Nissan Altima review [Updated]

Family saloons have never really been seen as cool or fun to drive. Honda and Toyota have pretty much ruined the family saloon image. Nissan however is trying to change all of that with the Nissan Altima. It's roomy, stylish and offers a suprising level of kit for the money. Can the Altima bring style and substance to the dull market of family saloons?

Performance: There's a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 179hp, and a 3.5liter six-cylinder with 270hp. The pick of the bunch is the 2.5S. There's a great balance of performance, fuel economy and price. The six-cylinder engine is smooth, but feels overwhelming to the car's chassis.

Ride & Handling: The Altima offers decent handling if you don't push it hard. The six-cylinder models offer a sports suspension that makes them more of a kick to drive. You'll either love or hate the ride comfort. It feels floaty even on the bumpiest of roads. Trade-off is the suspension soaks bumps up really well, but there's body roll and not much driver entertainment. The steering feels lifeless and leaves the driver feeling disconnected from the car and road.

Refinement: Wind and road noise is well supressed in the Altima. The transmission sounds buzzy when accelerating from standstill. But once you rev the engine, you'll hear a sporty exhaust noise. But it fades away quickly and continues to pull strongly. There's little noise from the suspension.

Buying & Owning: The Altima is more stylish than its rivals. If you stay clear of the V6 and ignore the base trim level, you'll find a Altima that's reasonably priced and holds its value well. The hybrid offers a fuel economy benefit and tax credit. However, the higher asking price and rarity of the vehicle makes it harder to find at dealer lots.

Quality & Reliability: The Altima has excellent fit and finish inside out. The interior feels logical and well laid out. There's all your controls within easy reach. All the plastics used look and feel like they will last long hard use. Mechanicals shouldn't give any worries as Nissan has excellent reliability record. With above average customer satisfaction scores on JD Power Survey.

Behind the wheel: Some drives may not like the front seats. They lack upright seating position, which makes the driver feel like they're sitting further away from the steering wheel than desired. The seats are comfortable, and there's reach and height adjustments for both the steering wheel and seating.

Space & Practicality: There's plenty of room for five passengers. The trunk has an old fashioned hinges, which eats into the cargo space. The rear seats offer plenty of room for two, there's room for three. However, the third passenger will have to make do with sitting on the transmission tunnel.

Likes: Roomy interior, peppy range of engines, slick shifting transmission, well balance of refinement and quality.

Dislikes: Ride often feels floaty, lifeless steering, front seats don't offer upright seating comfort.

Overall: The Nissan Altima presents an excellent alternate to the class leaders. While there are other rivals that offer more driving satisfaction and extensive safety kit. You'll like the Altima's charm and the low asking price for such a stylish well made vehicle.

It's not a Honda Accord/ Toyota Camry (we critique family-sedans)

Subaru Legacy 

Likes: The only mid-sized sedan with standard all-wheel drive and bullet proof reliability. Subaru has finally improved interior quality and the engines both offer respectable running costs. 

Dislikes: It's rather bland to look at, and there's no more turbo engine option. Headlights are overly sensitive in auto setting. 

Overall: Despite what most people think, the Subaru Legacy is a great option for those who really do need all-wheel-drive and don't want to option for a crossover. It may not be as functional as a wagon but it surely does fit the bill well. 

Volkswagen Passat 

Likes: 1.8 turbo engine offers decent flexibility and low running costs, while the 3.6 can satisfy the power hungry crowd. The rear seat is roomy while the boot space is enormous. 

Dislikes: The driving experience matches the looks, both are bland at best. The 4-motion all-wheel-drive is no longer optional and we would love to see the wagon return. 

Overall: The Euro Passat is so much classier inside and out. We beg you Volkswagen can the next Passat we get look as classy!

Nissan Altima 

Likes: The standard 2.5 may not seem like much on paper but it offers a really nice blend in performance and running costs. The interior is roomy for five with a boot that's generous in space. 

Dislikes: You'll have to climb all the way up to the 2.5 SR to get standard alloy wheels. The 3.5 six-cylinder feels way too powerful for its chassis. Steering feedback is almost lifeless. 

Overall: The Altima isn't all that bad but it's not great either. 

Ford Fusion

Likes: The ecoboost four-cylinder engines all offer the flexibility that you'd want with low running costs that you need. Despite the mild facelift, the Fusion still looks fresh compared to many keen rivals. 

Dislikes: Don't buy the Fusion hybrid it's a false economy. It's not as refined as a Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat. 

Overall: The Fusion Sport is quite literally better than the Nissan Maxima, while everyone else will be happy with the Titanium trim if you're willing to dish out the cash for it. 

Hyundai Sonata 

Likes: It's still stylish despite the mild restyles that it has received. The rear seat is very spacious and the boot offers decent space as well. The mainstream versions aren't bad but acceleration is pokey, the turbo engine is smoother but reliability is iffy. 

Dislikes: Residuals are worrying. We've heard many horror stories about long-term reliability. 

Overall: We love how Hyundai has progressed as an automaker, but after the several horror stories of engine failure. We certainly question if the Sonata is a smart buy. 

Chevy Malibu 

Likes: Interior built quality has improved dramatically and the engines that are offered are all decent in flexibility and low in running costs. 

Dislikes: It can get expensive quickly and the expensive trims are the ones many will want. Typical GM having an interior that looks similar to at least three other cars. 

Overall: GM has improved their products, but nothing about them feel special. 

Mazda 6 

Likes: The most fun to drive family-sedan you can buy. It feels the quickest and has the lowest running costs. The best interior of the price segment. 

Dislikes: No turbo engine option. 

Overall: This is quite literally the benchmark of family-sedans. It's quick on its feet, offers a driving experience that's so rewarding that others can't quite match. We just wish that it had a more powerful engine option to really go toe to toe with Ford and Volkswagen. 

Devon test drives a Nissan Altima (Used)

Family saloons have never really been seen as cool or fun to drive. Honda and Toyota have pretty much ruined the family saloon image. Nissan however is trying to change all of that with the Nissan Altima. It's roomy, stylish and offers a suprising level of kit for the money. Can the Altima bring style and substance to the dull market of family saloons?
Performance: There's a 2.5liter four-cylinder with 175hp, a 3.5liter six-cylinder with 270hp and even a hybrid. The pick of the bunch is the 2.5S. There's a great balance of performance, fuel economy and price. The six-cylinder engine is smooth, but feels overwhelming to the car's chassis. While the hybrid form commands a higher asking price, that may seem off-putting to some buyers.

Ride & Handling: The Altima offers decent handling if you don't push it hard. The six-cylinder models offer a sports suspension that makes them more of a kick to drive. You'll either love or hate the ride comfort. It feels floaty even on the bumpiest of roads. Trade-off is the suspension soaks bumps up really well, but there's body roll and not much driver entertainment. The steering feels lifeless and leaves the driver feeling disconnected from the car and road.

Refinement: Wind and road noise is well supressed in the Altima. The transmission sounds buzzy when accelerating from standstill. But once you rev the engine, you'll hear a sporty exhaust noise. But it fades away quickly and continues to pull strongly. There's little noise from the suspension.

Buying & Owning: The Altima is more stylish than its rivals. If you stay clear of the V6 and ignore the base trim level, you'll find a Altima that's reasonably priced and holds its value well. The hybrid offers a fuel economy benefit and tax credit. However, the higher asking price and rarity of the vehicle makes it harder to find at dealer lots.

Quality & Reliability: The Altima has excellent fit and finish inside out. The interior feels logical and well laid out. There's all your controls within easy reach. All the plastics used look and feel like they will last long hard use. Mechanicals shouldn't give any worries as Nissan has excellent reliability record. With above average customer satisfaction scores on JD Power Survey.

Behind the wheel: Some drives may not like the front seats. They lack upright seating position, which makes the driver feel like they're sitting further away from the steering wheel than desired. The seats are comfortable, and there's reach and height adjustments for both the steering wheel and seating.

Space & Practicality: There's plenty of room for five passengers. The trunk has an old fashioned hinges, which eats into the cargo space. The rear seats offer plenty of room for two, there's room for three. However, the third passenger will have to make do with sitting on the transmission tunnel.

Likes: Roomy interior, peppy range of engines, slick shifting transmission, well balance of refinement and quality.
Dislikes: Ride often feels floaty, lifeless steering, front seats don't offer upright seating comfort.
Overall: The Nissan Altima presents an excellent alternate to the class leaders. While there are other rivals that offer more driving satisfaction and extensive safety kit. You'll like the Altima's charm and the low asking price for such a stylish well made vehicle.

Devon M