Highlights of the Nissan Altima 2023 review:
- 2023 Nissan Altima ($25,290 – $34,990)
- Top Choice for Safety + – IIHS
- Pros: The 2023 Nissan Altima offers turbocharged power, the option of all-wheel drive, and plenty of standard safety features.
- The negatives: The turbocharged Altima isn’t available with all-wheel drive, and the infotainment system is very basic.
The Altima is a stalwart in the midsize sedan segment, and for the 2023 model year, it sees that as allowing it to compete. In addition to these minor updates, the Altima also brings a lot of value to the table. However, there are a few areas where it is lacking.
In Deep Blue Pearl. The price, as tested, was $36,440, which included the $1,095 destination fee and a #65 surcharge for floor mats, trunk mat, and cargo nets.
How does the Nissan Altima go?
One of the key features that sets the 2023 Altima apart from the rest of its class is the available turbocharged variable compression engine. The variable compression portion of the engine technology means the engine has the efficiency of a four-cylinder in the lower rpm range and the power of a V6 when the throttle is buried. In our real-world testing, the engine came alive in the middle of the powerband as the turbo-induced power surge pushed us back into the seat.
However, we found the CVT to be a slight handicap. The single-gear nature of the CVT makes the car feel sluggish on initial acceleration, which makes the car feel sluggish from a standstill. Once you get going, though, the Ultima feels pretty solid. Performance aspects aside, the Nissan Altima delivers a comfortable, quiet ride – even at highway speeds.
Around town, the Altima feels comfortable. Its steering effort is light and somewhat numb, but it’s easy to stop and maneuver in tight spaces. Of course, the 360-degree camera helps. Visibility from the front and sides of the car is also excellent, but rear visibility is lacking due to the slightly raised rear end of the car.
Is the Altima comfortable?
When it comes to indoor comfort, he delivers. There’s plenty of leg and head room in both rows, and the NASA-inspired “Zero Gravity” seats are supportive in all but one way. We wish the front seat bottoms were a little longer to provide more thigh support. The back-seat area is also comfortable, even the middle seat—although there is a hump in the middle, which hinders legroom there.
In addition, the controls on the center console are easy to reach, and we didn’t notice any strange glare on the infotainment screen or the dashboard in front of the driver.
How is the technology in the Altima?
Nissan Altima 2023 offers a lot of technical features. The base trim level is equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a USB-A port, and Apple Carplay / Android Auto smartphone integration. Upgrading to the SV trim level adds an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a larger 8-inch infotainment screen and a USB Type-C port.
The SV Premium package adds a sunroof, wireless Carplay, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, Wi-Fi, and navigation. The SR Premium package adds heated, leather-covered seats. Finally, the SR VC-Turbo includes the most tech-savvy features like a 360-degree camera system, dual-zone automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, and a 9-speaker Bose sound system.
What is the engine of Nissan Altima 2023?
All base trim levels (S, SV, SR, and SL) of the Nissan Altima are powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine that produces 188 horsepower and 182 lb-ft of torque in front-wheel-drive form. Adding all-wheel drive drops those numbers to 182 and 178, respectively. For that matter, lower trim Altimas can achieve up to 28 mpg EPA in the city and 39 mpg highway. However, choosing all-wheel drive drops those numbers by 2 and 3 mpg, respectively.
The SR VC-Turbo Hood is only available with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. This powerful engine generates 248 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque that only goes through the front wheels. As for fuel economy, that averages out to 25 mpg city according to the EPA and 34 mpg highway. After a week of testing, we were able to average 29 mpg, which was on par with the EPA’s combined mileage estimate.
Every Nissan Altima is equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
How safe is Ultima?
The 2023 Nissan Altima has been awarded a five-star safety rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It was also awarded a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). But if those ratings are enough to impress buyers, they can at least rest assured that the Altima is packed with safety features.
These include automatic rear braking, intelligent lane intervention, and the ProPilot Assist package, including adaptive cruise control and steering assist.
MotorBiscuit gives the 2023 Nissan Altima an official rating of 7.8 out of 10
The editors at MotorBiscuit rated the 2023 Nissan Altima an overall rating of 7.8 out of 10. Although the Nissan Altima has a revised front end and aesthetics that set it apart from the rest of the cars in this segment, it falls a little short. Competitors like the Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry bring more to the table in terms of tech features and fuel efficiency. However, we’re confident that buyers looking for a different kind of midsize sedan might like what the 2023 Nissan Altima has to offer.
