Nissan Unveils a Completely New Altima

We’ve finally seen the 2019 Nissan Altima in the flesh and have all the details about this mid-size sedan. With SUV sales dominating, Nissan’s taking some big gambles to lure shoppers into considering what was once a market top dog.

One of the biggest changes, other than the angry looks that sadly have dominated the industry way too much, is the death of the 3.5-liter V-6. The sedan features two new engines. The standard one is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with direct injection that boosts horsepower and torque output from the old base engine.

More interesting is the V-6’s replacement: a turbo 2.0-liter with a variable compression. You might remember Infiniti has started using this tech, too. We have no specs on this thing, but it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. Needless to say, this is a huge gamble by Nissan.

Another huge addition is available all-wheel drive. You can’t get that on the top-selling Camry, so maybe this will give Nissan a much-needed market edge? Of course, the Fusion has offered all-wheel drive for some time, and that didn’t tip the scales in its direction.

For all we know, the new Altima will struggle. After all, the Honda Accord, which is an excellent car, isn’t moving from dealer lots. We live in strange times.