By Lorne Drury

Because of their level of practicality, coupes will always languish as niche vehicles.

After all, for anyone with children, a family dog or the need to use the back seat regularly, the coupe is far from ideal. It's just not practical to reach back to access a baby seat, or continually pull the front seat to its most forward position to get things in and out.

But from a design standpoint, coupes have it all over their sedan counterparts, in my opinion.

And that's why I really enjoy sporty coupes like the Nissan Altima Coupe, which was first introduced in 2007.

While it doesn't quite have the drop-dead looks of its upscale sibling the Infiniti G37, the Altima Coupe is an attractive car in its own right.

I must admit I'm not a big fan of the new front fascia and new grille, but overall the Altima Coupe has a striking exterior design.

It is beautifully proportioned and certainly stands out in any crowd. And it is much more than simply an Altima sedan minus two doors.

Overall, the coupe has a wheelbase 101 mm (4 inches) shorter than the sedan, while the overall length is 105 mm (7.1 inches) less than the sedan.

It's also sleeker with a lower profile 66 mm (2.5 in) shorter than the sedan. In terms of major body panels, the two cars share only a common hood with all other panels, grille, headlights and rear combination lights unique to the Altima Coupe.

As I mentioned earlier, it is a niche vehicle with sales of 1,647 units last year. Overall, Nissan sold 13,852 Altimas so the Coupe made up slightly more than 10 per cent of sales.

Underneath, though, the Coupe shares the same platform, powertrain and many of the user-friendly features of the Sedan.

The Altima Coupe is available with two engine choices: a 270 hp 3.5-litre 24-valve DOHC V6 or a 2.5-litre DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder, producing 175 hp and 180 lb/ft of torque.

The V6 is actually the new generation of the VQ-series engine, which has been named to Ward's 10 Best Engines list a total of 14 times. Both engines are mated with either Nissan's Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) or a six-speed manual.

The Altima Coupe comes in four model trims: a 2.5 S 6MT, 2.5 S CVT, 3.5 SR 6MT and 3.5 SR CVT. Prices start at $27,348, rising to $35,998 for the 3.5 SR CVT.

My tester was the 3.5 SR CVT with the Technology Package ($3,150) featuring a voice-activated navigation system with 6.5-inch colour display monitor and touch-screen function, Bluetooth streaming audio, rearview camera and 9.3 GB music server. With freight and PDE, the vehicle priced out at $40,548.

While the Altima Coupe has only been around since 2007, this is the fifth generation of the Altima model, utilizing Nissan's new 'D' platform which has increased body rigidity and a specially tuned and redesigned suspension.

The suspension includes a subframe-mounted independent front strut suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar and an independent multi-link rear suspension with aluminum alloy components and stabilizer bar.

Altima Coupes with the four-cylinder engine get 17-inch alloy wheels, while the V6-powered Altimas get 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/45R 18 tires.

While it shares many interior features with the Sedan, the Altima Coupe has unique sport-style seats and a hand-lever parking brake instead of the foot release brake.

The attractive dash has what Nissan calls a Fine Vision gauge display for easier readability and the L-shaped flow of the instrument panel to the centre console gives a cockpit-like feel for driver and passenger alike.

The centre control is well designed and all switches and buttons are easy to access and operate. Similarly, the touch screen information display also works well and the 6.5-inch colour LCD screen has a bright, clear look to it.

On the safety front, the Altima Coupe has six airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control and tire pressure-monitoring system.

On the road, the Altima Coupe is fun to drive. The V6 engine has power to burn with great acceleration and decent fuel economy of 10.2L/100 km (28 mpg) city and 7.3L/100 km (39 mpg) highway.

I have driven the 2.5-litre model in the past and it is peppy enough, but not with the sport-car-like feel of the V6 in the Coupe.

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm not in love with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) because of the constant whine you hear on acceleration, but Nissan's version is less intrusive on the eardrums than many and I can live with it.

Still, I would opt for the six-speed manual on this car.

Infiniti's G37 Coupe has been a benchmark in the near-luxury sport coupe category for years, but if your pocketbook won't allow you to enter that price territory, the 2010 Altima Coupe 3.5 is a great alternative.

NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE 3.5 SR 2010 AT A GLANCE

BODY STYLE: two-door mid-size sports coupe.

DRIVE METHOD: front engine, front-wheel drive

ENGINE: 2.5-litre DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder (175 hp, 180 lb/ft); 3.5-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 (270 hp, 258 lb/ft) with Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) or six-speed manual.

FUEL ECONOMY: 2.5 S 6MT 9L/100 km (31 mpg) city, 6.3L/100 km (45 mpg) highway; 2.5 S CVT 8.9L/100 km (32 mpg) city, 6.2L/100 km (46 mpg) highway; 3.5 S 6MT 11.4L/100 km (25 mpg) city, 7.3L/100 km (39 mpg) highway; 3.5 S CVT 10.2L/100 km (28 mpg) city, 7.3L/100 km (39 mpg) highway.

PRICE: $27,348 to $35,998. As tested $39,148 plus $1,400 freight and PDE.

WEB SITE: www.nissan.ca