Nissan Altima 2019 First Drive Review

Let's go back to 1993.

Bill Clinton was at the Oval Office, Nirvana was on the radio and the first Nissan Altima was coming off the assembly line in Tennessee. Twenty-five years ago, Nissan was mainly interested in selling its rival sedans, but in 2018, its problems are more important. Crossovers eat sales of mid-size sedans like the Altima. With the redesigned 2019 model, Nissan has sought to present a case not only for the Altima, but for the sedan itself.

At the same time, the Altima is fighting for sales in one of the most competitive segments of the automotive industry. The mid-size sedan segment is dominated by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, but it includes a number of small fish like the Chevrolet Malibu, the Hyundai Sonata / Kia Optima binoculars, Mazda6 and Subaru Legacy, as well as the older Ford Fusion and Volkswagen Passat.

Nissan invited Digital Trends to Santa Barbara, California, to taste its latest competitor. The Altima 2019 is available in S, SR, SV, SL and Platinum versions, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard compatibility, starting at $ 23,750. Front wheel drive is standard, but for the first time on an Altima, all-wheel drive is available as an option. We bought one of the 3,900 One Edition models, which offer special parts and three years of free concierge for $ 35,750.

Interior and technique

The previous generation Altima was a comparatively small effort, but it was clear when opening the driver's door that the 2019 model was a major improvement. While the interior is still a bit understated, everything is well laid out and, apart from some grainy plastic trim that makes a bad impression of wood, the materials are of high quality. Unlike many modern cars, the dashboard is quite low, giving an impression of lightness to the cabin.

Nissan has also retained the Zero Gravity seats inspired by NASA from the previous generation Altima, which were designed based on the space agency's research on the human body. They felt both healthy and comfortable, with a lot of cushioning, but not so much that we sunk there. The Altima offers slightly less passenger and trunk space than most competitors.

The infotainment is another area of ​​great improvement. When the Altima of the previous generation was launched as a 2013 model, a 5.0-inch screen was considered satisfactory. This is not the case today, so the Altima 2019 has a standard 8-inch screen coming from the top of the dashboard, as well as a 7-inch screen and four USB ports: Type C for the front and the back.

The infotainment system is not the most elaborate, but it covers the basics with a responsive touchscreen and clean, intuitive graphics. Nissan also offers three years of free maps (for cars equipped with navigation) and software updates from the central unit, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant connectivity. Owners who subscribe to Nissan's telematics services can get real-time traffic information from SiriusXM, as well as a door-to-door navigation feature that interfaces with the pilot's smartphone.

Our test car was one of 3,900 Model 1 models that will launch Altima 2019 production. The special editions are accompanied by three years of free concierge service, allowing drivers to talk to a live person who can things like booking concert tickets, or finding the nearest Starbucks and beam directions to the car's navigation system.

This is a feature that is usually only seen on luxury cars, so it's unusual to find it on a mainstream mid-size sedan like the Altima. Although we had trouble connecting to the call center (what a Nissan representative attributed to the pre-production head of our test car and the reception of irregular cells on the road), the person who we spoke to was friendly and courteous. But since the service will only be available on a limited number of cars, it is not really relevant for the average buyer.

The Altima 2019 is also the latest model to incorporate Nissan's ProPilot Assist driver assistance system. The ProPilot Assist combines adaptive cruise control with power steering to keep the car centered on its track, but drivers need to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. We have already experienced the system in the Nissan Leaf, and this second impression did not change our opinion.

ProPilot Assist works well with Nissan-defined parameters (the centering function of the tracks is much better than that of the more expensive systems), but these parameters are very limited. The system requires highways with clearly identified lanes and weather conditions that allow on-board cameras to see these lanes. If all these conditions are met, the driver is still holding the steering wheel while the car is heading. At this point, we think we could just as well pilot ourselves.

The Altima 2019 also gets the Safety Shield 360 on the SV and higher levels. Safety Shield 360 is Nissan's response to Ford and Toyota driver assistance bundles, combining front and rear autonomous emergency braking, high beam assistance, lane departure warning, blind spot and rear traffic. A driver attention monitor is also standard. Models equipped with navigation are recognized for road signs.

Driving experience

The Altima 2019 gets two new engines as part of its redesign. The standard engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. This is competitive with the basic engines of other mid-size sedans. Front wheel drive is standard, but Nissan also offers an optional all-wheel drive system ($ 1,350) derived from Murano and Rogue. A first for the Altima, she should help the sedan in its crossfighting mission. The only other mid-size sedans available with AWD are the Ford Fusion and the Subaru Legacy (standard on the Subaru).

Buyers can also opt for the 2.0-liter four-cylinder VC-Turbo already seen on the Nissan Infiniti luxury brand's crossover QX50. "VC" stands for "variable compression", meaning the engine's ability to change its compression ratio on the fly to emphasize energy efficiency or power. Many companies, including Saab, have already tested the technology, but Nissan is the first to determine how to mass-produce it.

Nissan says the front-wheel-drive VC-Turbo only offers power comparable to V6 engines like the previous-generation Altima four-cylinder fuel economy. In the 2019 Altima, the VC-Turbo produces 248 hp and 280 lb-ft, up from 270 hp and 251 lb-ft of the Altima's naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 from 2018. It's a a very tight match for the 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the Honda Accord (252 hp, 273 lb-ft) and the Hyundai Sonata / Kia Optima (245 hp, 260 lb-ft). The Toyota Camry is still available with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 301 hp and 267 lb-ft, Subaru offers a 3.6-liter six-cylinder in the Legacy with 256 hp and 247 lb-ft and the Ford Fusion V6 Sport turbocharged one-liter engine of 325 horsepower and 380 lb-ft

On the road, the VC-Turbo looks like any other four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which is quite a feat considering its variable compression trick. The motor is smooth, responsive and delivers power in a linear fashion. The VC-Turbo and the 2.5-liter basic four-cylinder are both linked to a continuously variable transmission, but it behaves at least better than most. Overall, the driving experience is completely banal. The Altima has nothing to envy to traffic, but it offers nothing exciting, or even memorable. The VC-Turbo is almost too maneuverable, the electric power steering is so lifeless that the wheel is connected to nothing, and the suspension is not up to the corner cut.

Nissan predicts that the 2.5-liter engine will return 32 mpg combined (28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway) with front-wheel drive, and 30 mpg combined (26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway) with four-wheel drive. The VC-Turbo engine should get 29 mpg combined (25 mpg city, 34 mpg highway) in its only front-wheel drive configuration. Both sets of models are near the top of the mid-size sedan category, but the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Toyota Camry are also available with hybrid powertrains.

guarantee

Nissan offers a 36,000-mile basic warranty over three years and a five-year 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Since the Altima has been completely redesigned for the 2019 model year, it is difficult to predict reliability. Nissan's overall reputation for reliability, however, is pretty good.

How DT would configure this car

Rather than acquire one of the 3,900 Edition 1 models as our test car, we options for the Altima Platinum. The exclusivity of the edition 1 is great, but the only substantial difference between this version and the platinum lies in some finishing elements and the concierge service, which we do not see enough to be worth it. The Platinum includes the full range of technological features available on the Altima, including the Safety Shield 360 bundle, and is available with the VC-Turbo engine.

Speaking of the VC-Turbo engine, we can see reasonable arguments for both this engine and the base engine. We certainly appreciated the power of the VC-Turbo, and that would allow us to decide if we lived in a region with mild winters. But if you live, say, the Northeast, the base engine and all-wheel drive available make sense. It all depends on your needs. Our ideal Altima would have all-wheel drive and the VC-Turbo engine, but that car does not exist, and Nissan would not likely sell a lot of cars if it did.

Conclusion

The Nissan Altima 2019 is a big improvement over its predecessor, but that's not enough. We would take this low-profile sedan over a chubby cross, but we would say the same thing for several other midsize sedans. The Altima is not doing enough to distinguish itself from its countless competitors.