Nissan’s popular mid-size sedan, the Nissan Altima, has been completely redesigned for the 2019 model year. Now in its sixth generation, the Altima has been in continuous production since 1992, and there are two huge, standout changes for the new model line: available all-wheel drive, and an optional turbocharged variable-compression engine.
It’s hard to overstate just how significant Nissan’s new variable-compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engine is. First appearing in the 2019 Infiniti QX50, it’s the first production variable-compression piston engine available to the masses, at last realizing a dream that automakers have had for decades. It’s capable of swinging from a high ratio of 14:1 for economical driving, the turbocharger providing minimal boost, to a low ratio of 8:1 with maximum turbocharger boost pressure, for high power output and brisk acceleration.
Unfortunately, that new VC-Turbo engine can’t be had with all-wheel drive; it’s available on select front-wheel-drive models only. Conversely, all-wheel drive is available all across the model range, and it gives the Altima a leg up over some of its non-luxury mid-size competitors – cars like the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry.
Stylistically, the sixth-generation Nissan Altima represents a dramatic departure from its predecessor, adopting a sharp, angled, sporty appearance that manages not to be overwrought. Previous iterations of the Altima were ho-hum by comparison.
In the U.S., the Nissan Altima is built at the automaker’s Smyrna, Tennessee assembly plant alongside the Leaf, Maxima, Pathfinder, and Rogue; and at its Canton, Mississippi assembly plant, along with the Frontier, Murano, NV, and Titan.