When you think of the Nissan Altima what comes to mind?  Typically what you would consider is the Altima is a great commuter car that will get you where you need to go but that is about it.  It’s been the choice of growing families for a long time, but when you want some real driving and a car that delivers a feeling of success the Maxima has always been the right choice from Nissan.  Although the Maxima are still higher on the list, the Altima has taken some cues from its bigger brother and brought a lot to the table to make it one of the best cars this year.

As far as the midsize sedans are concerned the Altima is the second best-selling in the class behind only the Camry of course.  The new 2016 Altima just might be the car that can overtake the Camry, which would be a huge accomplishment.  This new car takes a lot from the Maxima regarding the design which ensures you get a car that is attractive to look at from every angle and gives you some great fuel mileage.  Not only that, the Altima now has a sport trim called the SR to offer you a car with some real driving excitement and the Altima name.

The basics of the Altima do remain the same because this is a mid-generation upgrade.  The Altima gets power from the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine at the base model and a 3.5-liter V6 on the upgrade.  Both of these power plants are attached to a CVT which helps deliver a very enjoyable amount of fuel mileage from the car.  Because of this continuation those looking for the Altima to continue to deliver on what they are used will still be able to enjoy the fantastic features that you are used to.

As for the actual design elements, the V-motion front grill and angular headlights that are boomerang-shaped will adorn the front of the car.  This includes the use of LED accent lights up front.  In the back you will see wider taillights in the rear that wrap around and let you change your look from the front to the back with ease.  A few lines show up along the body as well to give you a change from a boring and plain side panel look.  These new upgrades give you the feeling the Altima is serious about being a sales leader for the next model years.

Because of some of the body changes the fuel mileage is expected to rise to 39 mpg on the highway with is better than all non-hybrid models already.  This of course is with the base engine installed, for the larger V6 the highway fuel mileage will be 32 mpg, which is more than a little respectable as this number can beat some four-cylinder engines that don’t benefit from the awesome engineering Nissan has in place for its midsized sedan.

The inside has been given some updates as well with a revised center stack and console.  The active safety features have been increased to include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with emergency braking, and a blind spot warning system that is now radar based.  These features are standard on the SV and SL trims, giving you a great choice and the knowledge that you will have a car which takes care of you while you look great driving it down the road.  The Altima has become a car that dispels all the boring and is now extremely exciting.