2024 Nissan Altima Review

Nissan’s best-selling model is its Rogue SUV, but their most popular sedan is the mid-size Altima. A 2024 Altima starts at $26,370, but price reductions are imminent with the release of the new 2025 version. The Altima carries a reputation for providing safety, reliability, and performance. In addition to these traits, its spacious interior can get overlooked, as drivers are more likely to notice its slightly rugged exterior and economical appeal.

MotoPickers Rating: 7.7/10

Our review will see whether the 2024 Altima lives up to its reputation and whether it’s lagging behind its competitors, which include:

• Toyota’s Camry
• Honda’s Accord
• Hyundai’s Sonata
• Kia’s K5
• Subaru’s Legacy
• Chevrolet’s Malibu

There are no significant changes for the 2024 Altima, which is part of the model’s sixth generation introduced for 2019. However, the NissanConnect trial, which provides capabilities like remote vehicle commands via smartphone, has increased from six months to five years.

Regarding first impressions, the interior feels roomy, there’s a lot of driver-assistance features, and fuel economy is competitive. Still, the base engine’s acceleration is poky, and it can produce a monotonous hum when you push it. While the interior is spacious, its materials are average. Some outward visibility issues exist, and drivers lack a hybrid powertrain option.

These drawbacks don’t necessarily mean the Altima is a bad vehicle or doesn’t deliver what it promises—so take a deeper look at what this 2024 model offers with the rest of our review below.

Exterior spotlight

The four-door 2024 Nissan Altima’s exterior has aggressive lines forming a sleek profile, complementing a distinctly muscular hood. LED headlights and daytime running lights are standard, along with boomerang taillights wrapping around the rear and onto the sides. These sides feature a kick-up design along with a blacked-out rear pillar and unique lines. Wheel sizes come in 16” -19” configurations with wheel covers for the base grade and machine-finished aluminum alloy for every other trim.

A moonroof isn’t available in the entry-level S trim but is optional within the SV and SR trims. SL drivers receive the first-row moonroof standard, but it’s not panoramic. Instead, it’s limited to the first-row. Driver and passenger-side turn signals are only present within the peak SL trim, but all grades contain the sweeping low V-motion grille. This grille is black with chrome surround in all 2024 Altima variants, except for the SR, which features dark chrome.

Exterior color choices include:

• Deep Blue Pearl
• Super Black
• Gun Metallic
• Brilliant Silver Metallic
• Glacier White
• Scarlet Ember Tintcoat
• Garnet Pearl Metallic
• Pearl White TriCoat

Available exterior accessories include a rear spoiler and ground lighting with Nissan’s logo. While this vehicle’s outside features well-placed lines from front-to-back, the base grade’s wheel covers have a slightly outdated aesthetic that can detract from this strength. Turn signal mirrors are also becoming standard at an increasing rate, as rivals like Toyota include the feature within its entire Camry lineup.

The 2024 Altima offers a solid amount of exterior color choices, but it lacks more vibrant shades that some drivers will prioritize. Toyota’s Camry has a bold supersonic red exterior color option that stands out without sacrificing mainstream appeal.

Interior close-up

Nissan’s 2024 Altima has seating for up to five passengers and contains a cabin with matte chrome-tone accents. The interior’s design benefits from the available carbon-fiber trim and optional leather seats that are standard within the SL grade. The S and SV trims contain cloth upholstery, and the SR contains sport cloth.

The front seats have a zero-gravity design, mitigating pressure on vulnerable parts of your body to lower fatigue during drives. You’ll receive up to 15.4 cubic feet (cu. ft.) of cargo room. Folding the rear seats down via the 60/40-split configuration expands this cargo space to 58.1 cu. ft. The rear seat area contains enough room to comfortably seat adults.

You’ll receive a heated steering wheel within the SL trim, and steering wheel materials vary from urethane to leatherette to leather. Unfortunately, heated front seats aren’t available within the base trim, which seems significant given the 2024 Altima’s starting price, which approaches $30,000. Heated front seats are optional within the SV and SR trims before coming standard in the SL grade. Entry-level 2024 Altima drivers will have to adjust their seats manually, and outward visibility doesn’t benefit from this sedan’s thick roof pillars.

This Altima’s 15.4 cu. ft. of rear cargo storage is comparable to that of other competitors. Rivals with more cargo space include Honda’s Accord with 16.7 cu. ft. of storage, and Kia’s K5 with 16 cu. ft. of storage. While some competitors like Toyota’s Camry, Kia’s K5, and Honda’s Accord similarly lack standard front seats, you’ll find this feature in all 2024 Hyundai Sonata trims. Hyundai’s Sonata also contains a standard power-adjustable driver’s seat in all trims.

Power and performance

The 2024 Altima delivers 25-27 MPG in the city and 34-39 MPG on the highway. Its standard 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine produces 188 horsepower and 180 lb.-ft. of torque. The optional turbocharged engine increases horsepower and torque to 248 and 273 lb.-ft.—respectively.

Front suspension features an independent strut with coil springs over shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar. Rear suspension contains an independent multi-link configuration with coil springs over shock absorbers and a stabilizer bar.

The rear suspension has added suspension reinforcements and increased damper-mounting stiffness in an aim to enhance vehicle response without impacting ride harshness. However, the steering can lack road feel and provide delayed responses, especially with 19” wheels. Drivers also don’t get a hybrid powertrain, which is becoming increasingly common within the mid-size sedan segment. Despite steering that could use more road feel, the 2024 Altima’s suspension is adept at soaking up road imperfections like bumps.

This Altima’s transmission is of the continuously variable variety, which can contribute toward a monotonous engine sound at higher acceleration points. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional for all trims except the base.

While the 2024 Altima has solid fuel economy, it lacks the zest of competitors, like Toyota’s Camry, which delivers 203 horsepower within its base trim. An entry-level Altima will go from 0-60 MPH in just under eight seconds, and upgrading to its turbocharged engine will lower this time to 5.8 seconds.

Regarding performance, the 2024 Altima executes its role as a reliable everyday sedan, but you’ll have to put up with its unrefined powertrain presenting relatively sluggish acceleration, steering wheel vibrations, and some unpleasant engine noises that are noticeable within the cabin. Still, we like that AWD is an option across the lineup and not limited to certain trims, and you’ll experience a better road feel at highway speeds.

Tech overview

The 2024 Altima’s standard audio system contains six speakers in all trims except the SL, which features the upgraded nine-speaker Bose sound system. Steering wheel-mounted audio controls and speed-sensitive volume are included, but you won’t find Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in the base version. While standard in all other trims, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto aren’t wireless in the SV and SR trims before becoming standard in the SL.

SV and SR Altima drivers will have to select wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as an upgrade, similar to wireless charging, which also isn’t present in the entry-level trim. The base grade’s standard central display is 7” but measures 8” within the SV and SR. A peak SL trim contains the largest 12.3” display, which is an option for SV and SR variants. Nissan brings up to two LCD monitors within the 2024 Altima with its standard driver information center, providing notifications like safety warnings via text or graphics.

Voice recognition is standard across all trims via Siri Eyes Free and Google Assistant tech. Still, you’ll have to get behind the wheel of an SL grade to receive the Hello Nissan virtual personal assistant as standard. SV and SR Altima drivers can select this virtual assistant as an upgrade.

Turn-by-turn navigation isn’t present in the entry-level 2024 Altima but is available within the SV and SR before becoming standard in the SL. You can control navigation with your voice within the SL, but like many of this mid-size sedan’s tech features, you’ll need to upgrade to do so within the SV and SR.

Drivers seeking real-time weather and traffic information will find the options they’re looking for within the SV, SR, and SL trims. Unfortunately, over-the-air wireless software updates are incompatible with the base version and optional within the SV and SR before becoming standard in the SL. This is worth noting as many mid-size sedans are beginning to offer standard remote software updates across their models’ lineups.

WiFi hotspot connectivity is standard for all 2024 Altimas, but a custom manufacturer-specific mobile app allowing drivers to wirelessly connect to and interact with their vehicle to perform functions like locking doors is limited to the SL grade, again reflecting this sedan’s limited wireless capabilities.

Standard safety capabilities

The 2024 Altima received the NHTSA’s (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s) highest-possible crash protection score of five stars. You’ll find auto high-beam headlights within this sedan, automatically switching your brights on and off during night drives to accommodate passing traffic. Blind spot warning is standard across all trims in addition to lane departure warning.

Nissan has made its driver attention alert system standard for all 2024 Altima grades. This driver attention system monitors for patterns indicating behavior like drowsy driving, and when activated, will prompt a break with a visual and audible alert. Rear parking sensors are also standard across the entire Altima lineup.

Available safety features

You can’t equip an Altima S or SV grade with a dash cam, but you can when selecting an SR or SL trim. Emergency SOS is an available feature, which many mid-size sedans include as standard. SV, SR, and SL trims provide vehicle tracking capability. Traffic sign recognition is only optional in one trim; the SV placed one tier above the entry-level variant before becoming standard within the SL. You’ll have to splurge for an SL trim to receive the 360-degree view cameras.

Active lane keep assist, which provides automatic steering assistance to guide you back into your lane when drifting without an active turn signal, is optional in the SV and standard in the SL.

Trim guide and owner considerations

Below is a list of all 2024 Nissan Altima trims, along with their starting prices and highlight-worthy features.

Altima S (FWD) – $26,370

Many likely won’t care for the base Altima’s 16” wheels with covers, but buyers will receive the several standard driver-assist features mentioned in our review’s safety section.

Altima SV (FWD/AWD) – $27,170/$28,670

Moving into SV territory provides better 17” machine-finished aluminum-alloy wheels, the option for AWD capability, and a slightly bigger display measuring 8”.

Altima SR (FWD/AWD) – $28,570/$30,070

SR purchasers get 19” machine-finished aluminum-alloy wheels, sport-tuned suspension, and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. However, these paddle shifters don’t exactly reflect the trim’s performance.

Altima SR VC-Turbo (FWD) – $36,070

This trim’s turbocharged engine provides 248 horsepower, 273 lb.-ft. of torque, and the larger 12.3” display.

Altima SL (FWD/AWD) – $33,070/$34,570

The fully-loaded Altima SL’s most attractive feature is its leather-appointed seats.

Warranty info

Nissan offers 2024 Altima buyers three years or 36,000 miles of basic warranty coverage, whichever comes first, and five years or 60,000 miles of powertrain protection, which is on-par for the mid-size sedan segment.

Final verdict

The 2024 Nissan Altima’s most significant strengths are its exterior styling, competitive fuel economy, and impressive list of standard driver-assistance features. Its primary drawbacks revolve around standard tech and overall powertrain performance. The peak SL trim comes standard with acoustic laminated glass, which can help reduce powertrain noise you can hear during acceleration, but its 188-horsepower engine is sluggish.

We recommend moving beyond the 2024 Altima’s base trim, given that its starting price is over $26,000 and doesn’t include several tech features that seem like basic additions. Overall, the 2024 Nissan Altima is a solid economy daily driver that gets the job done, and you’ll be satisfied if ample tech and robust acceleration aren’t key priorities, which is why we’re rating this mid-size sedan at 7.7/10.