The Nissan Altima has long been a favourite with Canadian car shoppers due to its noted record of reliability, impressive spaciousness and well-appointed passenger cabin.
The car can be had for as low as $23,698 in base trim, but Nissan also offers a V6-equipped model for a reasonable $33,498 price of entry.
The Altima is largely a carry-over vehicle for 2015, as it was thoroughly revamped for model year 2013. The mid-size sedan category has never been so hot, but the Altima still stands up well against its many competitors.
The current offering represents the fifth-generation of the model and with each iteration the designers at Nissan have selected to increase the car’s size, refinement, and equipment levels.
The car’s exterior styling is much more dramatic up front, and with its carefully sculpted lines it looks both aerodynamically efficient as well as decidedly upmarket.
The standard wheel for the Altima is a 16-inch model, but the Altima SL rolls on stylish 17-inch alloy wheels
PNG Merlin Archive, Driving
Unfortunately, the car loses much of its visual lustre as your eyes scan over the car’s side profile towards the rather plain rear end. I still find the look of the car appealing, but I do wish that the design team had spent as much time on the back end of the Altima as they did on the front.
My test vehicle was a top-tier four-cylinder unit (dubbed the 2.5 SL) so it came loaded with a full complement of safety technologies, electronic accessories and luxurious appointments.
As has been the policy in past years there are two engines available in the Altima line, a fuel-efficient 2.5-litre in line four-cylinder engine that produces 182-horsepower and 180-foot-pounds of torque, and for those buyers looking for a little extra grunt, Nissan offers the latest variant of their proven 3.5-litre V6 (270-hp and 251 lbs.-ft).
The trend in the Canadian marketplace is that buyers tend to purchase the four-cylinder model in an effort to reduce fuel consumption and ease the pain at the pump. In either case, the car is fitted with Nissan’s Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) which has been engineered to maximize the efficient delivery of power to the front wheels, provide smooth operation and reduce internal friction.
As much as I respect the technology and its intended purpose, I have never been a fan of CVT transmissions as they tend to artificially hold the engine’s rpms near the top end of the tachometer while the car’s electronic wizards try to determine what you are asking the car to do via your inputs on the gas pedal. This process tends to generate an excess of engine noise under hard acceleration which can prove stressful to the driver and occupants of the car at times (such as when accelerating to execute a passing manoeuvre or when working up the momentum to enter the flow of traffic on a busy freeway).
The Altima 2.5 will accelerate from 0-100 kilometres-per-hour in about eight seconds, which is quick enough to satisfy the needs of the average driver.
The cockpit of the 2015 Nissan Altima places all controls and instrumentation within easy reach of the driver.
PNG Merlin Archive, Driving
When the car was revised in 2013, the engineering team managed to gain a 15 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency by expanding the spread of the CVT’s gear ratios, lightening the car’s body, and reducing the weight of the four-cylinder engine.
The 2015 Altima exhibits very predictable handling traits as the suspension does an excellent job of communicating what the wheels are doing at any given time, and body roll is minimal. I found the car to remain poised and it tracked straight and true. The brakes also seemed to work very efficiently, and stopping distances remained well within this driver’s comfort zone.
The styling of the Altima’s passenger cabin interior is progressive, again upmarket, and the level of fit and finish would be impressive if the car was offered at double the price. When compared to many of its rivals, most would agree that the overall quality, look and feel of the materials used throughout the car is top notch.
From behind the wheel you immediately notice that a great deal of thought has gone into the design and layout of the driver’s cockpit area. Primary features include a compact gauge cluster, uncluttered dashboard and a three-spoke steering wheel loaded with secondary controls. The centre stack is a simple design devoid of extraneous switches and buttons as many of the car’s features are operated using a touch screen display.
The front seats proved spacious enough for my six-foot-two-inch height and generous frame, and the two outboard rear positions offered me a satisfactory level of comfort. Nissan partnered with NASA to develop the seats in the Altima, with the goal being a seat design that helps reduce muscular and spinal loads, and improve blood flow — thereby helping reduce fatigue over long periods behind the wheel.
The Altima features a full complement of storage nooks and cup-holders, and the trunk is large enough to accommodate the needs of the average family.
The rear seats do fold to accommodate larger items.
The 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine in our test car produces 182 hp and 180 lb.-ft of torque.
PNG Merlin Archive, Driving
The product planners at Nissan should be commended for offering the optional Technology Package at a budget-friendly $1,100 which includes a quick acting navigation system with seven-inch touch-screen monitor and voice recognition, as well as an array of safety technologies that are rarely seen on cars in this category. These include Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Moving Obstacle Detection (MOD), and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). All three of these electronic warning systems work very well for the most part, however, the BSW system seems to send a lot of false signals. I believe that the typically wet
Vancouver road surfaces trick the system into believing that the reflections of road barriers, trees and parked vehicles are actually moving objects coming into proximity of the vehicle.
There are several new contenders in this segment of the market, but the Nissan Altima still deserves a spot on your short list if you are looking for a car with class leading efficiency, obvious build quality, and very attractive pricing.
2015 Nissan Altima SL, as driven by Russell Purcell
Overview: Five-passenger, mid-size, front-wheel-drive sedan
Pros: Spacious interior, excellent fuel economy and competitive pricing.
Cons: Operation of the CVT is noisy under acceleration, dated looking rear end styling, folding rear seat backs require front seats to be well forward in order for them to fold flat.
Value for money: Good
What would I change? Add cabin insulation to reduce extraneous noise from CVT operation.
The Specs
Type of vehicle: Front-wheel-drive, front-engine, mid-size sedan
Engine: 2.5-litre, DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder
Power: 182 hp @ 6,000 r.p.m.; 180 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 r.p.m.
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires: (Front/rear) P215/55R17
Price: base / as tested $29,048 / $31,978
Destination charge: $1,695
Natural Resources Canada
Fuel economy: L / 100 km
City: 8.7L (32 mpg); Hwy: 6.2 (46 mpg)
