Consumer Reports acknowledges that Toyota and Honda are perceived as the best manufacturer overall, but dig a little deeper and Nissan is in there.When people think of Toyota they think of the Toyota Camry, selling 473,000 in 2007 alone. But in the mid-sized sedans the Camry is not first or second in the ranking

According to a press release by Consumer Reports (CR), “The V6-powered

Nissan Altima is now ranked first in CRs ratings of midpriced sedans, followed closely by the Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat in that order.”

In the same test, done by Consumer Reports, The four-cylinder Altima also claimed the top spot in CRs ranking of 15 Affordable Family sedans, with a much wider, six-point margin over the Accord. The Kia Optima EX and Toyota Camry LE are ranked third and fourth in that category.

The 2008 V6 Accord delivered 21 mpg in Consumer Reports own fuel economy tests, down two mpg

from the previous generations 23 mpg. The V6 Altima delivers 23 mpg in CRs tests.

According to Frederique Le Greves, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Nissan North America, Inc., “the Altima has been a success story for Nissan and had it’s best year in 2007 with 284,762 unit’s sold. In other words, record sales and share in one of the toughest segments and years in the auto business. We also introduced the Altima Coupe last summer and the Altima Hybrid went on sale in late 2006 as a 2007 model. Aside from sales in the US , Altima is exported to a number of markets including Canada , Mexico , Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan and Samoa, and 7 countries in the Middle East.”