2023 Nissan Altima Reviews, Pricing & Specs

If you include the cars that preceded the Altima, the Datsun 510 and Nissan Stanza, Nissan has been a player in the family car game for over 50 years. And based on the changes to the 2023 Altima, Nissan intends to continue offering a sizable four-door car even if the more powerful and expensive Maxima is (like so many sedans) meeting its demise later this year.

Highlights of the 2023 Altima for the new model year include updated front styling with a revised grille design and new wheel designs. Especially with the higher trim levels, which get 19-inch wheel designs, the Altima boasts an improved visual presence. However, the stylish wheel design that is standard on our test unit appears vulnerable to curb rash and damage because they are essentially flush with the tire sidewalls.

In Canada, Altima continues with four trims for 2023: S, SR trim, SR Premium, and Platinum. It continues to be a standout in the Canadian market as the only mid-size sedan to offer standard all-wheel drive (AWD). What we don’t get in Canada is the variable-compression turbocharged or VC-Turbo engine, which in North America is exclusive to the U.S. market. Prices in Canada range from $31,198 to $37,398, not including an $1,855 destination charge. Our test vehicle is the U.S. equivalent of the SR Premium trim; note the grey leather shown is not available in Canada.

Overall, the 2023 Altima looks good, in part thanks to the new, if vulnerable, alloy wheels. The interior is appealing, too, though plenty of hard plastic reminds you that the Altima remains a mainstream sedan. The new simulated wood dashboard trim isn’t fooling anyone, though the new double-stitched seams help distract your attention from the amount of hard plastic inside of this car.

Every 2023 Nissan Altima sold in Canada has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The engine makes power specs of 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. The standard AWD system delivers up to half of the engine’s output to the rear wheels, depending on the driving situation.

The power is adequate, and the torque arrives at 3,600 rpm, which is helpful. Nissan programs the CVT to make it sound and feel more like a traditional automatic transmission when you accelerate, and the SR Premium has paddle shifters to add driver engagement. Official Natural Resources Canada fuel economy ratings come in at 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 6.5 on the highway, and 7.9 combined in the base trim, or 9.3 L/100 km city, 6.7 highway, 8.1 combined for the SR, SR Premium, and Platinum. Our tester averaged fuel efficiency of 8.6 L/100 km.

Our test vehicle was one of the heavier versions of the Altima. The result was merely adequate performance and, as reported above, disappointing fuel economy. However, as CVTs go, Nissan’s is a good one. The automaker has been building them for decades now, and the one in the Altima does a decent job of mimicking a traditional automatic.

In urban environments, the Altima is easy to drive, though the ride is a bit firm. Also, you must take speed bumps and humps at slower speeds because they can overwhelm the suspension’s ability to absorb them if you’re driving too fast. Rough roads can produce some racket, too, and at highway speeds both wind and road noise are irksome.

Rear visibility is poor, forcing the driver to depend more on the reversing camera and the rear cross-traffic alert system. On the highway, the tall rear deck and third brake light make it almost impossible to see vehicles directly behind the Altima.

In the mountains, the Altima displayed commendable grip and a flat cornering attitude, bringing the car’s lifeless, wooden steering into starker relief. In addition, while the brake pedal feels good underfoot, the brakes themselves seemed to heat up easily and they began to rumble and grumble on a 10-degree evening just before sunset. Under the chilly driving conditions, the behaviour is concerning. That is especially true in this case because recent rain and lingering moisture on the road prevented us from really hustling the car.

After a week of driving the Altima, it was clear that it is an automotive appliance. Little about its dynamic character engages its driver, unlike what you’ll get in several of its rivals.

Look past the Altima’s inexpensive interior fittings, and you’ll find it to be simple to understand, easy to use, and comfortable to drive. For example, the controls are laid out in a logical manner, and Nissan renders most of them with matte black surfaces that make them easy to read. In addition, the analog gauges are a model of clarity, similar to what you would find in a Mazda.

Better yet, Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats, which the automaker designs to mimic the sensation and support astronauts experience in space, are exceptionally comfortable. The ones in our test vehicle came wrapped in somewhat sticky leather upholstery, but that didn’t detract from their comfort.

Our Altima had dual-zone automatic climate control, a power sunroof, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. Unfortunately, the front passenger’s seat offered no more than four-way power adjustment. Since the Altima sits low to the ground, the omission of a height adjuster for this seating location makes it harder to get into and out of the car.

Entering and exiting the driver’s seat was easier, but when we wore jeans the sticky leather hampered the process. Additionally, we kept hitting our right knee on the lower steering column housing and noted a lack of foot clearance between the door panel and door sill when exiting the Altima.

Here’s another uncommon observation: the floor mats snap to the carpeting but are nearly impossible to release without pulling up the carpet or pulling the mat material away from the snaps. This is a terrible design that will either ruin mats and carpets or encourage Altima owners not to snap the mats into place, causing a potential safety hazard.

Rear seat comfort is good, thanks in part to a tall cushion providing excellent thigh support. Adults will find plenty of legroom, foot room, and headroom, and in Canada rear air conditioning vents are standard on all trims. Unfortunately, a passenger who dropped into the right rear seat immediately winced in pain because the seatbelt buckle anchor jammed itself into her hip.

Interior storage is reasonable. Each door panel has a tray embedded into the armrest and a lower bin. There is a large tray forward of the transmission shifter, but in Altimas with a wireless charging pad, its location at the bottom of this tray makes it useless for storing anything else. Under the centre armrest, you’ll find a good-sized storage bin, but its plastic lining could contribute to interior rattles and buzzes.

The Altima’s trunk measures 437 litres of cargo space. This is smaller than what several competitors provide, but the space is usefully shaped. Nissan does not provide a grip or a handle to make it easier to close the lid without getting your fingertips dirty on the exterior paint.

In Canada, the Altima comes with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard equipment. It includes Bluetooth, wired Apple CarPlay connectivity, wired Android Auto connectivity, and SiriusXM satellite radio with the expanded 360L service. The 360L satellite radio package offers more stations, Pandora access, on-demand content, and more.

New for 2023 is an available 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is standard with SR Premium and Platinum trims. It offers a navigation system with door-to-door directions via a smartphone app, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, and an easily accessible wireless smartphone charging pad.

The 12.3-inch touchscreen setup is necessary if you want NissanConnect Services. Since SiriusXM provides them, you’ll need an active subscription to use the services, however. Highlights include remote engine starting and an SOS calling button on the headliner.

Nissan also offers a Bose nine-speaker premium audio system with SR Premium and Platinum trim. During our evaluation, with all settings centred, it performed well for some types of music but not others.

If the Bose sound system is hit-and-miss, the new 12.3-inch infotainment system represents a significant improvement over previous NissanConnect infotainment technologies. In addition to the larger screen, it boasts a superior user interface and more appealing graphics. In addition, the voice recognition technology passed all of our tests with flying colours, though you cannot adjust the climate system using voice commands.

In addition, Nissan provides a power/volume knob underneath the display screen, flanked by tuning buttons. Some people might prefer a tuning knob, but others prefer the approach in the Altima.

Standard safety features on every version of the 2023 Altima, Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of driver assistance technologies includes forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver monitoring system. The lane-departure warning system alerts the driver using a helpful vibration through the steering wheel, while the blind-spot monitoring system employs a light on the trim near the windshield pillar.

The Altima also has a standard rear-seat reminder system and an Easy Fill Tire Alert that chirps the horn when you’ve filled the tires to the proper pressure. Rear automatic braking system and automatic high-beam headlights are also standard.

ProPilot Assist is included with Nissan Altima SR Premium and Platinum and adds adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centring assist for highway driving.

Generally speaking, ProPilot Assist works well. However, it needs additional refinement to operate in a smoother and more transparent manner. For example, when drivers wish to add steering input to override what ProPilot Assist is doing, the handoff from the tech to the human driver is sudden, with the initial resistance sharply and unexpectedly switching to no resistance. In addition, ProPilot Assist sometimes reacts too slowly to changing traffic conditions ahead, resulting in more-abrupt braking than necessary. If the highway ahead has curves, it also frequently dings and dongs as the system turns off and then back on.

To help resolve the Altima’s outward visibility issues, the Platinum has a surround-view camera system. This upgrade, in combination with the rear cross-traffic alert system and the standard reversing camera, helps when reversing from parking spaces. Unfortunately, the reversing camera doesn’t provide a high-resolution image with better detail.

As far as 2023 Nissan Altima crash-test scores go, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the car a five-star overall rating. In fact, it even gets a five-star rollover resistance rating. However, the rating for front passenger frontal impact safety is four stars.

Meanwhile, over at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2023 Altima earns a Top Safety Pick+ for the 2023 calendar year. Note, however, that in the updated IIHS side-impact test, the Altima receives a Poor rating.

A Nissan Altima costs less than its primary rivals, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. It also slides in just below the Subaru Legacy, which also comes with standard AWD. Most other midsize sedans also offer an optional hybrid powertrain supplying significantly better fuel economy. That said, despite its downmarket materials and lackluster drive dynamics, the Altima’s standard AWD and base equipment make it a strong value proposition as a new car in Canada.

Note: Images show a US model.