There's no better way to remind us that Nissan has always been a performance car company than to turn the competition on its head with its new entry. "When we surveyed the competition in mid-size sedans, we saw sameness, cookie-cutter cars, vehicles that lacked personality and character", said Ian Forsyth, director of marketing for Nissan Canada Inc. "If boredom is the disease - Altima is the cure for the common car. This car has more power, more style, and more performance than any other car in its class".

Not only is it impressive in style and performance, the new Altima is big. It's larger than most of its competition, and even a tad larger than its own, much lauded Maxima. The wheelbase has increased by 180 mm, overall length by 145, width by 33 and height by 51 mm. All this size adds only 31.8 kg.

Yet even with this additional weight the larger car feels more athletic than the model it replaces. Since when does adding mass make a car feel more athletic? When a significant increase in horsepower accompanies the changes. Significant is the key word here, as the base 2.4-litre 4-cylinder is up 20 hp to 175, and the all-new 3.5-litre V6 sends a full 240 hp to the front wheels. Both engines are equipped with a standard 5-speed manual or an optional 5-speed automatic transmission, the manual increasing the driving pleasure immeasurably. While some torque steer is apparent, it is minimal and hardly effects steering during acceleration.

Actually, the Altima is quite an accomplished handler. During an extended stint on a twisting piece of back road on the way from Vancouver to Harrison, both the 4-cylinder and V6 cars won over my performance-biased heart. The V6 Altima feels even more 'planted' due to its larger 17" alloy rims and lower profile tires, while the extra power comes in handy during passing maneuvers.

Looking out from the driver's seat over the Altima's sloping hood, visibility is excellent. The large electroluminescent gauges are easy on the eyes and all controls have a quality feel. A 6CD in-dash stereo with speed sensitive volume control sits high on the centre console, while heating and ventilation controls are housed beneath. You can order your Altima in one of three different environments - blond, frost or charcoal. Each has a unique colour theme including distinct cloth seat upholstery or leather. While the Altima doesn't use soft touch interior plastics, de rigueur among premium brands (and some lower priced brands), its overall design is extremely attractive and bits and pieces are well put together.

The same must be said for its exterior design that incorporates clean, sharp European influenced lines. Two triangular projector headlamps flank its menacing blacked-out grille. A long, elegant hood sweeps into its steeply raked windscreen that reaches back to an aggressively stubby rear trunk via an arced roofline. The Altima appears gracefully athletic. Its waistline lifts gently from the top edge of the front wheel cut-outs to the apex of the trunk where it meets with racy clear plastic taillights. Clearly it doesn't have a bad angle.

Actually, there doesn't seem to be a single bad angle when balancing its vices and virtues either. The virtues win hands down. With class leading performance, a feature-laden interior and great looks all for an extremely competitive price, the Altima should effectively shake up the mid-size market, winning new customers over to Nissan in the process.