Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
At last! Something new has come out of Nissan that isn’t a trendy crossover or “cute ute”. It’s the new 2019 Nissan Altima.
For the first time ever, the Nissan Altima is going to have the option of a turbocharged engine. Not only that, but the turbocharged engine is all new and offers some technology that nobody else is using yet.
But wait… It gets even better! The 2019 Nissan Altima will have available all-wheel drive.
Did all of this news just blow your mind? I’m going to tell you why the redesigned Altima should and shouldn’t be met with a great deal of excitement.
Why you should be excited about the 2019 Nissan Altima:
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
Turbocharging has become increasingly popular for several manufactures as emissions are constantly being improved. The addition of a whole new technology within the engine takes this to a whole new level.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to anybody that Nissan would follow others with a turbocharged engine. It’s just the way everything is going. Even Mazda got into the turbocharging game with their Mazda6. The fact that nobody else is using Nissan’s new variable compression technology is a big step in turning Nissan back to the forefront.
The Toyota Camry doesn’t have to be different than anybody else. It’s exactly what makes the Camry different from everybody else. The Honda Accord just got a major styling refresh with updated everything, and it definitely stands far above most others in the styling and value department.
The Nissan Altima? Well, that has always played second fiddle, or in this case, third fiddle to both the Camry and Accord. Now, Nissan is offering something that neither the Accord nor Camry have. What makes it better is actually two things: Their new engine and all-wheel drive.
I don’t believe that Nissan will ever sell more Altimas than Honda will sell Accords or Toyota will sell Camrys. What is for certain is that the argument to get an Altima over its primary competitors has now become a legitimate debate.
With the additional option of all-wheel drive, even the Subaru Legacy has been inadvertently brought into the debate as well. Non-Subaru fans now have an option for a car that comes with some added poor-weather practicality.
The Ford Fusion does offer all-wheel drive in some of their trims, but with Ford announcing their cessation production of their cars in the United States in the next couple years, Nissan has positioned themselves in a fantastic corner of the market.
Why you shouldn’t be excited about the 2019 Nissan Altima:
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
The V6 engine of old is gone and the new turbocharged engine is here. If you’re a fan of the V6, you’re out of luck. I suspect that the Altima’s customer base won’t be too upset about that. What is upsetting is that nobody will be able to get the new turbocharged engine with the all-wheel drive option.
Both are independent of each other. All-wheel drive is only available with the old 2.5 liter, naturally-aspirated engine, while the new 2.0 liter, turbocharged engine is only available in a front-wheel drive setup. I guess Nissan just thought that nobody should be able to have the best of both worlds.
All Nissan Altima models will use Nissan’s continuously variable transmission… still.
Everybody who has driven the new Altima has praised the revised CVT for being better all-around. It’s smoother, not as fretful, and isn’t as CVT-like as before. For many that’s a good thing. For me, I just can’t get on board with a CVT. They are unreliable and just can’t provide the driving experience most people have come to expect over the years.
Nissan has always had a little trouble with their transmissions. As good as this one has become, it’s still a projected weak point in the car.
Speaking of weak points, the new engine technology could be one as well.
Four cylinder engines aren’t too complicated. They’re kind of like making chicken… it’s really hard to screw up. With their new engine, Nissan has made chicken, put some brand new kind of seasoning on it, and baked it into a new casserole that has never been served before.
Adding complication to anything increases its propensity to fail or not work completely right. Presenting this technology for the first time is bound to expose some flaws and weaknesses that have the potential to be enormous.
That being said, it could also be revolutionary and somebody has to be the first one… right?
Other than that, Nissan has continued to produce the Altima in the best way it knows how. It’s comfortable, fairly affordable, and it doesn’t really make anybody leave their seats to give it a standing ovation.
These new improvements may provide that opportunity. If it all pans out, this could be Nissan’s best work since they came out with the GT-R over 10 years ago.
It’s no secret that I’m not the biggest fan of Nissan. I don’t think their cars are that good, I think they’ve thrown away their truly good models in the past 10 years, and I despise their use of the continuously variable transmission.
But, I do have to say that I will be interested to see how the new Altima does. They’ve shown me that they haven’t given up on trying to do something productive. So, I think now, I will just sit back and take it all in, waiting for it to fail. Though, a very small part of me really hopes it works and brings Nissan back to a place of prominence that it once had.
