Nissan Altima (2024) Review

Nissan built the Altima around comfort, and on that narrow measure it works. The front seats are among the best in any car at this money, the ride is soft and long legged, wind noise at motorway speed is low, and the 2.5 litre four returns economy in the mid thirties without asking for anything. Available all wheel drive is genuinely useful and rare in the class.

Everything else is a compromise. The interior looks a generation behind, with a small screen, dull materials and a design nobody will remember. The continuously variable transmission is the real issue. Nissan has been fighting judder, shudder and outright failure complaints across multiple generations of this gearbox, extended warranties were issued on earlier cars, and independent shops still quote uncomfortable numbers for a replacement.

That reputation, plus enormous rental fleet volume, destroys residual values, so a three year old car costs far less than an equivalent Camry. That last fact is the case for the Altima. As a used purchase with a service history and a fluid change record, it is a lot of comfortable car for very little money. New, it is hard to justify.