[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN FRIO: Maybe you heard sedans are dead.
Nissan doesn't think so.
The company is so bullish on sedans, in fact,
that it's developed two new engines and an all-wheel drive
system for its all new Altima.
The new Altima doesn't look much different
from the previous generation, but it's actually
one inch shorter, one inch wider, the grille is larger,
and they've actually thinned out the headlights
by moving the turn signal just above the fog lights.
It's an aggressive look, it's a bold look,
it might not suit every buyer.
I think it looks cool, especially
given what the car can do.
The Altima has traditionally been and also ran
in a midsize sedan class, but it also
offers excellent value for the money.
We're here to find out if that's still the case.
The new Altima offers two engines.
There's a 2.5 liter four cylinder that comes standard,
but the big news is this 2 liter variable compression
turbocharged engine.
And as the name suggests, the engine
can vary compression ratios depending
on driving conditions.
At higher ratios, it will give you the fuel efficiency
of a four cylinder.
At lower ratios, it will give you
the power and torque of a V6.
And in fact, this motor replaces the outgoing 3.5 liter
V6 in the old Altima.
We actually have this 2 liter turbo engine
in our long-term Infiniti QX50, which
was the first model this engine debuted in.
We haven't had a lot of time with it,
but early impressions are pretty good.
People seem to like it.
The transmission is a CVT, which is a similar transmission
to the last Altima, but Nissan says they've recalibrated it.
Gave it a new torque converter.
Generally it feels better than the CVT in the previous model.
It's snappier, it responds better,
and it's definitely quieter.
One of the things we liked about the last Altima
was its handling, and those characteristics
seem to have carried over to this new model as well.
It handles very nicely.
One of the things we didn't like about the last Altima
was its steering.
Steering in this model notably improved.
Good on center feel, not a lot of play side to side.
Good amount of effort when you take into fast curves.
And seems to be enough effort at low speed in parking lot type
situations.
So overall, Nissan says they had to retune the steering
to accommodate the semi-autonomous steering
function.
Whatever they've done has paid off.
It feels a lot better.
Nissan interiors have traditionally
been a little nicer than the price would suggest.
This Altima is no different.
There's nothing particularly lush in here,
but it is a clean and minimal design.
New for this year is an eight inch touchscreen display
with sharp graphics, large tiles for functions,
and a row of hard buttons at the bottom
here for getting back to the home screen easily.
It also features Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto for the first time.
And I like this detail here, this oyster shell type inlay.
It's plastic, but it looks cool, it gives the cabin
some visual interest, and it reminds me of a drum kit
that Ringo Starr used to play in the Beatles.
One small nitpick in this cabin is this carbon fiber inlay
in the armrest here.
It just doesn't seem to match with the rest of the cabin
design, particularly this inlay or this chrome strip.
It's a minor detail, but when you're paying about $35,000
for a car like this, you don't want
to see things that are necessarily out of place.
These seats are phenomenal.
Nissan touts some NASA inspired design or technology.
Whatever they're doing, it works.
These seats are really comfortable.
The seat backs in particular are soft.
It's almost as if there's a layer of memory foam
back there.
Seat cushions feel the same way.
And for this year, they've increased the bolstering
to better keep you in place during cornering.
Rear seat room is one of those things that can make or break
a mid-sized sedan, and the Altima has plenty of it.
Got plenty of elbow room, leg room,
even room under the seat for my feet.
Even with the center armrest down,
I've got room to spread out.
I'd be plenty comfortable back here on a long road trip.
I could even keep my phone charged,
because the Altima has got two USB ports back here, one
regular and one type C.
Even though this Altima has a clean and minimal
interior design, when you're paying almost $35,000,
which is what this platinum trim costs,
you might expect something a little more visually exciting.
It doesn't blow me away, but it's
not unreasonable for a car in this price bracket either.
Now we're out on the highway, perfect place
to use Nissan's pro pilot assist.
Pro pilot assist is a group of features
that, when taken together, add up to semi-autonomous driving.
Nissan doesn't want to call it that, but that's what it is.
It's basically adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist,
and a certain amount of self-steering.
You can use pro pilot assist as a standard adaptive cruise
control system with lane departure warning.
But one of the cool things about it
is you can press this steering wheel button over here,
and the car will actually steer itself
for a limited amount of time.
It wants you to take the wheel back after about 10 seconds
or so.
It's not self-driving by any means,
but the ability to take your hands off the wheel,
keep your foot off the brake, and let the car drive for you
a little bit is going to really help
you relax on a bad commute.
One of the Altima's notable new features is all wheel drive.
It's the first Nissan sedan to offer power to all four wheels.
Nissan believes that all wheel drive is a feature
that buyers in wet weather areas want,
and lack of all wheel drive is a reason why those buyers often
opt for crossovers instead of a sedan.
This system normally operates in front wheel drive,
but it can send as much as 50% of power to the rear wheels
when extra traction is needed.
The catch?
It's only available with the standard 2.5 liter engine.
Nissan hasn't ruled out offering it for the new 2 liter turbo
if there's demand.
The Altima's standard 2.5 liter engine returns 32 MPG combined.
Add all wheel drive and that drops to 30 MPG.
The 2 liter turbo that were driving now
returns 29 MPG, which is pretty remarkable
given the extra power that you get with the 2 liter.
Makes it well worth the upgrade.
Among mid-sized sedans, the Toyota Camry and the Honda
Accord have long dominated, even with good choices from Hyundai,
Kia, and Chevrolet.
The Nissan Altima has always run somewhere
in the middle of that pack.
It's always offered good value at a price
that's easy to stomach.
We can't wait to get it back to our test track
and see how it compares to its top rivals.
Overall, this Altima represents a vast improvement
over the previous generation.
The steering is crisp, the CVT is quieter and more responsive,
and the 2 liter turbo is a worthy successor
to the outgoing V6.
For buyers who prefer the look and feel of a sedan
rather than a crossover or SUV, this Altima
is a smart and stylish pick.
For more information on the 2019 Nissan Altima,
be sure to check out edmunds.com.
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