Nissan Altima

When it goes on sale in November of 2006, the all-new 2007 Nissan Altima will draw power from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.5-liter V6, hooked up to a continuously-variable automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. Base models get the four banger, good for more than 165 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque; V6 models feature more than 265 horsepower and 255 lb.-ft. of twist. An independent suspension is bolted in below the all-new skin, wheels measure 16 or 17 inches in diameter, and the driver is connected to the whole deal via a new rack-and-pinion steering system. The Altima doesn’t grow much in any direction, proving evolutionary rather than revolutionary like the 2002 model that turned the has-been nameplate into a segment-leading star.