Quick-Spin Test Drive: All-New 2013 Nissan Altima Midsize Sedan

This 2013 Nissan Altima is a bit bigger, roomier, nimbler, quicker and more feature loaded than the strong-selling 2012 it replaces, yet it’s also some 80 lb. lighter and more fuel efficient. And while most midsize competitors have moved away from optional V6 engines in favor of turbocharged fours to ensure Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) compliance, Altima still offers the choice of a standard four or an available V6, both driving through the industry's best continuously variable transmission (CVT).

About the same length as the outgoing 2012, the new Nissan Altima sits on the same wheelbase but with 1.4-in.-wider tracks and 0.8-in.-deeper fenders to accommodate larger wheels and tires, which improves its agility and gives it a strong, athletic stance. Its windshield is “faster” and its A-pillars a bit more angled, its rear roofline pours gracefully into a taller rear deck, its large taillights flow smoothly into its bodysides, and its drag coefficient (Cd) is a slick 0.299.

Its nicely appointed interior compliments that handsome "class-above" look and offers a plethora of new features, some class-exclusive. It is finely crafted with plenty of soft-touch materials, but its prime attraction is a pair of NASA-inspired "zero gravity" front bucket seats, which Nissan says approach the relaxed “neutral posture” that the human body assumes in a weightless environment. Cloth seats and piano-black trim with chrome accents are standard, leather and metallic trim are available with a charcoal interior, or faux wood with blond. More...