Nissan
Nissan Altima
Comfortable, quiet and generously equipped for the price, with a CVT that determines the whole ownership story.
The Altima's strengths are real and often overlooked. Nissan's seats are among the most comfortable in the segment on a long drive, the cabin is quiet at highway speed, and available all-wheel drive on a mainstream midsize sedan is genuinely rare. Transaction prices, new and used, sit below a Camry or Accord.
The transmission is the deciding factor. The Jatco CVT works well when new and when maintained, and the sixth-generation unit is improved over the 2013-era transmission, but it defines the ownership risk. The symptoms to watch for are shuddering under light throttle around 30 to 45 mph, a rising whine that tracks engine speed, and delayed engagement when shifting into drive cold. A replacement runs $3,500 to $5,000.
The prevention is unglamorous and effective: change the CVT fluid with the Nissan-specified NS-3 fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles regardless of what the maintenance schedule implies, and do not tow with it. A used Altima with documented CVT fluid service is a meaningfully different purchase from one without.
Generations
What changed, and which years share the same hardware.
Fifth generation (L33)
2013–2018
The 2.5L QR25DE four with a Jatco CVT accounted for the vast majority of sales, with a 3.5L V6 above it. This is the generation most associated with CVT complaints and the extended warranty coverage Nissan applied to affected vehicles.
Sixth generation (L34)
2019–2025
A wider, lower car with available all-wheel drive for the first time in the US and the introduction of the 2.0L VC-Turbo variable-compression four alongside a revised 2.5L. The V6 was discontinued. The CVT was updated but remains a CVT.
Model years
Reliability, reported issues and annual running costs, year by year.