2022 Nissan Altima Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Nissan Altima has come a long way since being introduced for the 1993 model year. The original Altima featured rather bland, softly rounded front and rear exterior styling that continued more or less unchanged for the second generation. Things changed drastically with the third-generation model, launched for the 2002 model year. It introduced a much sharper, decidedly sportier look. Nissan has continued to roll with that successful formula through the current, sixth-generation model.

The 2022 Nissan Altima is available in five trim levels: S, SV, SR, SL, and Platinum. Front and center on every Altima is Nissan's hallmark V-Motion grille, which it shares with all other Nissan sedans and SUVs. The Altima features a low, wide stance, with tall doors, creased body lines, and a sharply sloped "floating" roofline. While we appreciate what Nissan is trying to do with the floating roof, we think it's unnecessary. After all, does anyone actually think the top is a separate piece of sheet metal that somehow isn't attached at the C-pillar? C'mon Nissan, enough with this already.

The Midnight Edition option package included on our test car—an SR with the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and AWD—is much more compelling. The Midnight Edition package—a $1,750 option—includes a gloss black painted sport grille, LED fog lights, gloss black-painted 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, single panel moonroof, gloss black painted spoiler, Satin black Midnight Edition badge, black painted heated outside mirrors with LED turn signal indicators, heated front seats, and two-way power-lumbar for the driver's seat. Combined with the Altima's already sporty looks, the Midnight Edition package took things up a notch. In our opinion, it's one of the better "black-out" packages available today. Our test car was painted in Gun Metallic, a dark gray that blended well with the Midnight Package.

Highlights of the Altima's interior included comfortable Zero Gravity front seats, a well-laid-out instrument panel and center stack with easy-to-read graphics, and high-quality materials that gave the Altima a premium feel. However, keep in mind that lower trims don't look and feel this nice. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, so expect nicer material quality, fit, and finish as you move up the trim level ladder. Conversely, expect things to cheapen as you come back down to earth.

The 2022 Nissan Altima comes with a choice of four-cylinder engines: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter unit that produces 188 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, or a 2.0-liter variable-compression turbo (VC-Turbo) making 248 hp and 273 lb-ft. Both engines feature direct injection. The base engine is available with either FWD or AWD on most trim levels, while the VC-Turbo is only available on the SR trim with FWD. All 2022 Altimas come with Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). The sporty SR trim includes paddle shifters, but we think they're unnecessary on a mainstream midsize sedan as most people likely ignore them.

The technologically advanced VC-Turbo engine, which debuted in the 2019 Altima, can actively change its compression ratio between 8:1 (for high performance) and 14:1 (for high efficiency). It accomplishes this by continuously raising or lowering the stroke of the pistons. Nissan says its VC-Turbo engine offers the same power as some competitors' V6 gasoline engines with the efficiency of a four-cylinder.

Though our 2022 Altima test car featured the base 2.5-liter engine, previous experience with the VC-Turbo engine reveals that it's worth the price of admission, even if it's not quite as refined as one would hope. Unfortunately, the more powerful VC-Turbo isn't available with AWD, thus leaving us to wonder just how good the Altima's performance could be. Of course, if we want brisk performance in a Nissan midsize sedan, there's always the Maxima, the automaker's self-proclaimed "four-door sports car."

As for our non-turbo tester, performance was a mixed bag. Even with AWD, zero-to-60-mph acceleration was mediocre, limited by the pedestrian 188-hp engine. A fair amount of engine noise accompanied the uninspiring acceleration as the CVT struggled to get the car up to speed. Once underway, however, we were impressed with the Altima's road manners. The suspension is excellent, providing a smooth, composed, comfortable ride on any surface, undoubtedly owing to Nissan's Active Ride Control. We were also impressed by the level of quiet in the cabin, as bumps, rattles, and vibrations were entirely muted. Indeed, the Altima is one well-put-together car, offering Infiniti-like levels of refinement, if not strong performance.

As a bread-and-butter midsize sedan that primarily serves as a commuter car or a family hauler, the Nissan Altima competently covers the basics. It provides comfortable seating for four (five for short distances), easy-to-use controls, an accessible back seat, and a decent-sized trunk. Those same qualities make it popular with car rental fleets. Unfortunately, except for its exterior styling, the Altima doesn't really stand out from the crowd in any way.

Compared to its main competition—the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata—the Altima's dimensions fall somewhere in the middle. It's neither the longest (Accord) nor the shortest (Camry). It's neither the heaviest (Camry) nor the lightest (Sonata). It doesn't have the most passenger space (Accord) or the least (Camry). It doesn't offer the most (Sonata) or least (Camry) front headroom and legroom. At 15.4 cubic feet, its trunk is smaller than the Accord or the Sonata but larger than the Camry. However, at 16.2 gallons, the Altima has the largest fuel tank among the group, so there's that. Clearly, the Altima occupies a centrist position among American midsize sedans, not wandering too far left or right of the middle.

As competent as the Altima is, we have a couple of minor complaints. First, the rear shelf (the area behind the rear-seat passengers' heads, beneath the rear window) is very high. It compromises rear visibility, especially when sitting at a stop or moving forward. That makes it tough to keep an eye on what's going on behind you. The Altima's sloping roofline and high trunk combine to make seeing out the back a real challenge. It's less of a concern when backing up, as the rear camera display within the infotainment touchscreen provides a clear view of what's behind.

Also, when stuffing the trunk full of groceries, gear, or luggage, keep in mind that when closing the trunk lid, the metal bar supports will also come down and crush anything in their path. So, if you're planning a road trip with a trunk full of luggage, make sure to close the lid from time to time to make sure there's ample clearance, lest you will need to unpack everything and start all over again.

The entry-level Altima S comes equipped with a 5-inch multi-function information display located directly in front of the driver in the instrument panel. The S has a basic 7-inch color touchscreen audio display with Bluetooth hands-free connectivity for smartphones as well as voice recognition, Siri Eyes Free, a hands-free text-messaging assistant, an AM/FM radio with six speakers, and a single USB port. All other Altimas have a 7-inch advanced drive-assist display and an 8-inch color touchscreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (the latter with Google capability), SiriusXM satellite radio with a three-month trial subscription, and two USB ports. Starting with the SL trim, the Altima comes with a nine-speaker Bose premium audio system, navigation, connected services powered by SiriusXM, and remote engine start with intelligent climate control.

The advanced drive-assist display offers a convenient way to handle text messages, stream audio via Bluetooth, view music information, monitor fuel economy, help with navigation, and more, all without having to remove your hands from the steering wheel.

Active noise cancellation, available on the SR VC-Turbo trim, transmits sound through the car's speakers to mitigate unwanted road, engine, and cabin noise detected via small, cabin-mounted microphones. Once reserved for luxury cars, this technology is filtering its way down into more mainstream models like the Altima. Other available technologies include traffic sign recognition and an Around View Monitor, which employs four small cameras mounted on the front, sides, and rear of the car to provide a 360-degree bird's-eye-view of the Altima's surroundings.

Another available technology on the 2022 Altima is Nissan's ProPilot Assist system. ProPilot Assist can assist drivers with acceleration, steering, and braking tasks under certain driving conditions. The system uses a combination of cameras, radar, sensors, and an electronic control module to assist the driver in keeping their vehicle centered in its lane while maintaining a set speed or maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle in front. ProPilot Assist can even bring the Altima to a complete stop, taking adaptive cruise control to the next level.

Our test vehicle had the 7-inch drive-assist display with the 8-inch infotainment system, but it did not have ProPilot Assist. All of the car's tech worked flawlessly during our week of testing, accurately handling voice commands, playing nice with Apple CarPlay, and delivering quality, if not concert-level, sound through the audio system's six speakers.

Like most of its other car, truck, and SUV models, Nissan equips most versions of the 2022 Altima with a surprising level of standard technology. In particular, driver-assist tech. Indeed, standard driver aids on the 2022 Altima include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, and forward-collision warning. Every 2022 Altima also has automatic high-beam headlights, driver-attention warning, Rear View Monitor, rear door alert, and hill-start assist.

Beginning with the SV trim, every Altima has Nissan's Safety Shield 360, which adds rear automatic braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, and a rear sonar system. An optional Driver Assist package is available on the base S trim and features blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and a rear sonar system.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the FWD version of the 2022 Nissan Altima gets five stars (out of a possible five) for overall crash protection, as well as in each of the individual rating categories, including front crash protection, side crash protection, and rollover resistance. The NHTSA does not list separate results for the AWD version of the Altima, but if the scores for the FWD version are any indication, the Altima is one safe midsize sedan.

Likewise, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the 2022 Altima highly for crashworthiness, giving the car its coveted "Top Safety Pick+" designation. The Institute gave the Altima its highest-possible "Good" ratings in all six crash tests, including driver and front-passenger small overlap, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats.

Concerning crash avoidance and mitigation, the IIHS gave the 2022 Altima an "Acceptable" rating for its headlights, a highest-possible "Superior" rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and an "Acceptable" rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. Additionally, the Altima's child-seat anchors received the highest "Good+" rating.

The 2022 Nissan Altima ranges in price from $25,675 (including the $1,025 destination fee) for the base S trim with FWD to $35,375 for the top-of-the-line Platinum, which comes with standard AWD. Available on all but the base S trim, AWD is an extra $1,400. Three option packages are available: Driver Assist (S only), SV Premium (SV only), and Midnight Edition (SR with the 2.5-liter engine only).

Pricing for the Altima is in line with its main competitors, including the Toyota Camry ($26,420), Honda Accord ($27,135), and Hyundai Sonata ($25,395). Other midsize car models worthy of consideration include the Kia K5 ($24,815), Mazda6 ($25,470), and the Subaru Legacy ($23,990), all of which slightly undercut the Altima on price.

Of course, there are other things to consider, such as availability of AWD, fuel economy, quality, safety, reliability, and resale values. The Accord and the Camry have a clear advantage over the Altima in the latter category. One can chalk part of that up to the fact that Nissan sells a lot of Altimas to rental car fleets, which dilutes values as those cars tend to have high mileage and people tend to drive them like, well, rental cars. Also, consider that the Sonata ranked highest in its segment in the most recent J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Nissan does, however, outperform Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota with regard to dealer service, according to J.D. Power.

Our test car, a 2022 Altima SR AWD with the 2.5-liter engine and Midnight Edition package—a $1,750 option—had an MSRP of $31,490, including the $1,025 destination charge. That price included the optional SR floor mats, trunk mat, hideaway net, and dual trunk hooks ($310), as well as interior accent lighting ($455).

According to the EPA, combined city/highway fuel economy for the 2022 Altima ranges from a high of 32 mpg for the 2.5-liter engine with FWD to a low of 29 mpg for the VC-Turbo (FWD only). These numbers are right in line with the non-hybrid versions of the Altima's main competitors. However, the Accord, Camry, and Sonata are all available in hybrid form, returning anywhere from 47 to 52 combined mpg. If fuel economy is a primary purchase consideration, the Altima simply can't compete.

During our test of the Altima, we averaged 33.3 mpg in primarily Interstate and rural highway driving. Based on the Altima's 16.2-gallon fuel tank, this equates to a range of nearly 540 miles on a single tank of gas.