As we all know, family sedans are decreasing in popularity. However, there are still a few left in the market like this 2024 Nissan Altima. So compared to the other sedans on sale, what does the Nissan Altima bring to the table?
Performance
Engine – For the Canadian market, there’s only one engine and one drivetrain option for the 2024 Nissan Altima. It’s available with a 2.5L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder that produces 182 hp & 178 lb-ft of torque (136 kW / 241 Nm). This engine is paired with an AWD system. For FWD versions, which are available in the United States, this engine produces 188 hp & 180 lb-ft of torque (140 kW / 244 Nm). There’s also a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder with variable compression available for the American market. That engine produces 248 hp & 273 lb-ft of torque (185 kW / 370 Nm).
However, getting back to the one and only engine with AWD that is available for the Canadian market, the power is adequate for daily commuting. Just like any other non-turbo engine, it only really picks up pace once the rpm needle is past the 3,000 mark.
Fuel Economy – With the AWD system, this engine can return up to 9.3 L/100km (25.3 MPG) in a city and 6.7 L/100km (35.1 MPG) on a highway. The highway fuel economy is easily achievable. It’s possible to get even better than the rated numbers. But the city fuel economy is also accurate as I’ve noticed my average fuel efficiency numbers shoot up every time I drove exclusively in a city environment. Therefore my average fuel consumption rating was 8.6 L/100km (27.4 MPG).
Transmission – Like almost all other Nissan vehicles, the 2024 Altima is equipped with a CVT automatic. This transmission is the biggest let down to this car’s driving enjoyment. It makes the engine feel “lazy” and underpowered because it keeps the rpms as low as possible for fuel efficiency. While accelerating from a stop in everyday traffic, the rpms never go past 2,000 which for a non-turbocharged engine, is really low. There’s no torque at those low rpms hence why it feels lazy. It’s only when you press on the throttle pedal to at least 50% does this CVT allow the engine to rev up more. If the engine were turbocharged, like the one in the Honda Civic, then it would be a different story.
However, the CVT automatic is the reason why the Altima can achieve such good fuel economy figures on a highway. Additionally, the CVT can provide some virtual gears when pulling on the paddle shifters.
Braking – The brakes of the 2024 Nissan Altima are not big but they feel big. The brake pedal is firm yet still easy to modulate for smooth stops. But the brakes themselves are strong and bring the Altima to a stop without any fuss.
Handling – The 2024 Altima is pretty enjoyable to drive on a twisting and winding road. The steering is nicely balanced in weight without feeling too light or too heavy. It doesn’t translate much road feel to your fingertips but it is direct like many other electro-assisted steering systems.
As mentioned at the start of the review, the Nissan Altima is equipped with standard AWD for the Canadian market. It does not have any locking differentials nor any off-road drive modes and is instead an “on-demand” type of AWD system where power is sent to the back wheels when it’s needed.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – The ride of the 2024 Nissan Altima is pretty good for handling moderately potholed city streets. The SR trim receives 19” alloy wheels which do translate a bit more of the shunts into the cabin but overall, the ride is acceptable for daily commutes. The base S trim receives 16” steel wheels with hubcaps and thicker sidewall tires but those won’t look as good as these 19” wheels.
Further aiding the ride are the “Zero Gravity” seats which Nissan use throughout most of their models. These seats are plush and do a great job of absorbing some of the smaller bumps that get transferred into the cabin.
Interior Space – The Nissan Altima’s interior is similar in size to the Kia K5 or Hyundai Sonata. But it is noticeably smaller than the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. This is most evident in the back seats. Behind my 6’4” driving position, my knees brush up against the back of the front seats whereas in the Accord, they wouldn’t be touching. However, I didn’t feel too squished for legroom. Headroom is a bit less than in some other sedans with my hair brushing against the headliner in the back seats. In the front seats, I can’t complain about headroom or legroom.
The 2024 Nissan Altima has 437 L (15.4 cu-ft) of cargo space in the trunk. There are tabs in the trunk that you can pull to unlock the rear seats and then drop down. But you have to go around to the side in order to drop them down. Under the trunk floor, the Nissan Altima has a spare tire.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – On the move in a city, the 2024 Altima has a quiet interior. Because the engine’s rpms are kept low, there’s hardly any intrusion into the cabin. But once the speed builds up and you find yourself on a highway, there is a noticeable amount of road noise from the tires. I should mention that this demo vehicle came equipped with snow tires which are generally noisier than all-season tires. But I suspect it will still be more noticeable than in some other sedans.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2024 Nissan Altima is one of the more affordable mid-size sedans on the market. It starts at $31,198 CAD ($26,000 USD, S FWD) for the S trim while this SR Premium trim is $36,698 CAD ($29,700 USD, SR AWD). In Canada there’s an SR trim for a little bit less and a Platinum trim for a little bit more money.
Gadgets – This SR Premium trim has just the right amount of gadgets that consumers are looking for in a new vehicle. It has leather upholstered seats with contrast stitching, heated front seats (sadly no heated rear seats), heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless phone charging pad, power sunroof, power adjustable front seats (8-way for the driver, 4-way for the passenger), keyless entry & push button start.
One major change for the Nissan Altima is the 12.3” touchscreen with the latest iteration of the Nissan infotainment system. I first encountered this system in the Nissan Ariya. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay & wireless Android Auto. It allows some degree of customizability with different apps & widgets being available for the home screen. It still has some elements of the older infotainment system such as the fonts and some menu structures, but I found this new system fairly easy to get used to.
However, I did experience one mishap with the touchscreen. While I was filming the video review (Subscribe to the M.G.Reviews YouTube channel), the touch screen would not recognize my touches. I eventually had to leave the car for about 15 to 20 minutes and once I came back to it, the touchscreen decided to work as it was intended to. But other than this little issue, the infotainment system operated as it should for the rest of my test drive.
Interior Design – The Altima’s interior is straightforward to use. All of the controls have individual physical buttons or knobs. There are no capacitive touch controls nor are any commonly used functions buried in the infotainment system. The design may seem a bit dated to some but at this price point, I think it’s fine.
As for the materials, most are hard plastics but in the areas where you may touch, the surface is either soft plastic or leather. There’s also some faux carbon fiber trim across the dashboard which looks very convincing for the real stuff. But there’s also piano black plastic on the center console which does not look as good with fingerprints, dust and scratches.
Speaking of the center console, the cup holders are large but they do not have any sort of support for smaller drinks. Taking a corner too quickly with a large coffee in them could spill your drink all over your lap.
Exterior Design – I personally think that the 2024 Nissan Altima is a pretty good looking sedan, particularly in this SR trim with the 19” wheels. It has the trademark “V” shaped grille that most Nissan vehicles have and there are some interesting lines that flow down the side of the car.
Safety – Apart from the base S trim of the Nissan Altima, every other trim level is equipped with all safety & driver aids. But while the Altima S does not have every feature it’s only missing traffic sign recognition, intelligent cruise control, ProPilot assist, intelligent lane intervention and surround view monitor. The latter of which is only available on the top spec Platinum trim.
Warranty – The 2024 Nissan Altima is covered by a 3 year / 60,000 km new vehicle basic warranty and a 5 year / 100,000 km powertrain warranty. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For USA warranty, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, the 2024 Nissan Altima is a fuel efficient sedan (particularly on highways), it’s reasonably spacious and well priced, and it has standard AWD for the Canadian market. However, it is not so fuel efficient in a city environment, it’s not available with any other powertrain options for our market, it’s a bit noisy on highways, and the CVT automatic saps the fun out of, what could be, a fun mid-size sedan.
Thank you to Nissan Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Nissan.ca
2024 Nissan Altima SR AWD Gallery
