Nissan Altima

Decades ago, the Nissan Altima was an innovative midsize sedan. Today, it's a family car with sound design and engineering but without any strong calling cards to make it irresistible in its segment. For example, one unique thing about the 2022 Nissan Altima is its available

Decades ago, the Nissan Altima was an innovative midsize sedan. Today, it's a family car with sound design and engineering but without any strong calling cards to make it irresistible in its segment.

For example, one unique thing about the 2022 Nissan Altima is its available variable-compression turbocharged engine, or VC-Turbo. Nissan says it worked on this technology for more than a decade, and that it delivers the power of a V6 engine with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine. However, you can only get it with the sporty SR trim and front-wheel drive. And frankly, it comes up short in both the power and real-world efficiency departments.

The 2022 Altima is competitive with other midsize cars. It has a distinctive sense of style, its front seats provide long-distance comfort, its standard engine supplies a good blend of performance and efficiency, and you can get an Altima with all-wheel drive. Plus, the Altima boasts numerous advanced driving aids such as ProPilot Assist. Unfortunately for Nissan, the Altima's rivals offer most or all of these same attributes, and often in a more compelling package.

Learn more about the 2022 Altima by reading our full Expert Rating for the car.

Which Altima does MatoCar recommend?

In the Altima lineup, the SV offers the greatest combination of value and access to the features you might want the most. However, it is not available with the turbocharged engine, appealing 19-inch wheels, or the new-for-2022 Midnight Edition option package. For those features, the SR trim is the right choice, but it is unavailable with Nissan's ProPilot Assist technology.

Nissan sells the 2022 Altima midsize sedan in five trim levels: S, SV, SR, SL and Platinum. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder (188 horsepower, 180 lb-ft of torque) engine is standard, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) delivers the power to the car's front wheels. An all-wheel-drive system is optional for the SV, SR and SL and standard on the Platinum. With AWD, engine output drops to 182 hp and 178 lb-ft.

For more satisfying performance, the Altima SR offers a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 236 hp and 267 lb-ft on tap (248 hp and 273 lb-ft on 93 octane gas). This engine pairs exclusively with front-wheel drive.

S The S base trim is pretty basic, but it offers:

16-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers
Remote engine start
Keyless entry and push-button ignition
Cloth seats
Six-way power adjustable driver's seat
60/40-split folding rear seat
7-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Six-speaker audio system
Bluetooth phone and audio streaming
Single USB port

Safety features on the base S include:

Automatic high-beam headlights
Forward collision warning (alerts you of a possible collision with the car in front)
Automatic emergency braking (warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if you don't respond in time)
Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)
Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)
Rear seat reminder (alerts you to check the rear seat before exiting the vehicle)
Backup camera

A number of features are available via the Driver Assist package. It adds:

Eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat
Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
Rear automatic braking (brakes if sensors detect an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)
Rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible behind the vehicle when parking)

SV The SV builds on the base S equipment with:

Driver Assist package
17-inch alloy wheels
LED headlights
8-inch touchscreen
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
Satellite radio
An additional USB-C port up front and two rear USB ports
Intelligent Ride Control (smooths out bumps in the road)
Intelligent Trace Control (improves handling in curves)

An optional Premium package adds:

Heated mirrors with turn signal indicators
Power sunroof
Heated front seats
Adjustable lumbar support for the driver's seat
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
ProPilot Assist system

Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Nissan and the car in front)
Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)

SR The SR is the sporty Altima. It comes with:

19-inch wheels
Sport suspension (front-wheel-drive models only)
Transmission paddle shifters
Unique exterior and cabin styling elements
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob

The optional Premium package for the SR consists of everything from the SV's Premium package except ProPilot Assist. Selecting the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine automatically adds this package.

SL The SL builds on the SV features, adding:

SV Premium package
Foglights
Heated steering wheel
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Four-way power-adjustable passenger seat
Leather seats
Rear air vents
Navigation system
NissanConnect connected services
Nine-speaker Bose premium audio system
Traffic sign recognition system

Platinum Choosing the Platinum trim adds standard all-wheel drive, plus:

19-inch wheels
Driver's seat memory settings
Auto-dimming rearview mirror
Universal garage door opener
Ambient interior lighting
360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Altima and its surroundings for tight parking situations)