nissan says the 3.5-liter V-6 makes 240 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The ’01 Altima didn’t have a six-cylinder engine option, and the ones in the Camry (192/209) and Accord (200/195) are positively wimpy in comparison.

Over several hundred miles of driving, the V-6 in our test Altima SE sang a song we’d be happy to hum for a long time. It’s a responsive, sophisticated engine that supplies power at the slightest tap of your toe.

Of course, the car’s all-new four-wheel independent suspension improves ride and handling over past Altima models.

Of the four models offered, the one we tested is the top-of-the-line 3.5 SE with a V-6, automatic transmission and several options including an excellent Bose stereo system and side and side-curtain air bags. The window sticker was under $26,500, which is competitive in this segment.

The cheapest four-cylinder model, the Altima with a stick shift, starts at $16,889 with destination charge.

Despite the emergence of SUVs, the mid-size sedan retains its place in the market as the place where small families want to be. And, if that’s you, and you’re on your second or third Camry or Accord, it’s finally time to put another model on your shopping list.