By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
At a time when the sedan market has never been more competitive, with brilliant products available this year from America, Japan, Korea and Europe, the Altima’s sales are growing faster than any other car in its class so far this year.
Why all the interest?
Three things: polish, fun and comfort.
The polish is apparent both inside and outside this car after it was completely redesigned for the 2013 model year. It’s got a striking body, at least by family-car standards, with voluptuous curves on the front fenders and dramatic, swept-back styling in back. And its cabin is as solid and supple as anything on the market, with materials that are soft to the touch and tightly assembled.
Fun has always been one of the Altima’s strengths, offering a good combination of sporty handling and meaty power. The 2.5-liter and 3.5-liter engines let you pick between good gas mileage (up to 38 mpg with the four-cylinder) and prodigious acceleration (270 horsepower with the V6).
The comfortable aspect of this car, though, is a more recent addition, mainly thanks to a wonderful feature with a gimmicky name: “zero-gravity” seats.
The Nissan Altima leaves the impression of a pricier car at first glance, with angular headlights and a bright, aggressive grille that is almost reminiscent of a contemporary Lexus.
The Altima’s seats were designed based on NASA research on how the human body relaxes in outer space. It tries to mimic how the body naturally positions itself when gravity isn’t a factor, hence the lovely “zero-gravity” marketing phrase.
Whatever the inspiration, these seats really do feel more comfortable than most cars do, something even more noticeable after long stretches behind the wheel.
Another reason I like this car is for personal, albeit anecdotal, reasons: my wife drove a ’96 Altima for six years without a single major problem. That old Altima of ours seemed bulletproof, which makes me optimistic that today’s new versions — even though they’re dramatically different — could give buyers the same luck with reliability.
I do have one complaint about this car, though: its continuously variable transmission (CVT) doesn’t seem like a good fit in an otherwise sporty vehicle.
All the other aspects of the Altima — engine, suspension, steering, brakes, and even the exhaust note — seem tuned to provide a hint of a playful, enjoyable, tactile feel to the driver. The CVT, with its rubber-band acceleration, seems a bit out of place in that context.
Fortunately, as Nissan doubles down on its CVT-focused strategy, its transmissions are getting better with each passing year. The Altima’s recently redesigned transmission is more responsive and quieter than previous versions, plus gets better fuel economy, which is the whole point of using a CVT in the first place.
While the 2014 Altima is mostly a carryover model after the extensive changes last year, there is one notable addition: a system called NissanConnect that lets you use your car to access online services. It lets you do Google searches, play music through Pandora and connect to Facebook, for example.
The Altima’s cabin grew more comfortable after its 2013 redesign, particularly thanks to its cleverly named “zero-gravity” seats that reduce driver fatigue on long trips.
As a whole, it’s easy to see why this car is selling so briskly, even as its competitors are stronger than ever before. I honestly can’t think of a “bad car” in this class, which is a big departure from, say, 10 years ago when the quality of mid-size sedans wasn’t so consistent.
It does so many things so well — from looks, to driving dynamics, to keeping up with the rapid changes of in-car electronics — that it’s worth taking a close look at.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV ($24,340). Options: Convenience package ($1,350), navigation package ($590). Price as tested (including $810 destination charge): $27,090
Wheelbase: 109.3 in.
Length: 191.5 in.
Width: 72 in.
Height: 57.9 in.
Engine: 2.5-liter I4 (182 horsepower, 180 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Estimated Mileage: 27 city, 38 highway
RATINGS
Style: 9
Performance: 9
Price: 9
Handling: 8
Ride: 8
Comfort: 10
Quality: 9
Overall: 9
Video Review:
2014 Nissan Altima
http://bit.ly/2014altima
Why buy it?
It’s a sharp, fun family sedan. After getting a complete redesign last year, it’s become more comfortable than ever without losing its characteristic spunk.