For those of you who haven’t been following along on Twitter or Pinterest, I won the 2013 Nissan “Altima Experience”, based on a promotion done by PinPuff.com (a Klout-type website based on Pinterest influence). Despite poor results in previous “Pin to Win” contests, I was the grand prize winner of a trip for two (2) to test drive the new 2013 Altima at Nissan’s Technical Center test track in Phoenix, Arizona.

The 2013 Nissan “Altima Experience” Test Drive was a truly memorable and unique experience. Aside from the first class accommodations Nissan provided (Ritz-Carlton, limos, Donovan’s Steak House), the driving, facility and track experience was incredible.

Nissan has made a substantial investment in their testing facility, not only the physical grounds but also developing a highly trained and passionate staff. These Nissan employees are clearly committed to delivering vehicles that have been put through incredible testing before arriving at dealer showrooms. Additionally, the staff at their testing facility is fanatical about safety, durability, high-performance, and driving skills training. No wonder the three (3) Nissan vehicles I’ve owned (including my current Xterra) have been the most dependable vehicles in my experience.

The first day consisted of driver orientation training and a tour of the testing facilities. One of the top driving instructors took us around in the new Nissan Armada, demonstrating the car’s great acceleration, braking and handling; hitting 110 mph on the oval, then performing a high-speed brake test with not a single skid mark. Taking this hefty beast on the twisty test track made it perform like a sports car. Unbelievable.

Now for the test drive experience! The 2013 Nissan Altima is both a visual beauty and technical marvel. The walk-around-demo Nissan gave me would have made any dealer owner very proud. They didn’t have to work too hard to build value and justify the very reasonable sticker price either. Nissan continues the tradition of delivering high value that’s cost-effective within this competitive segment. The 2013 Nissan Altima offers both a V6 and 4-cylinder, the latter being my test car. The driving experience was impressive. On the high speed oval test track it truly felt like a rear-wheel-drive, high-performance vehicle. The Altima was nimble and quick on the twisty test tracks, with very little body roll, and great acceleration and braking. The CVT transmission, with its variable gearing is amazing. Without gears to lunge through, the automatic transmission simply increases speeds with low cabin noise and smooth progression. Most impressive in the 2013 Altima, was going 65 mph on the test track at a measly 1,500 rpms (nearly idle speed!) and then 110 mph at only 2,500 rpms! This translates into great gas mileage, very low engine wear, and a long life expectancy for this vehicle. With technical wonders too numerous to name, visit the NissanUSA.com website to get all of the details. This vehicle truly runs the gamut from multi-angle camera imaging and sensory systems, front-facing and highly visible driving information and Nav panels, text-messaging, web interfacing, etc., etc. More like a smart phone than a dashboard!

Finally, Nissan threw in a special bonus for my 13 year-old son who joined me on this trip. After asking what his favorite Nissan car was (based on his love of Gran Turismo 5), they dug out his choice…an $80,000 2012 350 GT-R. This racing machine was a beast: under the hood, inside and all around. When the turbo V6 roared to life with over 530 hp, we jumped in the car and over to Nissan’s 6-mile oval high-banked test track. The GT-R shot from 0 to 60mph in less than 4 seconds, driving at 110 mph almost instantly. The funny thing was that it felt like only about 70 mph. The car responded willingly to every command; with handling, acceleration and braking all as tight as you could imagine. I was a bit crammed in the sporty back seat, while my son’s face was sore from smiling in the front seat, taking in this once in a lifetime experience. It made for a lasting and memorable event for both of us, and spotlighted the class and caliber of the Nissan North American employees.

We came back to Ohio even more passionate about Nissan vehicles, now knowing what quality staff and facilities they have. I thank Nissan for their generosity and camaraderie throughout the trip and experience, and urge anyone reading this to seriously consider a Nissan for their next vehicle.

Thanks Nissan!

-George and Will Nenni