2016 Nissan Altima SL review

2016 Nissan Altima SLPHOTO BY NISSAN

A modest, well-equipped midsizer for the non-enthusiast driver

I know that the Nissan Altima wants, nay, needs to compete with the best in the midsize sedan segment, aka, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. I still want to throw its continuously variable transmission out the window. But other than that, there’s a lot to love about this refreshed midsizer.

The sheetmetal gets a good amount of massaging for 2016. The Altima now comes with the family face with V-shaped lights and a flowing silhouette. In back, the taillights are reshaped for a handsome overall look. Some might think the front end is a little too busy -- I am not one of those people.

This hot rod get a 2.5-liter four making 182 hp and 180 lb-ft, and honestly, that’s probably enough. It’s good for 39 mpg on the highway, for chrissakes. Now, the problem is getting that power to the wheels. Nissan sticks with its Xtronic CVT, which seems to do OK in the more powerful Maxima sedan, but not as good in this.

Taking off feels just about right. Put your foot about halfway down, and you get a nice buildup of thrust to 35 or 40 mph, and then it settles in. Sometimes when you need a downshift, it feels just like a regular automatic -- it takes a beat as the tach raises and then you’re outta there. Other times, though, it won’t give you that downshift feeling with a half stab, and you have to put it to the floor so as not to be cleaned out when merging in the fast lane. I guess the Maxima feels good because it has more than enough power, whereas this has just barely enough. Trust us, when you get on the expressway, you’re better off putting it to the floor and backing out than not pushing the throttle down enough and needing to find some speed in the last few feet of the ramp.

2016 Nissan Altima SLPHOTO BY NISSAN

There aren’t many cars that are considered corner carvers in this segment -- the Mazda 6 is the closest -- but this Altima is a little more numb than the rest. The light steering does make it easier to park and creep around at slow speeds, but loaded up on an expressway curve, there’s no notion of what your tires are doing. Likewise, the suspension is sufficiently soft to soak up potholes, but it does rock side to side, and fore and aft. Comfy though.

Road and wind noise seem to be isolated from the cabin. I did hear the expansion joints on the highway, but no more than I normally do. Like the Sentra, the Altima received more sound-deadening material as well as acoustic glass in the windshield with its last update.

The interior is a decent place to spend time. The seats are good looking, perforated leather, just heat, no cooling. They’re substantially supple, too. They don’t have a lot of lateral support, but again, you’re not going to be experiencing a ton of gs in an Altima. The radio is great, works easily with iPhones, but it was playing my podcasts at a low volume, so when I switched to the radio, it was blasting. Not a big deal, though. The back seat seems to have a good amount of space, as does the trunk, into which I threw a set of golf clubs widthwise without a thought.

-- Jake Lingeman, road test editor


2016 Nissan Altima SLPHOTO BY NISSAN


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