Nissan Altima

Nissan debuted the new-for-2019 Altima at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. While recognizably a Nissan, this Altima is slightly longer, lower and wider, with a more daring look. Notable new features include available all-wheel drive and Nissan’s ProPilot Assist … semi-autonomous driving system. Two new engines are offered for 2019. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder produces 188 horsepower, and the old V-6 engine has gone away, replaced by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It goes on sale in fall 2018.

Sized similarly to its predecessor, the fifth-generation Altima featured a more aerodynamic and rigid body. Improved mileage was the highpoint of its revised drivetrains, but some reviewers called out low power and high noise levels with the four-cylinder and continuously variable … automatic transmission. Electrohydraulic steering and unconventionally designed seats garnered mixed reviews. Nissan attempted to perk things up with a 2016 refresh that saw a major reworking of the exterior. 

Nissan moved the previous-generation Altima’s popular exterior styling to a new platform. Length and wheelbase shrank slightly, but the Altima didn’t lose much interior or trunk space. The redesigned interior got high marks for its soft-touch materials and increased … feature availability. Horsepower from the 3.5-liter V-6 increased to 270, and the 2.5-liter engine returned better fuel economy. New continuously variable automatic or six-speed manual transmissions were offered. The Altima sedan offered Nissan’s first hybrid drivetrain, and in 2008 a coupe joined the lineup, both for limited runs.

With distinctive new styling, the Altima grew larger than the class-leading Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, with increased interior space. Its new suspension was tuned for improved ride quality at the expense of sporty handling. A performance-leaning SE-R model was added in 2005 with … a 260-hp V-6 engine. For 2002, the standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder was upped to 175 hp. 

For 1998, the Altima offered a trim level lineup similar to the previous generation, but with lower prices. The platform was stretched slightly longer and wider, and it was made more rigid. While its predecessor ushered in new aerodynamic styling, this redesigned Altima was more … mundane. The revised 2.4-liter engine made the same 150 hp, bumped up to 155 in a 2000-model-year refresh.

With its model-year-1993 debut, the Altima replaced the Nissan Stanza. While Nissan called the new sedan a mid-size, its proportions debatably made it a compact. Build quality was an improvement over the Stanza, but the Altima was not on par with mid-size leaders, to which the top … trim GLE was closely priced. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder producing 150 hp was the only engine, teamed with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, depending on trim level.