On the negative side of the ledger I did notice that the silver-painted trim along the edge of the Hawaiian rental Altima’s centre console suffered from paint lift, presumably due to the constant exposure to sunscreen-smeared legs resting against it. I’m also not convinced regarding the logic of using a mix of white and orange lighting for the controls and instruments, as it leaves the centre stack (which uses mostly orange lighting) looking like it’s from a different generation car compared to the instruments (which use white lighting). I was, however, convinced of the logic of the major controls, which all fall easily to hand and are intuitive to use.
   2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV front seats, gauges, centre stack. Click image to enlarge |
Under the hood, the Altima is available with a choice of two engines: a 3.5L V6 that generates 270 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque or, as in my test car, a revised and improved 2.5L inline-four that produces 182 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. In either case, the engine is hooked up to a standard-equipment CVT (continuously variable transmission). Unlike in the previous-generation Altima, there is no manual transmission available.
I found the four-cylinder engine to be plenty powerful enough for everyday driving, and working with the CVT it’ll launch the Altima from 0 to 100 km/h in just under eight seconds. It’s worth noting that while Nissan’s unwavering dedication to the use of CVT transmissions used to be a bit of a defining characteristic of the marque – and by extension of the Altima itself – this is becoming less and less true these days. Partly this is because other marques are jumping on the CVT bandwagon (think Honda Accord and Subaru Legacy), drawn by the transmission’s ability to always keep the engine at the ideal revs for best fuel economy. It’s also partly because the latest-generation CVTs are much improved over earlier efforts.
   2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV wheel, engine bay, driver side controls. Click image to enlarge |
In normal driving the Altima’s transmission is completely unobtrusive, and allows the engine to tick quietly along just above idle, making for a serene driving experience. Mash the pedal and the engine does rev up rather noisily and remains near redline until you back off the throttle, but you get used to this characteristic. The Altima does offer programmed virtual “shifts” if you slip the gearshift into DS (sport) mode, but frankly I found this feature more distracting than anything else, as it made it seem as if the engine was hiccupping (and manual control of the virtual shifts isn’t available unless you opt for the 3.5L engine). I found sport mode most useful for descending hills, as it enables a greater degree of engine braking. Overall, I did miss the directness of a traditional automatic (or a manual transmission) when piloting the Altima along twisting volcano roads in Hawaii, but the rest of the time I found the CVT entirely acceptable – and that’s coming from a long-time CVT skeptic. The Altima 2.5’s performance at the fuel pump sealed the deal, as whether I was driving on tropical highways or damp Vancouver city streets I managed to achieve excellent fuel economy. Based on EPA estimates, city/highway ratings using the upcoming 2015 five-cycle testing should come in at 10.2/7.4 L/100 km for the Altima 2.5, and I averaged 8.6 L/100 km in mixed driving in the test car.
