2011 Nissan Altima Review and Prices

by Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Nissan Altima Review and Pricing
2010 Nissan Altima Review and Prices
2009 Nissan Altima Review and Pricing
2009 Nissan Altima Quote

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Nissan Altima is the best car for you if you’re comfortable with a frisky Nissan that’s not as fresh as it once was.

• The 2011 Nissan Altima steers this five-year old midsize-car design into the homestretch. Nissan is readying a next-generation Altima, and it could bow as early as model-year 2012. Meanwhile, the 2011 Altima should remain the rascal of a popular triumvirate that includes the precision-tuned Honda Accord and the kinder, gentler Toyota Camry.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Nissan Altima or buy a 2010 Nissan Altima? Buy a 2010 Altima. It’s due some updates that will see this fourth-generation Altima through to its conclusion. The 2011 Altima is likely to carry over those changes, and it’ll be a year closer to the end of this design’s life cycle. Buying a 2010 Altima means your car won’t feel dated quite as quickly as a 2011 might.  

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Nissan Altima will continue as a four-door sedan and two-door coupe. Both should be visual duplicates of their 2010 counterparts. Altima’s clientele values expressive styling, and Altima’s confident lines and well-considered details help it stand out in the crowded midsize segment. The 2011 Altima sedan traces its roots to model-year 2007, the coupe to model-year 2008. They share mechanical components, but the coupe has a four-inch-shorter wheelbase than the sedan. With less distance between its front and rear axles, the couple is slightly more agile than the four-door but has a smaller back seat and a stiffer ride. Altima’s next complete redesign is in the works for model-year 2012 -- 2013 at the latest. The mild styling updates due for model-year 2010 qualify as a mid-cycle freshening. That means grille and tail changes, maybe some cabin revisions, but no alteration to the car’s size or overall shape. Altima lends much of its engineering to the upscale Nissan Maxima, including the basics of its front-wheel-drive platform and V-6 powertrain.

• Mechanical: A foundation built on two gas engines and a gas-electric hybrid won’t be disturbed for the 2011 Nissan Altima. Most Altima buyers opt for the four-cylinder engine. The Altima 2.5 and 2.5 S models have had good success with a 175-horsepower 2.5-liter. The 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 in the Altima 3.5 SR and 3.5 SL models has appealed to performance-minded drivers who can afford its higher cost (and it’s among the few V-6s in the class for which the manufacturer recommends premium-octane gas). Should Nissan decide to send the fourth-generation Altima out with a bang it could unleash a 2011 Altima SE-R. An SE-R performance edition was unveiled late in the third-generation Altima’s product cycle, and a 2011 SE-R could borrow some tuning tricks that give this 3.5-liter 290 horsepower in the Maxima. Also likely would be stiffer suspension settings and other tweaks to make the 2011 Altima SE-R go faster or look as if it does. A 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid is likely to continue. It’s been available only in California, Oregon, and New England, where exhaust-emissions standards are particularly stringent. The Altima Hybrid comes only as a sedan with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine in harness with an electric motor. Net horsepower is 198 and the car drive on electricity alone at low speeds.

• Features: The 2011 Nissan Altima would continue to aim for livelier road manners than the typical midsize car. Nissan has bolstered this sporty identity by making both the four-cylinder and V-6 Altimas available with a six-speed manual transmission; most competitors don’t offer a V-6/manual combination. Altima also has gone its own way with a continuously variable transmission to perform the duties a conventional automatic transmission. A CVT transmits power like a rheostat rather than through preset gear ratios. Its intent is to more-precisely match engine speed to power requirements for greater efficiency. All Altimas have antilock four-wheel disc brakes. V-6 versions and the Hybrid come with traction control to limit wheel slip on takeoffs. These also have been the only models available with an antiskid system; also known as stability control, it’s designed to prevent sideways skids. Extending availability of traction and antiskid control to 2.5 models is one opportunity for Nissan to broaden Altima’s safety net as the fourth-generation matures. It could also widen the car’s tech appeal by adding voice recognition to the available navigation system. And USB linking for iPods and other MP3 devices is overdue. Depending on the model, Altimas can be had with a rear-view camera, xenon headlamps, Bluetooth-cell-phone connectivity, and more.

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA PRICES

• Altima base prices have tended toward the lower end of the midsize-car spectrum, reflecting in part some cost-cutting evident mostly in the grade of materials used in the passenger compartment. Nissan won’t release 2011 Altima prices until shortly before the car hits showrooms. But based on Altima’s track record, some estimates are possible. (Price estimates in this review include the manufacturer’s mandatory destination fee; Nissan’s was $720 for 2009.)  

• Figure the 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 model at around $21,000 to start. This model has come only as a sedan. CTV, air conditioning, power windows, locks, and mirrors, cruise control, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, manual driver’s seat height adjuster, and an outside-temperature indicator have been among its standard features.

• The 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S should continue in coupe and sedan form and with either transmission. Estimated base price is around $22,000 for the sedan, $23,000 for the coupe; add about $500 to get the CVT. Among features traditionally included in the 2.5 S base price are remote keyless entry with pushbutton ignition and a CD audio system that includes an aux jack for digital players.

• The sporty 2011 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR models should continue with a power driver’s seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, heated outside mirrors with turn-signal indicators, and a firmer, performance-tuned suspension. Estimated base price for the 2011 Altima 3.5 SR is around $27,000 for the sedan, around $27,500 for the coupe. CVT would be an additional $500 or so. The 2011 Altima lineup is likely to again be topped by the 3.5 SL, a luxury-oriented sedan with the CVT, leather upholstery, and comfort-tuned suspension.

• Estimated base price for the 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid is around $28,000. Its standard equipment mirrors the 2.5 S sedan’s but adds antiskid and traction control, dual-zone climate control, and alloy wheels.  

• An option of note is a DVD rear-seat entertainment system. It’s been available on all Altima sedans with the CVT except the Hybrid. It’s been priced around $1,500.  

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA FUEL ECONOMY

• The 2011 Nissan Altima fuel economy should continue at the upper range of the midsize class. Thanks goes in large measure to the CVT, which helps both engines achieve gas mileage numbers not very different from manual-transmission figures.

• Four-cylinder 2011 Altimas are likely to again be rated at 23/32 mpg (city/highway) with the six-speed manual transmission and 23/31 with the CVT. V-6 Altimas should again be rated at 19/27 with manual transmission, 19/26 with the CVT. Tempering these numbers has been Nissan’s recommendation of premium-octane fuel for V-6 Altimas.

• The 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid should again be at its most fuel efficient in around-town driving. Ratings of 35/33 mpg (city/highway) reflect how the hybrid maximizes gas mileage by driving on electric power alone at low speeds and its ability to automatically switch the engine off and on when the vehicle is stopped.

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Nissan Altima should be in showrooms in autumn 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE NISSAN ALTIMA

• The latest Mazda 6 aims to unseat Altima as the most extroverted car in the midsize camp. Look for Nissan to reassert Altima’s restive character with the next-generation design. At the same time, Nissan might also try to introduce a degree of refinement absent in current Altimas. That’ll help strengthen Altima’s appeal to family oriented buyers who like the image of sportiness but place a high value on comfort and practicality, too.

• Front-wheel drive will continue; Nissan apparently is leaving all-wheel-drive cars to its premium Infiniti lineup. Infiniti will also introduce Nissan’s first in-house hybrid system; the current Altima Hybrid borrows its technology from Toyota engineering. Nissan also is working on plug-in hybrids as well as pure-electric vehicles. Those technologies seem slated for cars smaller than the Altima. But Altima’s alternative-fuel future could include an advanced turbodiesel engine.

• A sedan body style is a lock for the next-generation Altima. It remains to be seen if demand and image-burnishing justify a coupe, too. Nissan will, however, keep close watch on public acceptance of station-wagon crossovers from arch-rival Honda and Toyota. Loosely called “crosstours,” Toyota already has the Camry-based Venza, while Honda has been testing a similar high-riding, all-wheel-drive wagon based on its midsize Accord.

2010 NISSAN ALTIMA COMPETITION

• Honda Accord: This is the mid size-class bogie for handling, spaciousness, and value – if not for styling. Front-drive sedans and coupes with four- and six-cylinder engines continue, but no hybrid is on the horizon. Accord has settled into the No. 2 spot in midsize-car sales, behind the Toyota Camry, and just ahead of the Altima Accord’s next full redesign is due for model-year 2012 or 2013.

• Toyota Camry: Roomy and reliable, this sedan bookends its mainstream four-cylinder models with a gas-sipping hybrid and surprisingly quick V-6 versions. Steering, handling, and excitement are neutered in the service of isolating refinement. That’s a laudable achievement at midsize-class prices, even if critics won’t admit it. Camry’s next full redesign is expected for the 2012 model year.

• Ford Fusion: This sedan displaces the Chevrolet Malibu as the darling of the domestic-brand set. A deft freshening for 2010 brought more mechanical refinement, a better interior, and a hybrid model with fantastic fuel economy (41/36 mpg), but a near-$30,000 price tag. Available all-wheel drive is a bonus. The Mercury Milan is similar and no big changes to either are planned for several years.