[cvtfan]

Nothing beats a test drive. I tested them both, but was influenced by the price of gas and the 3.5 needing premium. The thing that may throw you is if you are considering the CVT and have never driven one. I test drove the Camry SE and Accord SE (4 cyl versions) as well, but found the CVT a major advantage in highway passing. Imagine passing with minimal downshift! Do some highway merging and see if it's enough. If you plan to "beat" those V6s of the past, you still might be disappointed. Not that I'm bench racing or anything...

 

[cvtfan]

Too bad the Altima depreciates faster than the Accord. Isn't that sad?

Yeah, it is. However, if you plan on keeping it for 8+ years, it won't matter. At least if you lease, it'll lower your residual value (however, your monthly payments will be higher). Maybe when the lease is up, if the resale value is more than the buyout, you could buy it and sell it at a profit. If not, trade up to a 2011 Altima - a Gen 5!

 

[cvtfan]

I will say that I feel more power in my 2.5S than I did in the TL.

A 2.5 feels like it has more power than the 258 hp V6 TL? I find that hard to believe. Maybe it's the CVT. Around here, the TL is at least 10k more than the 4-cyl Altima. I have to admit, I was very interested in the TL, but for what I was prepared to fork out, it would have been a 2004 TL with at least 60,000 km on the odometer.