Every so often, a car comes along that seems overpowered for its use case. Does the Cadillac Escalade IQ need 750 horsepower to do the school run? Does the entry-level Ferrari 296 GTB really need 819 horsepower if it’s meant to be the cheap one? On a more down-to-earth note, does the Nissan Altima VC-Turbo really need 248 horsepower? Apparently not in the last case, because Nissan is killing the turbocharged engine for 2025.
It’s fairly normal for a manufacturer to simply options as a model draws closer to the end of production, and with Nissan planning to downsize its lineup of sedans over the next few years, the current Altima should end its run relatively soon. The 2025 model year is the seventh for this particular generation, and by industry standards, that means it’s about time.
It’s also worth noting that the VC-Turbo engine has been contentious from the start. From a NHTSA investigation into bottom-end failures to not quite putting horsepower figures on the board like its 3.5-liter VQ35DE V6 predecessor, this engine’s had a rocky road, and it’s easier to trust the base 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-banger. Hell, Canada didn’t get the turbo motor at all, which should really be a sign.
So, with the hot engine being killed, Nissan is trotting out the expected special edition package to bundle a bunch of features together and see the model out. It’s a mid-range SV model with wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch display, a moonroof, and some cosmetic add-ons. All desirable stuff in a trim that ought to sell alright.
However, despite the demise of the VC-Turbo engine, don’t expect Altimas to slow down much in the wild. Sure, the standard model may only have 188 horsepower, but that’s still plenty to get into trouble with when paired with a devil-may-care attitude. It’s hard to ignore that there are certain stereotypes around the Nissan Altima, from simply being fired down the freeway at Mach Chicken to more egregious forms of mayhem. If you’re a terminally online car enthusiast, you might be familiar with Big Altima Energy, a term that exists for a reason. Despite a likely unfair reputation for fragile continuously variable transmissions, it’s astounding how much abuse an Altima can take in real life, and we all really should commend it for that. You can’t help but get the feeling that many midsize sedans simply couldn’t handle what an Altima can, and if that’s not an impressive legacy, I don’t know what is.
So, the fastest car on most stretches of road in America will likely still be a Nissan Altima, at least for now. If reports are to be believed and Nissan does discontinue the Altima after the current model is done, expect a few years of normalcy followed by a slow goodbye as these midsize sedans get taken off the road through damage and decay. Sort-of like what happened to all the Grand Prix GTPs and Taurus SHOs. As for what will replace the Nissan Altima as America’s cheap thrill ride, nobody knows for sure, but nature abhors a vacuum.
(Photo credits: Nissan)
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Remember, kids: the fastest vehicle on any given road is an altima with lapsed insurance and it is not afraid to hurt you
BAE Altimas have really declined in numbers around me. Now it seems those drivers have moved onto old CRVs, which is kind of a homecoming as it seemed like the degenerates driving trashed Civics in the early ’00s moved to Altimas and are now back to Honda. This is in polar opposition (while remaining on the bad driver scale) to the newer CRV owner who appears overly timid and easily confused, leading me to believe they must possess the critical flicker fusion frequency of a turtle for how slowly they operate, the frequency of appearing to miss their intended highway exits, and easily startled they are by the relative speed of everything else.
The tragedy to the Altima is that every model since 2002 has had some sort of Achilles heel that has absolutely ruined the reputation of the nameplate. From 2.5L oil consumption (2002-2006), the CVT issues, and now the variable compression engine foibles, the brand’s reputation is pretty tattered.
Dropping the turbo engine probably will do more to keep the average Altima on the road for longer. Even the oft-derided Jatco CVT seems to have been improved somewhat in the reliability department, as a quick glance at carcomplaints.com seems to show fewer complaints about CVT failures in 2018+ Altimas. Yes, I know more recently produced cars should hold up better, but it is an interesting data point nonetheless.
The effect of flooding low-margin rental cars/low credit score-mobiles onto the road is generally the last few gasps of a brand that’s burning the reputation to keep the lights on.
Big Altima Energy was the logical following final blow, reputation-wise. BAE won’t go away with the end of the Altima. It’ll transmute into something else, just as the cheapest, but widely produced vehicles tend to attract a certain type of driver.
It’s almost a mercy killing at this point. I’m saddened about how it all occurred, for a nameplate that at one point was a decent rival to Toyota and Honda.
I hope a Nissan renaissance from its dark Ghosn years is forthcoming soon.
Yeah, so, the CVT failure allegations are just haters. Please ignore them. They just would’t know a good thing if it were installed in their car and offered them butter smooth power delivery, unrivaled efficiency, and a seamless no-shifts experience.
You don’t seem biased at all, especially with that username! =)
I own an Altima. I’ll tell you something, these cars will just do whatever you tell them to, seemingly regardless of the specs or laws of physics. They not only allow for, but encourage, Big Altima Energy.
The Jatco CVT also makes them the best midsize sedan ever bui
I mean the Altima itself is rapidly fading but Big Altima Energy will live on in abundance. Hell, in my area Talltimas (Rogues) are driven just as antisocially and they’ve still got a turbo engine for now. A lot of the BAE crowd eventually upgrades to various Infinitis ad well due to their mammoth depreciation and similar “if you’ve got a pulse you’ve got a car” approach to financing shared with their parent company.
Hell I’ve encountered Maryland registered QX60s doing 100+ in the wild many times (once in a torrential downpour!) and remember that sad story about the NFL player who was killed in a horrific car accident in the DC area? It was, unsurprisingly, an Infiniti being driven recklessly that caused the entire thing. I knew instantly that the perp was driving a Nissan product of some sort. Unfortunately you’re never completely safe from them.
Fret not, as long as Nissan exists there will be death machines available for every horrific driver regardless of credit score. Hell I’m skeptical that the people buying them even get checked for having a valid license and insurance. Anyway that thing that always blows my mind about the Altima/economy car death squad is that you really have to want to drive most of these cars recklessly.
I’m sure most folks here have driven something very powerful before (I know I have) and I understand that those cars can get away from you very easily if you’re not paying close attention. I’d certainly understand an occasional “whoops I’m doing 90, my bad” in a Camaro SS or 911 Turbo or even a lot of regular ass EVs because of how powerful they are.
But you have to really want to be doing 100 in a fucking Rogue or Altima. That’s not something that happens by accident. It’s a conscientious choice to disregard your own safety and the safety of those around you. And good ole Nissan enables it. Assholes…
I live near a four way intersection where only east/west has a stop sign. I work from home so I have a prime view of the near miss wrecks, or people just blowing through the stops. Honest truth, every other vehicle blowing the stop is a Nissan of some sort.
Hey, can you blame the people for enjoying the engineering superiority the Jatco CVT offers them?
I absolutely cannot blame them for enjoying the smooth, gear-less operating experience and improved efficiency of a Jatco CVT!
I like that this doubles as both a rental car joke and an Altima owner joke.
I guess it was easy writing. Maybe there was a word count that needed reaching.
Was the Altima bashing necessary to the article? Was it Educational and/or Entertaining? I would argue it was not the second.
That argument is backed by the proletariat here saying that, in their area, it is normally other cars.
It is a reasonably priced vehicle that seats five just fine, gets decent mileage, and will keep you from standing out. Some engines have problems, but that isn’t unique to Altima or to Nissan.
Maybe on a different day I would join in, but I am not feeling it today.
Followed by posts in other articles lamenting that basic transportation vehicles are no longer being made.
Unrelated question – on your current vehicle, how many windows have you replaced with trash bags?
What makes you assume I have only 1 vehicle? My wife and I have these in our current fleet for two drivers.
2012 Pathfinder on 35’s, no trash bags
2021 Titan, no trash bags
2017 tuned Ecoboost Mustang, no trash bags
2024 I4 eDrive40, no trash bags
I get that there is a correlation between sub-prime buyers, economical cars, and poor driving, but it isn’t the fault of the car.
As of now, there are 31 comments and roughly half (15/31) of those are in agreement with the article or an “amusing” comment agreeing with the stereotype.
So I’d say the article is at least striking a chord. Might just not be your day. .
No doubt. I could easily be biased, as I know Nissan has done some good stuff.
If this is what passes for entertainment, bashing a vehicle in the title and body of an article because of their drivers, then where does it end?
Can we look forward to the future Educational and Entertaining articles such as…
“Local Penis Enhancement clinic has lowered F-150 sales by 18%”
“Stellantis reveals the truth: ‘392’ on the Fender is the Minimum Credit Score, not the Displacement”
“Florida Denies Priii the Left Lane; Traffic Normalcy Confuses Florida Man”
“Vape Pens and e-Cigs Outlawed Ends in Glut of WRX’s for Sale”
“Grindr Disallows the ‘car flex’ photo; 5.0 Mustang Sales Tank”
“Literally Everyone Understands the Jeep Thing; Duck Owners Weep for not being Special Anymore”
“Miata Drivers Realize Other Cars Better and More Fun; Will Comments Sections ever be Full Again?”
Those would be both entertaining and educational, but they would be mean to the people that like their cars. Once we start going ad hominem instead of ad vehiculum, then we become gatekeepers.
I really think the site, if not the commenters, are better than this.
Also, after a scan of the comments, it seems like people are on about the K5 and the Sonata, anyway.
I agree. Not everything needs to be an Op-Ed straight out of The Onion. I recall certain Autopian writers gushing over Smart Fortwos, VW Bugs and Pontiac Aztecs. Not exactly a convoy of perfection.
Hey now, I gushed over a base model Nissan Rogue, too! Nissan changed my mind for sure. To pull back the curtain a little, we’re all allowed to have our own takes and opinions. So, sometimes you’ll see contradictory pieces a bit like you’re seeing here.
Not to fight, but didn’t David just tell us about the “Double E” rule of publication for theAutopian? There are at least two other ways that I can think of right now to get the same word count, but not to go after the drivers. Lewin can bemoan the loss of the variable displacement, laud it, or worry about the longevity of the turbos, but he doesn’t have to title the article as such or carry the snark. We left that behind at another site.
Nissan is what it is and isn’t what it isn’t, but its people are people too.
This guy sounds like a Titan driver
Er, yes. See 6-ish comments up.
Is there anything wrong with driving a Titan?
No, nothing wrong with a Titan. Nvm, joke didn’t land.
“Stellantis reveals the truth: ‘392’ on the Fender is the Minimum Credit Score, not the Displacement”
You’ve got some good ones in there, but this is my favorite. I’d prefer that we shame the mfrs directly (whoever decided to pair “Big Horn” with Ram should be flogged or congratulated, I’m not sure which) but it is what it is.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Yeah companies like Lending Tree occasionally release “Most Dangerous Drivers by Brand” studies. Nissan is not even in the top 10. Yet you don’t see this level of snark when journalists write about BMWs, Rams or Audis.
The Altima’s massive depreciation and low starting MSRP meant dealerships could buy them for pennies and still sell them relatively cheap to low-income buyers.
So yeah, they are frequently driven by people who are struggling, stretched thin, unable to afford repairs, parking on the street and working hourly jobs far from home. The Altima is practically a working-class hero.
The fact that this inspires more derision than appreciation speaks volumes about American media and our culture at large. A Mexican-built Ford pickup is a gift from God but an American-built Japanese sedan is a menace? Get real.
The tragedy – to me, at least – was that the cost-cutting that made the Altima the darling of the working class initially became such an albatross around their necks.
Sort of a Sam Vimes “Boots” theory thing, but with cars.
I’d rather see a working-class hero vehicle that holds up and doesn’t grind its CVT into pieces, ruining the vehicle and owner’s precarious financial situation. Sadly, an equivalent to a Chevrolet Cavalier (probably the most reliable low-cost car for the working class) or Dodge Journey does not seem nearly as available today as in previous eras.
You’re absolutely correct. I blame dealers more than automakers at this point though. Reliable alternatives that do exist seem subject to a “good value tax” in the form of dealer mark ups (“Well it’s a Honda” = another 6k in “adjustments”).
But I do hate how many brands/models that provide the same lackluster long-term experience as the Altima manage to skate the same hateful reputation .
“Yeah companies like Lending Tree occasionally release “Most Dangerous Drivers by Brand” studies. Nissan is not even in the top 10. Yet you don’t see this level of snark when journalists write about BMWs, Rams or Audis.”
Hmmm:
“Mercury has the best drivers in the year analyzed. Mercury drivers had 15.82 incidents per 1,000 drivers nationally — less than half the rate of incidents among Ram drivers. Pontiac (16.24) and Saturn (16.84) followed.”
https://www.lendingtree.com/insurance/brand-incidents-study/
Mercury, Pontiac, Saturn… I think I see a trend!
They’ll sell a bunch of these as rental cars. Rental companies couldn’t care less about turbos and power. These cars will fill their needs as a “midsized upgrade” quite nicely, and that might be the only thing Nissan cares about too.
“ Hell, Canada didn’t get the turbo motor at all, which should really be a sign.”
Well that explains why I didn’t know about the Altima having a turbo engine option.
Did some checking… just realized this is Nissan’s Variable Compression engine and they spent at least 20 years developing the tech:
https://usa.infinitinews.com/en-US/releases/release-daafa9b2138e4af1bf95c34c97d730ba-world-s-first-variable-compression-ratio-engine-named-in-the-international-engine-powertrain-of-the-year-awards#:~:text=A%202.0%2Dliter%20turbocharged%20and,passion%20within%20Nissan%20Motor%20Co.
They might have been better off focusing their attention on hybrid-electric tech instead given the problems this engine is having.
I’m in the US and had no idea about this turbo Altima. I remember reading about that variable compression engine when announced. It seemed like a nightmare, introducing failure points to parts of the engine where failure is catastrophically bad.
After watching I Do Cars tear down one of those variable compression engines and still not understanding how they work I’m not shocked that they have problems.
The Altima will never shake the reputation of being a car that goes to the scrapyard well before 100,000 miles, having had more repossessions than oil changes in its troubled life.
Altima replacement will be the Honda Accord, if the rumors come true, which I hope they don’t.
in my neck of woods Honda drivers are as bad as Nissan’s.
Mostly CR-Vs and Civics, though
I’m shocked that the base model has 188hp. Definitely helps the Altima-related stupidity make more sense
“simply being fired down the freeway at Mach Chicken”
I initially read that as Meth Chicken, and nothing you say can change my mind.
My first thought was hey that was a Mustang II model I think, not a Nissan!
It seems to be Elantra’s and K5’s near me. They are usually in better condition than your typical Altima, but no less aggressive.
“Better condition than your typical Altima” so, like, only half a roll of duct tape holding trim pieces on?
You must live in a fancy place if they’re trying to reattach them.
Around here having an Altima with at least two matching tires signals you have money to burn. On top of that, it seems people run slicks except for one front tire with some remaining tread for when they run off the road and need traction or it rains.
I just drove halfway across the country two weeks ago, and it was the Kia Soul that took the cake for having the most unhinged/unsafe/aggressive drivers.
I’m surprised to read this. I have a 2020 and there is nothing about it that encourages aggressive driving. The older one with the turbo was kind of fun to fling around though.
I’m guessing a fair portion of those Hyundai/Kia trips are during a joyride by someone who is not the owner. Kia Boys are still out and about.
No, I’m not bitter, and certainly didn’t have to take possession of a parent’s Elantra because of continued theft/damage.
HEAD LIKE A HOLE
BLACK KIA SOUL
Around here it seems to be the whole Hyundai and Kia lineup, and new ones to boot too. The Altima barely registers anymore
Our winner for main terrorizer of the streets is a tie between the Altima and the Chevy Malibu. Both usually former rental cars now destined to live life on temporary spare tires with bumpers hanging on by hopes and dreams.
Bumpers hanging on with those “bumper quick release” straps.
This is spot on for my neck or the woods too. Every time I see a K5 in traffic I start planning for the eventual moment it starts driving dangerously inches from my rear bumper. The Elantras aren’t quite as bad, though I have yet to encounter an Elantra N that wasn’t being driven by Ricky Bobby.
If I see a newer Altima on the road, nine out of ten times it has out of state plates and rental car barcode stickers on all the windows.
I can confirm that the mating call of the on-road idiot, in my city, is an Elantra. Typically with rod knock.
Base model Hyundais, and VWs. In basic white/black (whichever is no-charge).
Around here they seem to flock to the Mitsubishi Mirage as well. You’d think that 78hp would limit their shenanigans, but no. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been passed by a Mirage that had to be going close to 100, weaving in and out of traffic. But they’re killing that car off too, so I guess I should start keeping an eye on Elantras as well…
I can confirm 5-10 yr old Elantra’s and Chevy Malibu’s both have BAE in my area. The Elantra’s typically have rod knock and missing trim.. the Malibu’s have insane window tint and are always rocking a donut spare with barely any tread left.
K5s and Sonatas wreak a lot of havoc in the DC area as well, but I think that’s partially due to the fact that rideshare drivers favor them since they’re cheaper than an Accord/Camry…and rideshare drivers are some of the most unhinged on our roads.
Seems like every time I need to Uber/Lyft it’s a friggin’ Rogue or an Altima. It’s gotta be like 75% of my rideshare airport trips.