Sure, the window sticker says that a 2.0-liter VC-Turbo equipped Altima (a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter unit is also available) is good for 236 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque, but if you splurge a little bit and select Premium at the pump, you'll get an extra 12 horsepower and 6 lb.-ft. of torque–at least according to the spec sheet Nissan supplied.
Also of note? That VC-Turbo engine can adjust compressions on the fly with a system that, essentially, changes the amount of displacement of the engine.
So, is this trick engine give the Altima athletic prowess? You'll have to read our driving impressions below.
Let’s call this one good, not great.
It looks great. Nissan’s styling is right near the top these days, and thank you for some solid, traditional gauges.
Back seat is way, way roomy—I could easily sit behind myself. Sit back there for a road trip? Sure, where we heading?
Really good power. Remember when the Altima was kind of a bigger Sentra? This one makes nearly 270 lb.-ft. of torque. I remember when that was a strong number for a Mustang.
Terrific headlights. Seriously. I admit, I am all about the headlights, especially when it’s dark out.
But the driving experience doesn’t live up: The seat backs feel flat, and the bottom cushions seemed too short.
Also, am I feeling some casting flashing at the end of the turn signal stalk? Really?
CVT transmissions keep getting better but, at the end of the day, it’s still a CVT.
Final verdict: an excellent rental car but seems a bit pricey at nearly $33k.
I think the VC-Turbo is some seriously cool tech, but I kind of feel like Nissan is squandering it.
The engine can literally change its compression ratio on the fly by adjusting its displacement, and somehow that doesn't make the car more fun to drive.
This is the tech they announced in 2016 and started using in 2017 with pretty 'meh' reviews? But now its just tricked down to the Altima?
It seems like a lot of extra complexity for an engine that effectively makes the same power and gets the same mileage as a typical 2.0L 4cyl turbo
ProDarwin said:This is the tech they announced in 2016 and started using in 2017 with pretty 'meh' reviews? But now its just tricked down to the Altima?
It seems like a lot of extra complexity for an engine that effectively makes the same power and gets the same mileage as a typical 2.0L 4cyl turbo
This. I looked up exactly what "VC turbo" meant when they had the commercial with the grumpy German guy a few years ago.
It seemed a looong way to go for not much, and high complexity / midprice Nissan is not a combination I'd be looking to add to my fleet.
It seemed a looong way to go for not much, and high complexity / midprice Nissan is not a combination I'd be looking to add to my fleet.
I guess that's kind of my point. I feel like this is the sort of stuff that goes into a supercar or even a sports car, but it's put in a midsize sedan and doesn't really actually add much to the driving experience.
Imagine how many people will buy this car and never know the complexities lurking under their hood.
If it's got a Nissan CVT I'm out
Didn't the Altima we had in 2019 have the same tech? I barely remember the car; I think it was red?
E; T'was mistaken. It had something Nissan touted as ProPILOT Assist. In searching for the Altima article, I saw the one I wrote for the Maxima. I had completely forgotten that one. Poor Nissan.
Nissan still has yet to build an Altima that's as good as the mid-2000s SE-R. That was a truly "sporty" sedan (as the Maxima had recently given up that description), and it had 270hp in the excellent VQ35, with a 6-speed. I wasn't just a cosmetic package. Hell, as I recall it even had forged wheels made by Rays. Wasn't long after that Nissan lost its way and fell into the sporty-car gutter, clinging to the GT-R to give the company sporting bonafides.
In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :
I owned an Altima SE of that vintage with the VQ V6 and a manual trans and the car was properly fun!
Colin Wood said:I think the VC-Turbo is some seriously cool tech, but I kind of feel like Nissan is squandering it.
The engine can literally change its compression ratio on the fly by adjusting its displacement, and somehow that doesn't make the car more fun to drive.
So I watched a video on how this works, I don't see how it's changing the displacement?
The stroke length, and therefore swept volume is the same, it just happens lower in the cylinder, so the combustion chamber is larger, reducing how much the air/fuel mixture is compressed.
What am I missing?
Nissan deserves points for bringing variable compression to market, but it sounds like the feature is a small enough benefit that it's not noticeable.
Mazda's Skyactiv-X compression ignition engines seem like a similar story. Super cool concept and they've been out for a while, but they difference is small enough that they haven't bothered to sell it over here.
It kind of reminds me of when the Japanese manufacturers were all trying out new technologies, pushing the boundaries, etc. It's nice to see the spirit is still alive.
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