A YEAR WITH THE UN-CAMRY; We tried to kill our Altima, but it wouldn't die.

Byline: WES RAYNAL

We added a Nissan Altima to the long-term fleet because we saw the then-new car as a potential antithesis to the Camry, something crisper and hopefully more fun to drive than the midsize sedan cliche that the Toyota or the Honda Accord had become. So we ordered a 2007 model to see how it might hold up over a year of abuselittle did we know. Would it satisfy our need for performance mixed and a little flair?

We went with the six-speed manual rather than the continuously variable transmission Nissan offers. We checked the box for the pricey technology package$6,400 worth of nav system, satellite radio, Homelink, Bose stereo and more. The total came to $32,225. Not cheap.

Upon arrival, our new "majestic blue'' Altima looked cool, with its crisp "blond'' interior. It had a leaner and edgier styling than the outgoing Altima, and the cabin had gone decidedly upscale, with much higher-grade materials and pleasing shapes.

Through the year, we thought the 270-hp V6 and the manual transmission (not a common combo in the mainstream midsize-sedan market) were terrific for the most part.

"This car is quick, so quick, in fact, the throttle feels a little jumpy at times,'' said one driver.

Mostly we liked the car's handling, but we weren't wild about the steering character. "The grip is good, and the turn-in feels immediate, but I thought the steering was too artificial,'' said one editor, and another echoed his sentiments: "My only disappointment is how lightly weighted the steering is and how sensitive it is to inputs.'' Maybe the overly sensitive steering contributed to the jumpy feeling. We are relieved to find torque steer better controlled than in previousgeneration models, though.