Verdict
B
Sedan · Japan · 1998-present
Nissan Altima
The third-place mid-size sedan. CVT troubles loom large.
Years
1998-present
Generations
1
Segment
Sedan
The Altima sits behind the Camry and Accord in pretty much every metric except aggressive lease deals. The L31 (2002-2006) had a 240bhp 3.5L V6 that, in SE-R trim with a manual, was a genuine sleeper. From the L32 onwards Nissan went all-in on CVT transmissions, which have been the source of most ownership grief — premature failure on high-mileage cars is documented. Buy with that in mind. The 6-cyl variants disappeared after 2018; everything is now 2.5L turbo or hybrid.
Generations
Click any generation for the deep dive
2019-present
6th Gen · L34
Variable-compression engine in a CVT car. Engineering wasted on a Jatco gearbox.
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Known issues by generation
Common faults reported on each generation — useful when shopping the used market.
2019-present · 6th Gen · L34
- CVT failure (pattern issue, Nissan Jatco JF016)
- VC-Turbo carbon buildup
- Front strut bearing noise
- Infotainment touchscreen unresponsive