Probably one of the easiest cars I’ve ever driven. However, many would say that is what makes the Altima quite boring compared to some of its competitors. The Altima did impress me a little, though. It drives like a more expensive and “grown up” version of the Sentra. The steering feels more direct and has more weight to it than the bigger Nissan models like the Rogue and the Pathfinder. You can actually get very slight amounts of pavement feedback in the Altima, which surprised me. It steers where you want it to and it is pretty well matched to the front tires for the most part, however like most Nissan models I’ve driven in the past there is still something missing from the steering feel when you’re going around corners. You just don’t get that same level of precision or feedback that you would get in an Accord or a Mazda 6, and the steering does not disguise its electric underpinnings.
The Altima is about average in its handling abilities. It won’t piss you off, but it won’t put a smile on your face either. It does just fine for a family sedan, most people who drive this car aren’t going to complain about how it handles. It can take a corner just fine, but it’s not going to have Mazda 6 levels of engagement. I have mixed feelings about the CVT in the Altima. Nissan keeps trying to make their CVTs feel more like traditional automatics, and the “simulated” shifts feel quite random and artificial. While they do improve off the line acceleration, it’s still very obvious that you’re in a CVT equipped vehicle. That being said, I think the powertrain definitely works better in the Altima than it does in the Rogue. Everything feels a bit more linear and engaging, including the CVT which feels notably smoother and more intuitive. The Altima’s CVT does have a touch of those artificial high revving/fake gear changing characteristics, but it’s not as apparent or intrusive.
The 2.5 liter 4 cylinder in the Altima is far more silent and refined compared to the Rogue’s obnoxious sounding 2.5, and it gets the Altima up to speed just fine. In fact, I was quite surprised at how quickly the Altima accelerated from a dead stop. The accelerator is nice and stiff, it’s not overly responsive like the Rogue, but it doesn’t feel sluggish or delayed either. It can get up to speed just fine with 179 hp and 177 lb. ft. of torque, I had no issues passing or accelerating. The braking feel is about average. Not too stiff and aggressive, not too light and passive. Brakes respond normally and they stop the car smoothly. The leather zero gravity seats feel very nice to spend time in as well. They aren’t the kind of seats you would get in an S class or a 7 series, but for the midsize sedan category they feel very comfortable and supportive.
Road noise is about average and ride quality does a good job at isolating you from bumps while maintaining a good level of sturdiness. It’s a very safe feeling car, it feels designed in such a way that universally anyone can drive it. All that said, the interior is very plain and boring to look at. Other competitors in this class have moved up to very classy interiors that make you believe you’re sitting in something far more expensive than it is, but the Altima’s interior feels almost like a subcompact car. The main touch points like the armrests and the steering wheel are fine, but the center console and some of the hard plastics both look and feel like they came out of a Versa, which disappoints me. Overall, the Altima would make a decent car to daily drive, but it just doesn’t stand out very much in the category. As I said, everything is about average, there’s nothing particularly unique or interesting about driving this car. It kind of reminds me of what the Camry used to be. The Altima is just very plain and doesn’t have much of an identity. Everything performs just fine, but it won’t make you swoon when taking it for a test drive. It’s a solid commuter car that sips fuel and has good reliability ratings. It’s extremely easy to drive and operate. For people looking for simple A-B transportation, the Altima will perform just fine.