Nissan Middle East introduced the 2019 Nissan Altima on Wednesday with a refreshed design, Intelligent Mobility technologies, inspiring interior, and two new powertrains. The sixth generation Altima is available across the Middle East in two new engine configurations. The standard 2.5L models are on sale right now, however, the 2.0 Turbo models are expected by the summer.
The Nissan’s most successful sedan made its global debut at the 2018 New York International Auto Show taking its cues from the appreciated Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept car. This concept made its appearance at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit
“The all-new 2019 Nissan Altima builds on 25 years of heritage; it is an incredibly popular model in the Middle East, and we are confident that the advancements made in the sixth generation of the car will heighten its appeal,” said Kalyana Sivagnanam, Regional Vice President, Marketing and Sales, AMI. “The all-new 2019 Nissan Altima is designed to shake up the mid-size sedan segment in terms of design, driving enjoyment and technologies that are simultaneously advanced and affordable. Between the sleek exterior, luxurious interior, engine improvements, tighter suspension and increased seat support, the 2019 Altima is a class above.”
The 2019 Nissan Altima is lower (1.1 inches), longer (1.0 inches) and wider (0.9 inches) than the fifth generation models. The prominent exterior features include the dominating V-motion grille with dark chrome finish, LED projector headlights with signature Daytime Running Lights, LED fog lights, floating roof with slim pillars and single panel moonroof. Nissan has offered to unique exterior paints in the new Altima namely Scarlet Ember red and lively Sunset Drift orange. Nissan offers three wheel and tire size combinations; – 16-inch, 17-inch, and 19-inch (for the first time).
The key interior features include updated seats with extra bolstering for enhanced support, Apple CarPlay™, and Android Auto™ functionality through an 8-inch multi-touch color display, Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System and Streaming audio via Bluetooth®.
Other convenience and connectivity features encompass standard 7.0-inch Advanced Drive-Assist Display, improved NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seat design with dual-density foam, perforated leather-appointed seat inserts, remote engine start with Intelligent Climate Control and new 8-way driver’s seat with memory.
The good news for Altima fans is the advanced Intelligent Mobility coming as standard. The technology suite comprises of Nissan’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert that identifies stationary objects when reversing and front, side and rear safety monitoring and intervention technologies. The latter is a set of comprehensive technologies that includes Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), radar-based Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and High Beam Assist (HBA).
“The Altima continues to be a popular choice amongst consumers in the Middle East” added Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East. “During the first ten months of the current financial year (April 2018-January 2019) the fifth generation of the model has seen year-on-year growth of 30 percent, with 46 percent from retail sales. This success comes despite the current generation car being in the final year of its lifecycle. The Altima now enjoys its highest recorded segment share in the region.”
This is the first time the Japanese automaker introduced two completely new engines for the 2019 Nissan Altima. The standard across the range is a new 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder direct injection engine pumping out 188 horsepower (which is 9 hp more than the previous engine) and 180 lb-ft of torque (3 lb-ft extra). Nissan added 80% new components in the updated 2.5L. Nissan altered the thermal-insulated resin intake port, Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG™) system, variable tumble control valve, mirror bore cylinder coating, variable displacement oil pump, intake e-VTC and cooled external EGR. The new unit boasts a quiet cabin, improved fuel economy, and lower emissions.
In place of Altima’s 3.5-liter V6 engine, Nissan has introduced the world’s first production-ready variable compression turbo inline 4-cylinder, which creates 248 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (premium fuel). The 2.0L VC-Turbo flawlessly alters its compression ratio for better performance and improved fuel efficiency and low emissions.
Customers can pick from three grades namely S, SV, and SL. All the grades come with a 2.5L engine as standard, however, customers can also avail the SV and SL in 2.0L VC-Turbo.
The 2019 Nissan Altima starts at AED 84,000 (the base model, VAT excluded), which is higher than the 2018 model. The pricing for V-Turbo will be revealed later.