It’s a sedan that might be more appealing than a utility vehicle
Some automakers seem to have given up on the midsize-sedan market, abandoning the segment altogether. Others are planning to quit, or have reduced the number of available models.
Not so for category leaders such as Nissan that are stepping up their sedan game with significant investments in technology and design.
For the 2019 model year, the Altima has been reengineered from top to bottom. A lower hood helps slice the air better and a dramatically different chrome-bordered grille extending to the base of the body is in perfect harmony with the rest of the radical (for a Nissan) design.
The Altima’s overall dimensions aren’t significantly different from the outgoing model’s, except for a 1-inch lower roofline and a 2-inch increase in distance between the front and rear wheels, which increases rear-seat legroom.
There’s nothing overly radical about the interior and that should be just fine with most buyers. The placement of the gauges, switches, knobs and tablet- style touchscreen will likely be a familiar sight. Nissan resisted the current trend of replacing the traditional transmission shift lever with switches or dials that have been adopted by other automakers.
The Altima sits on a stiffer and lighter ( by 40 pounds) platform with mostly new steering and suspension components attached to it. The car has been tuned for a better ride plus more precise cornering control.
The new engine lineup starts with a 2.5- liter four- cylinder that makes 188 horsepower and 180 pound- feet of torque. Those numbers improve on the previous 2.5 that was rated at 179 horsepower and 177 pound- feet.
For 2019, the Nissan has dropped the optional (and longstanding) 3.5-liter V6 for a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an industry-first variable-compression-ratio design. Under light loads, cylinder compression increases for better fuel efficiency, but compression decreases during aggressive driving so that more turbocharger boost (power) can be added.
The result is 258 peak horsepower 280 pound- feet of torque, and decent fuel economy. It’s rated at 25 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway, while the V6 was rated at 22/ 32. The base 2.5 is the most frugal, though, at 28/ 39. Note also that the turbo requires higher- cost premium- grade fuel.
The engines get a new continuously variable transmission that Nissan claims more closely mimics the civility of a geared automatic. Pushing the Sport button on the floor console holds the simulated gears longer before shifting.
In a bold move, the base 2.5 can be ordered with all-wheel drive — for all trim levels — a feature that’s rare in the midsize-sedan class. AWD is optional for the Ford Fusion and standard in the Subaru Legacy. Nissan’s system can deploy half the engine torque to the rear tires when the fronts begin to lose traction. Adding AWD increases the Altima’s $24,650 base price (which includes destination charges) by $1,350, which almost makes it a no-brainer, especially for anyone in snowy winter areas.
The base Altima S — one of five trim levels — comes with the essentials but not many extras. An optional dynamic-safety-tech grouping is the backbone of Nissan’s ProPilot Assist. The package includes rear automatic braking that brings the Altima to a dead stop when it detects a person or object behind the vehicle.
Choosing the turbo 2.0 requires you to select either the SL or Platinum trim that top out at close to $36,000.
Nissan has done a masterful job at reinventing the Altima, giving it a bold new shape and leading-edge mechanical hardware that’s like nothing else in its class. Now all it needs are buyers who are more enamored with sedans than with those taller, blockier alternatives.