Nissan's Altima used to be the midsize sport sedan for the buyer who couldn't afford a Maxima sedan.
It was similar to the Maxima — both were about the same size — and it could be ordered with the V6 the Maxima came standard with, while costing less.
Now that the Maxima's gone, the Altima's the only midsize sedan Nissan still sells.
The question is, is it still sporty enough?
And how much longer will you be able to buy this sedan?
What It Is
The Altima is a midsize sedan that competes with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and the handful of remaining mi-size sedans you can still buy for less than $30,000 to start.
It's actually slightly larger (and roomier) than the Maxima, which was Nissan's top-of-the-line sedan. But it's no longer available with the V6 you used to be able to get.
Prices start at $25,730 for the base trim 2.5S, which comes standard with a 2.5-liter engine paired with a continuously variable (CVT) automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.
The next-up 2.5 SV — which stickers for $26,530 to start — is available with all-wheel drive. (The Accord doesn't offer this; the Camry does.) Adding AWD bumps the MSRP up to $28,300.
Although the Maxima's 3.5-liter V6 is no longer available, you can get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four in the SR VC-Turbo, which lists for $35,430. This more powerful version of the Altima is FWD only, however.
What's New For 2024
No major changes for the '24 model year, which may be the Altima's last year. Reportedly, Nissan plans to cancel the Altima, which (like the other sedans remaining in the class) hasn't been selling well over the past several years.
What's Good
Affordable base price.
Standard engine isn't turbocharged (or hybridized).
More back seat and trunk room than Maxima had.
What's Not So Good
No more optional V6.
Available turbo 2.0 four isn't nearly as powerful as the previously available V6.
The standard (and only) transmission is a CVT automatic transmission.
Under The Hood
The Altima's standard engine is the same 2.5-liter four that used to be the standard engine in Nissan's Frontier pickup as well as a number of other models. It is not especially powerful (188 horsepower), but it is durable and low maintenance. Probably in part because it isn't turbocharged, so there's no pressure on it to produce the power it makes.
The 2.5 liter is paired with a CVT automatic, and you can choose either FWD or (in SV and higher trims) AWD.
In lieu of the previously available Maxima 3.5-liter V6 — that made 300 horsepower — there's an available 2.0-liter turbo'd four with variable compression technology that makes 248 horsepower (if you feed it premium). This engine is standard in the SR VC-Turbo and is paired with the CVT automatic and FWD only.
On The Road
The Altima is a perfectly pleasant car. Equipped with the 2.5-liter engine, it has enough power to move itself as quickly as a typical crossover in the same price range. It gets to 60 in about 7.5 seconds or so.
But what else does it do?
When you could get it with a V6, it could get to 60 in the high fives — and that's a difference that made all the difference. The turbo 2.0 SR tries to split the difference. But it's a step backward rather than forward. Less engine — and less performance. Only marginally higher (and mostly on-paper) mileage gains.
The Altima is still more fun to drive than most crossovers because it's still a sedan, and sedans handle better than jacked-up crossovers. You can dive into a corner faster — and that's fun enough. But there's not as much fun to be had powering out of the corner when there's less power to do it and you haven't got anything to do other than steer and mash the gas.
The CVT automatic is OK, but it's not there for performance. CVTs are everywhere because they help a car manufacturer squeeze an addition 2-3 miles per gallon out of a drivetrain. In other words, economy first.
Which, of course, is fine ... in an economy car.
The problem here is the Altima isn't supposed to be that. And yet — all of a sudden — it kind of is.
At The Curb
One of the reasons Nissan stopped selling the Maxima was that it was also selling the Altima, and the two sedans were so similar that having two of essentially the same thing didn't make much sense. Not only did they look very much the same but they were close to the same size; in fact, the current Altima is a slightly larger sedan than the last Maxima. The latter was 192.8 inches long; the Altima is 192.9 inches long.
It also has nearly the same front- and rear-seat legroom (43.8 inches and 35.2 inches, respectively, versus 45 inches up front and 34.2 inches for the 2023 Maxima) and a slightly larger (15.4 cubic feet) trunk (versus 14.3 cubic feet for the Maxima).
A lot of people asked themselves: Why not just by the less pricey Altima?
The Maxima did used to come with the V6 as standard, of course. But now it's gone, and so is the Maxima's V6 as an option for the Altima.
What you do still get — and maybe it's enough — is a much lower-than-Maxima price. At $25,730 to start, the '24 Altima costs $12,610 less than the asking price of a base-trim '23 Maxima ($38,340).
And that's worth something.
The Rest
The Altima is also thousands less expensive (to start) than either of its two remaining major rivals, the Accord and Camry.
It has become the value proposition in its class.
It comes standard with steel (rather than aluminum) 16-inch wheels, which is worth something, too, because steel wheels are sturdier than aluminum wheels and less vulnerable to being bent by potholes and curb strikes. They also cost less to replace if they are damaged, which is almost impossible to do.
The Bottom Line
It's not yet the last of its kind. But it's almost that.
Probably sooner than you think, too.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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