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Comparison review: eight midsize sedans (Seventh place)
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The Nissan Altima's lack of refinement and interior space cost it points as a family car.
When Car and Driver magazine did a comparison test involving seven of these eight midsize sedans, its editors awarded the Nissan Altima second place. Yet here the popular Altima is second-to-last.
Most of the discrepancy likely comes down to one fact: none of the cars in this comparison were tested on a racetrack. Car and Driver throws its cars in and out of cones at high speeds, mashes their accelerators, and otherwise runs them hard.
The Altima did well under those conditions. The magazine was very impressed with how it drove at its handling limits and with its quick acceleration.
But most midsize sedan buyers don’t have a racetrack. And on the Washington area’s suburban streets, the Altima is more underwhelming.
The Altima is pleasant enough from the driver’s seat. The front seats are wide and fairly comfortable, though the width leaves lateral support a bit far to each side of a slimmer occupant. There could be a bit more head room under the optional sunroof. Most interior materials are of good quality, but there are some cheap plastics on the door panels and center console, and there is not an ambiance of luxury (or sportiness) in the interior design.
However, although the Altima is a fairly big car, you wouldn’t know it from sitting in the back seat. The car’s sporty styling makes the roof drop off in back into the space where the rear occupants might have hoped to keep their heads. Adults will need to duck even though the seat is mounted low. There’s decent leg space, but the low seat means knees-up riding. Nissan’s smaller Sentra and Versa have much more spacious rear seating.
On the road, the Altima drives well, but doesn’t readily demonstrate the sporty demeanor Car and Driver found on the racetrack. There’s plenty of power from the standard 4-cylinder engine, yes, but the engine is coarse and noisy. That engine also lets the Altima tie for best gas mileage of these eight, with 23 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway. And the car rides well, absorbing bumps without feeling harsh and remaining steady when cruising at speed.
But while it does handle well, it doesn’t feel like a small, agile car on a twisty road. It feels like a big car – a big car that handles well, but still a big car – and the light steering seems to encourage drivers to treat the Altima like the family car it is rather than the sports car Car and Driver liked it as on the race track. A midsize family sedan certainly can be fun to drive on the road, as some of the Altima’s competitors demonstrate. This one just seems to save its talents for those few who will really push it, leaving it less than impressive in the conditions most will actually find themselves.
At least it’s not too expensive. As tested, the Altima 2.5S with the “convenience plus” package has a sticker price of $24,560, and Fitzgerald Auto Malls will sell you an identical one no-haggle for $20,377. There’s no available stability control for four-cylinder Altimas, however.
But even at fairly reasonable prices, the Altima’s lack of polish and lack of interior space are not offset by its driving dynamics. The Altima is pleasant but merely ordinary to drive, and deficient in too many other areas. The class standard is higher.
http://www.nissanusa.com/altima/
The target for these eight was to have a power driver's seat and a sunroof. Four of them hit this accurately, one had more accessories, and three had fewer. Any discrepancies will be noted as they appear to ease comparison of the vehicles.
Photos by Brady Holt. Interior pictured is from a different Altima 2.5S than the car driven for this review.
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