Much better then....HONDA, TOYOTA,BMW and many more.....
Great car

I purchased my 2008 3.5 SE Altima almost a month ago, and now with around 4200 Km on the odo, this is my opinion about it:
Engine/Trans: This car is a true performance machine, and every time I accelerate it hard, it makes me smile. The engine is working in full harmony with the CVT engine to deliever immediate power once needed. I have to mention, though, that CVT takes some time to get used to. It is not a regular auto transmission; it works in a different way and gives a strange feeling at first. Fuel consumption is also average, not bad for a performance sedan.
Design: I can say nothing less than HOT! It turns heads wherever I go! New Accord (my second option when I was in the market for a new car) looks very ugly in comparison.
Interior: Nissan almost did a good job dealing with their usual problem of making cheap interiors.  The dashboard design is much better than previous generation. All control buttons are in the right place. I love the Bluetooth feature.
Interior space is very good in front and back.
Now to things I don’t like:
1.The new Altima is just released in Saudi Arabia (as 2008 model), and 6 cylinder model stock was very low, color options was very limited based on the available stock. Nissan: when you release a new model, please make sure to supply the dealers with enough stock and make all colors/combinations available.  
2.I am hearing some noise from the right side of the center console when driving on any less-than-perfect roads, and I heard from some other owners that this a common problem in the new Altima dashboard! Nissan needs to work a fix ASAP!
3.This one is serious: my car had a front axis alignment problem (car tends to steer to the right) from day 1. It took the dealer 2 days to fix it. This is clearly an assembly problem from USA factory.
This car is almost perfect and it could have been the leader in its segment except for a few quality flaws. I love it and I have no regrets at all.
My last words to Nissan: you are on the right path, but you need to focus more on quality (hint:  take Honda Accord as a model and apply its high quality standards).