2023 Nissan Altima

Pros

• You can get a system with four-wheel drive.
• A person with a simple nature
• A stunning range of technology to help drivers
• Fuel efficiency predictions that look good

Cons

• The large roof pillars and low-resolution backup camera make it hard to see outside.
• It’s hard to feel the road, and sometimes the steering is slow.
• The interior design could be better.
• Only a few cars have engines with turbochargers.

You won’t be impressed by the Altima’s average stopping and speeding up. Our test all-wheel-drive Altima with a 2.5-liter engine dropped from 60 miles per hour to zero in 8.4 seconds. But a well-tuned CVT transmission makes the Altima a daily driver that you almost don’t notice.

The steady handling is another plus. You’ll feel confident driving the Altima around sharp, wide turns. The Altima’s steering is too soft and unclear, but its handling is brilliant.

Sitting in the Altima and watching the world go by is relaxing. Even though most drivers find the front seats comfortable, some would like more support for their thighs. Even when accelerating quickly, the engine noise isolation is splendid.

Less appealing is the constant stream of minor hits you’ll get from uneven road surfaces. In these situations, the Altima’s ride seems constantly busy, and bigger bumps can be very startling.

Even though the inside isn’t very pretty, its usefulness more than makes up for it. Especially for the touchscreen and climate settings, the labels are big and easy to read.

Even though the Altima generally has good visibility, the high rear decklid makes it hard to see what’s behind the car. The low-resolution rearview camera and the dashboard and back decklid reflections that can be seen in the windows when the sun is out are also problems.

We tested a Nissan Altima that had a 12.3-inch touchscreen. It was a big screen. It has built-in navigation and is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even though the software looks and feels old, it seems new because of how fast it works and how big the screen is.

The navigation system works well, and when we tested it, it responded well to voice commands and quickly found where we wanted to go. But the graphics on the map look old and no longer used. It’s not a problem with the display because when you plug in your phone and use Google or Apple Maps, the maps look very clear. The shows for the backup and surround-view cameras are also blurry and low-resolution, which makes them hard to use at night.

The ProPilot Assist technology in the Altima is an excellent addition. It has low-speed adaptive cruise control and lane centering. The adaptive cruise control works well and doesn’t need to be changed much in traffic.

Even though the trunk of the Altima isn’t the biggest in its class, it can still hold two full-size suitcases. Because it is square, it is easy to fill its total capacity. The rear seats fold down and can only be opened by pulling a tab in the trunk. This is standard equipment. They don’t fold down when the seatbelt is taken off. Instead, you must remove the seat back from the inside to lower them. There is a lot of room for small things on the front seats. The cup holders need to be more profound for too-tall bottles.

The EPA says the Altima with all-wheel drive gets 30 mpg on average. Our real-world test route with a mix of driving got a good 34 mpg. The Altima will likely get a good amount of miles per gallon.

The Altima stands out in its class because it is a large, comfortable midsize car that can be equipped with all-wheel drive. The warranty and roadside assistance program are both averages. Long-distance travelers might be more likely to buy a car if it gets good gas mileage on the highway and has an all-wheel drive for people who live in places with bad weather.

On the other hand, the Altima has some bad construction and places where details should be paid attention to that need to be revised. Compared to other cars that are better made, it stands out because there are gaps where the dashboard and windscreen meet, and the hood is out of place.

It’s nice to see that the new Altima is just like other cars. That’s not a ringing endorsement, but the Altima is more than the sum of its driving and living experiences. The class is very competitive, and if you want to finish in the middle of the pack, you need a decent car. The Nissan is easy to drive and has a lot of room for passengers to be comfortable. It can handle daily driving.

The SV trim is the best value overall. The SV can also be bought with an all-wheel drive.

Nissan Altima models

Nissan has five versions of the Altima for 2023. They are the S, SV, SR, SL, and VC-Turbo. The first four models have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque and an automatic transmission that constantly changes speed (CVT). The standard setup for the SV, SR, and SL is a front-wheel drive, but an all-wheel industry is an option.

The engine makes 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque with all-wheel drive. The Altima SR is the most potent model. It has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (236 hp and 267 lb-ft, 248 hp and 273 lb-ft on 93 octane gas). Only front-wheel drive can be used with this engine.