Nissan reveals 2016 Altima sedan in NYC

Nick Kurczewski Available with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder or 3.5-liter V-6 and a Continuously-Variable Transmission (CVT), the Altima SR will likely look a lot sportier than it drives.

The 2016 Nissan Altima may be at its mid-cycle refresh, but Nissan took the opportunity to thoroughly rework the sedan and continue its strong sales performance.

Nissan said the 2.5-liter engine features an expected 1-mpg increase for the highway fuel economy rating, bringing it to 39 mpg. The look is dramatically different from the 2015 Altima design, with a wide, deeply sculpted lower bumper, integrated fog lights (SR, SV and SL models) and prominent chrome-trimmed grille. All designed and developed to make the Altima a better value and choice for mid-size sedan customers.

The 2016 Altima offers a wide-ranging list of enhancements, including a refreshed exterior following the new Nissan “Energetic Flow” design language introduced on the all-new 2015 Murano and 2016 Maxima. The boomerang theme is repeated in the new taillamps, part of a rear end that also sees a new bumper and trunklid. Nissan is claiming the Altima gets best in class standard fuel economy.

Speaking of cabin tweaks, interior refinement is up across the range for 2016, and not just because of a revised center stack with a 5-inch display with standard rearview camera (7-inch screens accompany navigation-equipped models). While not as flashy or upscale in appearance as its stablemates, the Altima has to appeal to a much broader audience – not only is it Nissan’s best-selling model, it’s also perennially one of North America’s best-selling cars, full stop. No CarPlay or Android Auto, unfortunately, but Siri Eyes-Free is there along with the automaker’s own NissanConnect mobile apps. The six-cylinder is a 3.5-liter unit with 270 hp on tap.

For 2016, both the four-cylinder and V6 are available with a sportier SR trim.

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.

For photography and additional information about the 2016 Nissan Altima, along with the complete lineup of Nissan vehicles, please visit NissanNews.com. Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats are still there, which some of our staff love and some hate, while a new Altima SR trim brings some increased sportiness to the interior with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter, paddle shifters for the automatic transmission and sport interior accents. A few more active safety features are available, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and emergency braking, while the previously offered blind-spot warning system transitions to a radar-based system and is standard on SV and SL trim levels. “We’re determined to keep our sales growth alive with this vibrant new Altima for 2016”, added Loing.

That new design is about more than just looks.

Pricing for the 2016 Nissan Altima has not yet been announced, but expect the popular mid-sized family sedan to arrive in dealerships very soon.