The Nissan Altima is typically the best-selling sedan in the Nissan lineup. Originally introduced as a compact in the 1993 model year, it increased in size to a midsize vehicle for 1998. The Altima is offered in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) layouts. Recent CarGurus scores include 7.8 (2019) and 8 (2016).

Generations: Six

• Nissan Altima 1st Generation
• Nissan Altima 2nd Generation
• Nissan Altima 3rd Generation
• Nissan Altima 4th Generation
• Nissan Altima 5th Generation
• Nissan Altima 6th Generation

Pros: Relatively affordable for a well-equipped mid-sized sedan, Shares a family resemblance with the upscale Maxima, All-wheel drive available
Cons: Not the most refined car in its class, Pro-Pilot Assist not standard on the base SV trim, The CVT is a wet blanket on driving enjoyment

Nissan Altima 6th Generation, 2019 – present

For the 2019 model year, the sixth-generation Nissan Altima offered styling that strongly resembled the upscale Maxima, to the point where it’s become difficult to tell these cars apart at a glance.

The current generation sticks with the lackluster continuously variable transmission (CVT), but Nissan’s plan seems to be to offer a full array of advanced safety features in lieu of pure driving excitement. This comes at a fairly competitive MSRP, starting at $25,995.

Nissan confusingly separates advanced safety equipment into branded suites, some of which are standard on all trims, and some of which are not. ProPILOT Assist driver-assistance is a long name for “adaptive cruise control,” comprising a forward-facing camera, forward-facing radar, sensors, and an electronic control module to help the driver stay in the center of the driving lane and to maintain vehicle speed. It also maintains a preset distance to the car in front. ProPILOT Assist is optional on the base SV trim but standard on the Nissan Altima SL and SC-VR Turbo.

All Altima trims come standard with Safety Shield 360, which includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, rear automatic braking, lane-departure warning, radar-based blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and high-beam assist.

This helped the Nissan Altima achieve a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the 2020 model year, and an increase to a Top Safety Pick+ rating ever since.

Also making up for the lack of performance is a good array of infotainment and connectivity, packaged under Nissan’s “Intelligent Mobility” brand name. This is a fancy moniker for things like the touchscreen (blessedly accompanied by redundant physical knobs and buttons), Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Nissan Door-to-Door Navigation, USB ports, a Bose premium audio system, and active noise cancellation.

Intelligent AWD hit the scene in the first year of sixth-generation production, providing sure-footed traction on the Altima SV, SR, SL, SL Midnight Edition, and Platinum trim levels. Interestingly, AWD is not available on the performance-oriented VC Turbo trim level; it’s only offered in FWD.

These are well-equipped cars even at the base S trim level, with standard features like power windows and push-button ignition, but you need to step all the way up to the SL before you get dual-zone climate control. The Nissan Altima SR is one of the most popular trims, offering upgrades such as 19-inch wheels, paddle shifters, a sport-tuned suspension, and a leather-wrapped shifter. The Altima SL Midnight Edition is essentially the value-leading trim, offering a moonroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lights, and heated mirrors for a $1,350 bump over the SL. Front-wheel drive is offered in every Nissan Altima trim level, with one exception: It’s not available for the Altima Platinum.

Combined EPA fuel economy for the Altima averages around 30 mpg, with the 2.5-liter coming in highest at 31 mpg combined and the SR Platinum hitting the low notes at 29 mpg.

Nissan Altima 5th Generation, 2013 to 2018

The fifth-generation Altima came during a golden age for Nissan. Between 2013 and 2016, Nissan could count on more than 300,000 Altima customers annually, making it both the most popular sedan in Nissan’s lineup and the company’s most popular vehicle, bar none. Aside from the stalwart Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, no other midsize sedan in America could touch it.

It was for good reason at the time: The Altima was priced more competitively than the Accord, and Nissan offered upgrades that put their sedan well ahead of the Camry’s blandness. Until the Kia Optima/Hyundai Sonata twins started to gain ground and the crossover SUV began to dominate the market, if you were looking for a solid family vehicle with decent fuel efficiency, the competition really began to fall off after the Altima, which was the third-place mid-size sedan.

At the time of its launch, the Altima performed well in sedan comparison tests, beating out vehicles like the Volkswagen Passat, Chevrolet Malibu, and even the Toyota Camry.

The 2016 model year introduced a facelift that dramatically improved its looks, and a lot of effort went into making the passenger cabin as quiet as possible, including new sound deadening and a windshield designed to reduce exterior noise. The base Nissan Altima 2.5 trim dropped off in 2018, and features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto became standard.

Nissan Altima 4th Generation, 2007 – 2012 (plus 2013 Nissan Altima Coupe)

Gather ‘round kids, while we spin a tale about a time when every major competitive sedan in the marketplace had a coupe variant, including the Nissan Altima.

The fourth-generation Altima was the first version of this popular car to share a platform (known as the Nissan D platform) with the Nissan Maxima and the Nissan Murano crossover SUV. With that change, wheelbase shrank by about an inch, but interior volume essentially stayed the same as the third-generation car.

A year after the Nissan Altima Sedan debuted, Nissan presented the Altima Coupe, just in time for American drivers to cease buying coupes in the numbers that they used to. The Altima Coupe was shorter and lower than the sedan, with a shorter wheelbase. It must’ve been a wildly expensive gamble on Nissan’s part to offer the coupe, because it shared little but the driveline with the Altima sedan, and there was no Infiniti counterpart to offer at an inflated price.

The fourth-generation Altima introduced now-common features such as steering wheel-mounted controls in lower trim levels like the 2.5 S, along with the brand’s “Zero Gravity” front seats, steering wheel, and door and console armrests.

2010 brought a facelift to both the sedan and the coupe and made the continuously variable transmission standard across the board. By the next year, the manual offering was gone entirely. Engines included a 3.5-liter V6 with up to 270 horsepower and a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder with a respectable 175 hp.

3rd Generation Nissan Altima, 2002 to 2006

The third-generation Altima was based on the FF-L platform, which was built entirely for North America, with no counterpart in the home market. The 2002 model year was the point where the Altima grew into a competitive sedan in the midsize marketplace, with 118.8 cubic feet of interior volume for bigger American consumers. For a two-model-year time period, the Altima was actually bigger inside than the Maxima, which would climb up to the full-size vehicle class in 2004. It was also the first year that the Nissan Altima would be equipped with the 3.5-liter V6. The third-generation Altima was also equipped with a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The 2005 model year introduced a face-lifted Altima, with a less Honda Accord-like grille and headlamps, all-red tail lamps (rather than the kind with clear spots for turn signals to shine through), and a new optional navigation system. Engine power for the V6 climbed to 250 horsepower in the all-new (and short-lived) SE-R model, which featured a six-speed manual transmission, a sportier suspension, and a free-flowing exhaust.

For a short period, until the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord eventually surpassed it, the Nissan Altima reportedly offered the most power and the best handling of any of the mainstream midsize family sedans. During that two-year period when it was larger than the Maxima, it was also praised for having the same performance as the once-sporty Maxima sedan. With all this in mind, consumers bought third-generation Altimas at a then-unprecedented pace, eventually selling more than 232,000 units in its last year of production.

2nd Generation Altima, 1998 to 2001

The second-generation Altima was based on the Nissan Bluebird U14 chassis, but for the second time, it was styled for North America in the California Design Group’s Blue Studio. Production was again executed in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Nissan’s corporate history says that the car “also offered a much more comfortable interior” with a “higher-quality feel,” but that certainly didn’t translate in the media or among consumers, who criticized it for feeling rather plain and de-contented compared to the first-generation car.

2000 brought a facelift and a powertrain revision that increased power specs from 150 to 155 horsepower, improving the 2.4-liter four-cylinder’s zero-to-60-mph time from 8.7 to 8.4 seconds. 2001 saw the introduction of the Altima GXE Limited Edition package, which helped present the Altima as a value-leader. It included a power driver's seat, keyless entry, an alarm, and floor mats, which at the time felt like a decent bit of content for a mid-trim-level car.

1st Generation Altima, 1993 - 1997

The Nissan Altima arrived to fill the space in the Nissan lineup left by the Stanza. In fact, in the first year of production, the car’s official name was the “Stanza Altima,” and it had a sticker that read “Stanza” to the left of the “ALTIMA” script on the deck lid, reminiscent of the years when Nissan changed its name from “Datsun” and ran both brand names on its vehicles. It seems crazy now, but Nissan’s corporate history says that when the Altima was introduced, internal guidelines were circulated that discussed how to pronounce the name (“ALL-tima” versus “AL-tima” or “all-TEEM-a”).

The Altima picked up where the Stanza left off, providing 150 horsepower from an inline four and adding a ton of equipment to make the car truly feel upscale. The car was offered in an XE trim level that had manual windows, but climbing the trim ladder to the GXE included power windows, a power antenna, and color-matched speaker grilles for the rear deck. The SE had a sportier suspension with a rear spoiler, sport seats, and a sunroof in 1994 and 1995. Prior to the introduction of standard ABS across the line, the SE was also the least-expensive trim to offer four-wheel disc brakes.

What set the Altima apart from other vehicles in its class was its trim. All versions of the Altima featured a woodgrain dash, which gave the entire product offering a much more upscale appearance than the competition. In the last year of production, the first-generation car offered a GXE Limited Edition that included aluminum-alloy wheels, keyless entry, an alarm, floor mats, and a Limited Edition decal. Late-production 1997 Altimas were referred to as “1997.5,” because they had additional crash protection that brought the car up to 1997 side-impact standards.