Photography by David S. Wallens
The Altima gets a bad rap around these parts. It’s the kind of car that passes you in the right lane, save-a-spare on the left-front, temp tag blowing in the wind.
[You can’t convince me that I-4 isn’t the worst road ever]
I just spent some time with the latest iteration, a 2025 Nissan Altima SV AWD.
I hate that I enjoyed it.
Is it my dream car? Not exactly. But it’s just good at being a car-shaped car–the kind of thing quickly disappearing from the landscape.
Plenty of room fore and aft. Big trunk. Easy to get and out of. Easy to park, too.
The CVT? They’ve gotten better and, let’s be honest, most shoppers won’t notice.
The seats felt a little flat yet, at the same time, never got tiring. Plenty of support while going to the museum, to the Waffle House, to a photo shoot with friends. I even drove it to see a fighter jet perched atop a hill.
The Altima ate up the highway miles. Tracked straight. No offensive wind noise. Good tunes. Knobs where you want knobs, buttons where you want buttons. Clear gauges, too, and a mechanical shifter.
Did you notice that the latest Altima gets nearly 40 mpg on the highway? No hybrid, either. Call it a bit of a throwback. Our tester had the available all-wheel drive that knocks highway down to 34 mpg. My real-world numbers came really close. Not the quickest sedan but, again, plenty good enough for the mission at hand: moving regular people to their regular places.
Our car came fully loaded, too: That SV package that adds power moonroof, CarPlay and Android, wireless charging pad, some sportier trim. Ours wore 17s, but 19-inch wheels are available on the SR. Total price for our with destination? $32,520. The line starts around $27,000.
Am I buying an Altima? Maybe not today, but I did enjoy the experience–and perhaps it’s okay to indulge in a guilty pleasure every now and then.
I expected...
You describe the car as being fundamentally not incompetent. It's just A Car. It's not interesting in any way. Why would I buy this instead of, say, an Accord that has the same starting price and the same efficiency ratings? Or a Camry for the $28k that gets 51 mpg? I don't know if the Mazda3 is in the same size class, but I'll bet it's a lot more interesting for even less money.
How is this a "guilty pleasure"?
Any signs that Nissan has fixed the CVT reliability issues that plagued earlier Altimas, or failing that, do they offer a manual?
(Looks like I caught the autocorrect fail too late)
I like Altimas. They are a favorite of the National Rental Fleet and I'm in one a few days every month. They do everything competently and the nanny controls are not overwhelming. If you need something to get you comfortably and reliably from point to point they do the job just fine. If you're looking for something to haul lumber or race Porsches then you probably need something else. The older I get the less interest I have in making a statement on the interstate. I just want to get there with no drama.
#BigAltimaEnergy
Had the pleasure of spending a week with one of these while vacationing in Hawaii last Thanksgiving week. Perfectly fine vehicle, the only annoyance was the blind spot warning lamps at the base of the a-pillar instead of out on the mirrors. The CVT didn't make any weird noises or strange jerks, if you didn't know the "shift" points were artificial you would swear it had a traditional automatic. It's just that for my money, a Malibu seems to do everything just a bit better. And the latest Camry is seriously impressive. I haven't driven an Accord yet, but to me it beats the Altima on looks and, well it's a Accord. Nothing about the Altima screams or even whispers "take my money!" But it's a perfectly competent appliance for sure, at least brand new.
EDIT: I really liked the color though. 
Apropos of nothing, where is that fighter jet on a stick located? I've seen it before but I can't remember where.
I had a Maxima as a rental car for a week. I didn't even know Nissan still made Maximas until I got it. It was really nice, maybe not as nice as my Accord hybrid but in the same neighborhood. I would daily one without hesitation.
There was a time when Nissan built a sweet 3.5 liter, V6, three peddle Altima......people actually said....that's a cool Altima....
MadScientistMatt said:Any signs that Nissan has fixed the CVT reliability issues that plagued earlier Latinas, or failing that, do they offer a manual?
This is in my top ten favorite autocorrect fails.
wae said:MadScientistMatt said:Any signs that Nissan has fixed the CVT reliability issues that plagued earlier Latinas, or failing that, do they offer a manual?
This is in my top ten favorite autocorrect fails.
💀
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