Nissan Redesigns the Altima for 2016

2016 Nissan Altima (Credit: © Nissan)

Nissan has been working hard revamping its image and ridding itself of some of its uninspiring designs. It has already achieved this with its new Rogue, Murano and Maxima, but the Altima remained quite, “blah.”

Today, Nissan is kicking the old Altima to the scrap heap, as it has revealed the redesigned 2016 model.

The 2016 Altima has a brand-new look that aligns it better with the rest of the automaker’s lineup. This includes the haunches on the front fenders, the shapely hood, more prominent boomerang headlights, and the V-Motion grille up front.

2016 Nissan Altima (Credit: © Nissan)

Nissan also went to work on the rear of the 2016 Altima. Here, it installed a new trunk lid, a revised bumper with a dark accent, wide boomerang taillights with a redesigned lighting signature.

Nissan did more than just work on looks too, as it tinkered with the Altima’s aerodynamics. It installed grille shutters and underfloor aero covers that combine with the redesigned fascias to reduce drag from 0.29 Cd to 0.26 Cd.

On the inside, the Altima is all new as well. It takes on the “Gliding Wing” design used by the Murano and Rogue, giving the instrument panel some separation from the center console. In this revised instrument panel, you’ll find a new touchscreen sized 5 or 7 inches that includes Nissan Mobile Apps and NissanConnect Navigation. Rounding out the cabin are Zero Gravity seats covered in high-end cloth and a revised steering wheel.

2016 Nissan Altima (Credit: © Nissan)

Buyers opting for the SR trim gain sporty accents, a charcoal interior, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear-shift boot, and paddle shifters.

Under the hood of the 2016 Altima are the same two engines as last year: a 2.5-liter four cylinder and a 3.5-liter V-6. The four-pot delivers 182 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of twist, while the 3.5-liter produces 270 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of twist. On all models with the 2.5-liter, except the SR trim, the Altima gets 1 mpg better fuel economy than the 2015 model, putting it at 39 mpg highway.

Nissan has yet to announce when the 2016 Altima will hit dealers, nor has it announced a starting price. Look for both of these bits of info to roll out in the coming months.