I owned 1998 Altima from 2001 to 2004 in Canada. This car like other Nissans can provide very good pickup in low rpm(1500-3500). HP/torque rating doesn't tell everything. Actually this instant throttle response in low rpm is very good for daily use.
I also owned 2000 Maxima and currently own 2007 G35S and 2010 M35X. As you can tell, I love Nissans very much....
I totally agree to you. Let me tell you a secret(for your ears only ). I own both 2017 GSF and 2007 G35S and love Nissan's engine more in daily drive. Why? Because comparing to Toyota's most advanced 5.0 V8 in daily drive Nissan's engine responses more instantly and directly and it also has better MPG... (If I put GSF in sport mode, yes it feels much better but it will also get much worse MPG)
I think I really like Nissan and plan to buy used Q50/Q60 400 in future. I like raw performance more. Toyota advanced V8 exhaust is louder(a little bit noisy sometimes in daily drive) and more beautiful but I don't really like it that much (because it's more cosmetic but I like effective more).
I think you need a upgrade. How about 2003-2006 G35? You can get almost best from Nissan. With a ittle bit modification, you will also get very rewarding results if you like raw performance like me...
When new: e36 > Altima 10 years later: Altima > e36 e36(after paying a lot of money to replace all the worn parts) > Altima e36(after paying a lot of money to replace all the worn parts) = Altima(paying some money to modify it a little bit) e36(after paying a lot of money to replace all the worn parts + paying some money to modify it a lttle bit) >= Altima(paying some money to modify it a little bit)