LIKES
- Good value in base versions
- Sharp exterior
- Standard safety features
- Competitive fuel economy
DISLIKES
- Interior is a little dull
- Turbo-4 isn’t worth the cost
- Just adequate power with base engine
- No hybrid
BUYING TIP
The 2021 Nissan Altima has a plain-spoken appeal, not to mention high safety scores and a great low price.
What kind of car is the 2021 Nissan Altima? What does it compare to?
The 2021 Nissan Altima is a mid-size five-seat family sedan that costs about $25,000 in its base version. It’s a direct rival to some of the best-selling cars in the U.S., including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata.
Is the 2021 Nissan Altima a good car?
It’s a good value, and scores well in safety. We give it a TCC Rating of 6.7 out of 10, in a cutthroat class of vehicles with some of the best profiles and technology on the road.
What’s new for the 2021 Nissan Altima?
Not much, other than some rejuggled features in the various available trims.
Most Altimas have a 188-horsepower inline-4 and a continuously variable transmission that get together without much spark, like a Tinder date that won’t get a second. Fuel economy’s off the charts at 39 mpg highway, but the powertrain can drone and doesn’t develop speed that quickly. The 248-hp turbo-4 on the options list now comes only with the Altima SR and it’s more gripping—but its stiffer suspension tune and lack of optional all-wheel drive send us back to the Altima SV as our recommended pick.
With more than 15 cubic feet of trunk space, and the interior for at least four 6-foot-tall passengers, the Altima doesn’t leave much room for complaint. Seat comfort is good, and so are leg and head room—and even if cargo space can’t match a Murano crossover, it’s still enough for a long weekend trip to anywhere accessible by car.
The Altima scores well in crash tests, with some uneven ratings on the NHTSA regimen. Every one comes with standard automatic emergency braking, and many have Nissan’s ProPilot driver-assist setup, which ups the safety ante with active lane control and other crash-prevention technology.
How much does the 2021 Nissan Altima cost?
With a base price of about $25,000, the 2021 Altima comes with cloth seats, power features, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and automatic emergency braking. We’ll take an SV with upgraded wheels, cloth, and better safety gear for less than $29,000.
Where is the 2021 Nissan Altima made?
In Smyrna, Tennessee, and in Canton, Mississippi.
Styling
The Altima wears its family-sedan togs well.
Is the Nissan Altima a good-looking car?
It’s a stylish piece that’s looked more voluptuous and daring in the past. We like the exterior for its low and sleek shape, which puts it at a 6.
The Altima’s evolution would look great on a Darwin-style chart. It began life as a bulbous compact car, moved into ’90s pop-art angles, and dove into its middle age seven years ago with a toned, curvy new body.
The cabin of the Altima is nearly risk-free. Its standard-fare dash barely dips for the big touchscreen that sits in the center, while a thin band of trim keeps things from going entirely gray. Nissan lets lighter-color trim work its way up higher on the dash when it’s selected, and that keeps the interior feeling more breezy—but the effect’s cut down some by the tall center console and by the standard-issue black-on-black trim.
Performance
The Altima’s engineered for moderate performance, though all-wheel drive and a turbo-4 can alter the equation.
The 2021 Altima goes about its performance day without much flair or pretense. It’s a stock-issue four-door sedan—and even with the available all-wheel-drive system and turbo-4 engine, it’s still a moderate performer. It’s a 5 here.
How fast is the Nissan Altima?
Not very. Almost every Altima comes with a 188-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-4 coupled to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). It’s a common setup that delivers long on fuel economy, and short on hustle and satisfaction. The engine’s relatively quiet, when the belt-and-pulley transmission pulls to a ratio that keeps it at its strongest point—and still, its pace is unhurried. Most drivers will find it’s adequate. Power from a stoplight is fine; where it begins to lose steam is during highway-speed passing.
The 2.0-liter turbo-4 makes 248 hp, and it’s now only available in the Altima SR. A replacement for the old V-6 engine Nissan once offered in the Altima, the turbo-4’s complex variable compression system doesn’t turn in great fuel economy, and can’t be paired with all-wheel drive. In a car that puts so little priority on speed, we think it’s a pass.
Is the Nissan Altima 4WD?
The Altima’s front-wheel-drive layout now accommodates optional all-wheel drive—a simple setup that moves up to 70 percent of its power to the rear wheels when the fronts begin to slip. We’ve driven the AWD Altima in Colorado during snow squalls, and it performed well on the highway, perhaps better than many buyers will need.
Comfort & Quality
The Altima can carry five adults in a pinch.
Family-sized four-doors can’t balance the needs for people and cargo as well as crossovers, but the Altima does as good a job as any sedan. We give it a 7, with extra points for comfortable front seats and for a trunk that just nudges past a critical spec.
The better-off passengers get to ride in the Altima’s front seats. They’re wide enough for most passengers and have firm bottom cushions, as well as a well-shaped backrest. Nissan swaps the base cloth upholstery for leather and adds heating in front as you spend into higher-spec models.
The back seats have good stretch-out space, and leg room still is good though it’s down slightly from prior Altimas. The bench can accommodate three medium-sized adults and 6-footers can sit behind other 6-footers. Head room is plentiful even for them, in spite of a sleek roofline.
Safety
It’s all good on the safety front in the 2021 Altima.
How safe is the Nissan Altima?
The Altima earns excellent crash-test scores and has some of the latest safety technology wired into its brain. We give it a 9 here, just a chunky roof pillar or two shy of perfect.
The IIHS calls the Altima a Top Safety Pick, though it nitpicks over its headlights. The NHTSA awards it five stars overall, but a handful of four-star ratings weave in and out of that overall result.
Many models also come with ProPilot Assist, Nissan’s version of driver assistance. It runs in the background to keep the car’s distance from others in traffic, and works well on highways and interstates, but it beeps and boops a lot when it detects new cars to follow or changes lanes. The upside: It saves lives.
Features
The Altima earns features points from infotainment and standard gear.
Nissan sells the 2021 Altima in base S trim, through SV, SR, SL, and Platinum editions. All-wheel drive is available on all but the Altima S; only the front-drive SR can be fitted with the turbo-4 engine.
It’s a 7 for features thanks to good standard gear and a good touchscreen.
Mid-size sedans pack a lot into a little price tag. The $25,225 Altima S comes with cloth upholstery, a power driver seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for its 7.0-inch touchscreen, automatic emergency braking, and remote start. Blind-spot monitors are an option.
We’d step up to a $26,325 Altima SV that includes upgraded cloth upholstery and 17-inch wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, LED headlights, and rear automatic braking. All-wheel drive can be fitted to the Altima SV (and to other versions) for $1,400.
How much is a fully loaded Nissan Altima?
At the top of the Altima lineup, the $35,025 Platinum has all-wheel drive as well as 19-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated power-adjustable front seats, navigation, a surround-view camera system, premium audio, and a sunroof.
Fuel Economy
The Altima performs very well in EPA testing.
Is the Nissan Altima good on gas?
The 2021 Altima earns excellent gas mileage ratings from the EPA, especially for its size. Thanks to scores of 28 mpg city, 39 highway, 32 combined in base form, it’s a 6 here.
Higher-spec Altimas with front-wheel drive and the base engine lose a mile per gallon here and there due to weight and tires, but with all-wheel drive it’s still scored at 26/36/30 mpg. With the turbo-4 offered in one version, the Altima’s fuel economy drops to 25/34/29 mpg.
0 comments:
Post a Comment