Nissan Altima ST-L 2014 Review

Nissan Altima ST-L

The driving position was conducive to relaxed motoring and the continuously variable transmission, while a bit whiney – and the noisiest under hard acceleration – made motivation smooth and seamless. At cruising speeds (80km/h) it was remarkably quiet, our decibel meter showing 70dBA.

The Altima was an easy car to just get in and drive, with good ergonomics and simple, but sensibly placed controls. We liked the steering wheel-mounted controls for audio and cruise control, but noted that the voice-recognition system is not really part of the car, instead using a connected Apple iPhone’s SIRI voice control. Which is fine if you happen to own one.

The Nissan was the pick of the bunch in terms of rear leg room, and the comfy rear seats were most elevated to provide a better outward view for passengers. That said, rear seat head room was similar to the Mazda’s; the Nissan's slanted roof came unerringly close to taller occupants' heads, which also affected entry and egress.

The Altima’s boot provides a good 488 litres of space, but its hinges are large and eat into cargo room when the boot is closed. There's also no handle to make shutting the boot lid any easier.

Storage solutions were above average, with a pair of large cup holders and a nook for your phone near the gear shifter, along with a closable stowage cubby and large central bin/armrest and glovebox.

On the plus side the bonnet was easy to open, assisted by gas struts, and the engine well presented, and well sealed.

The doors opened smoothly and shut convincingly to the ear. The mix of hard and soft-touch surfaces inside was of a level expected for the price, though we did appreciate the added cushioning on the elbow rests, and the comfort of the seats themselves.

The Altima’s upholstery was below that of the Mazda 6. The ‘leather accented’ seats looked obviously man-made in places, with surface lustre changing from cushion to bolster to squab, and so on.

Like the Mazda 6, the Altima’s hard plastic parcel shelf was annoying in direct sunlight, casting a reflection across the rear windscreen. The faux carbon-fibre treatment atop the centre console appeared low-rent, and out of place when viewed against other cabin decor.

On the plus side, the instrument panel was concise and easy to read with a neat centre screen second only to the Octavia’s. The well-lit dials were easy to read at a glance, and more upmarket than the Mazda 6’s.

Not that too many buyers should mind. As a commuter, the Altima was effortless to drive, but consequently provided little in the way of communication from the front wheels, which tended to protest in harder corners sooner than either the Octavia or Mazda 6.

Under acceleration the Nissan’s continuously variable transmission provided smooth acceleration with performance only just behind that the Mazda 6 (see performance figures, below).

However, the softly sprung Altima did wallow on fast directional changes and dove onto the nose during hard braking. It also took longer to stop than the others: 15.3m from 60km/h against 14.5m (Mazda) and 14.1m (Skoda).

The Nissan’s 127kW/230Nm 2.5-litre engine was reasonably quiet until worked, when it elicited some typical CVT ‘whine’. The real NVH issue, however, was a slight vibration through the cabin and steering column at idle.

The Altima also disappointed with a test-high 8.1L/100km fuel economy average. While not far off the official combined figure of 7.5L/100km, the Mazda used 1.4 litres more and the Skoda an additional 2.1 litres per 100km.

Add in options (only metallic paint in this case) and it was the cheapest of the lot, at $36,485 (plus ORCs).

For that you still get all the good stuff, like electrically-adjustable front seats, partial-leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, a nine-speaker BOSE audio system, dusk-sensing headlights, keyless entry and push-button engine start, not to mention satellite navigation and front and rear acoustic parking sensors.

However, the Altima missed out on fuel-saving idle stop-start (ISS) which was standard on the Mazda 6.

At first glance the Nissan's capped-price servicing is cheaper than the Octavia’s, at $216.91 for the first interval. However, the Altima has to be serviced every six months or 10,000km (whichever comes first) compared to the Skoda’s 12 months/15,000km. However, Nissan will cover the Altima for six years or 120,000km (again, whichever comes first), trumping the Skoda by a cool 30,000km.

Three years roadside assistance is also thrown in.

In fact, the Nissan only fumbles in regards to warranty, with its three-year/100,000km contract outdone by its rivals’ three-year/unlimited kilometre offering.

According to redbook.com.au the Altima has the strongest retained value of the lot after three years, when it will be worth $21,600, or 60 per cent of its new price.

With not much to separate them in terms of standard features, user-friendliness and small design quirks and omissions came into play.

For example, the Altima has only an auto power window for the driver, there’s no rear washer/wiper (being a sedan), and the infotainment hub wasn’t quite as intuitive or clear as the Skoda’s.

In this company, second is not such a bad place to be, and the Altima ticked many of the boxes on an unsurprising equipment list which included a premium nine-speaker audio system, Bluetooth audio streaming and phone integration, eight-way power adjust driver’s seat and four-way power adjust front passenger seat, 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, rear-view camera, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, keyless entry and push-button start.