First, the quest for unending curves leads us to the Blue Ridge wrinkles of northern Georgia, where the Chattahoochee River Road traces every twist and bend of a whitewater sluice rippling through the mountains.

Next, we cinch our belt fast and get a grip on the leather-clad steering wheel of a souped-up Altima SE-R, Nissan's prime sedan scaled for the mid-size class. The SE-R trim designation Nissan reserves for sport-inspired special editions rigged with racy aero body elements and boosted power points. It's rarely applied but pops up in the Altima series of 2005 during a revamping with a fresh face and new interior elements applied.

Then we switch foot pedals -- off the brake and on the gas -- to move four Bridgestone Potenzas into squeal mode. That sends this SE-R Altima streaking down the narrow strip of blacktop as we push it toward the fun side of car performance.

There's a stubby stick for the optional six-speed manual shifter, and we work it in flick-flick-flick movements while wrapping the tachometer's needle around to the red line for each gear to max our momentum. And those Potenzas chew the soft asphalt but maintain a tight line around one turn after another.

Altima's suspension, independent at all posts with struts in front and a multi-link arrangement in back braces the car's stiff unibody structure around each corner but allows the tires to dance across pavement wrinkles.

Steering, feeling firm despite a power boost to the rack and pinion device, responds quickly to our input, cutting hard right in one hairpin, then quickly back to the left for a second, right again on the third, and left and right and left over a virtual slalom course. Despite this turmoil of hurling the SE-R through successive slingshot corners, we remain comfortable in a driver's two-tone bucket, which provides a hiked seat position and firm side bolsters to hold the torso in place.

Three recessed binnacles immediately ahead of the three-spoke steering wheel reveal analog gauges in vivid amber backlit display, with various controls close at hand on dash, door and console.

Altima's precise road manners emulate a nimble sports car, although this prime sedan for Nissan carves out significant space for riders in an expansive cabin, with two seats in front separated by the console and up to three on a back bench.

A restyled prow and new interior designs work on all trim variations of Altima for 2005. The look is bold and strong with an aggressive face featuring a raised hood and deep front fascia plus smoked headlamps. Focal point on SE-R is a matt-black trapezoidal grille underscored by a broad rectangular air intake port and flanking recessed foglamps. Taut skin stretches over muscular shoulders and flat side panels interrupted by modest fender blisters.

Crisp and clean exterior forms foretell the athletic persona of Altima and its powerful engine option, although the spacious passenger compartment with comfortable amenities conveys a different image, one of four-door convenience and people-hauling capability.

Nissan arranges Altima in five standard trim treatments for 2005 as designated by the size of two different engines.

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