New York 2018: All-new Nissan Altima boasts bolder, daring look

Even though the D-segment sedan doesn't pull the same sales figures as before, Nissan forges ahead with the all-new Altima by giving it a daring redesign. With concept car-based looks, Nissan hopes to sway some crossover buyers back into their large sedan.

We say concept car looks, as the new Altima takes a significant amount of cues from the V-Motion 2.0 Concept from the 2017 North American International Auto Show. There's a pronounced V-Motion grill at the front and it also sees some design details from the larger Maxima. Slim, upswept headlights accentuate the bolder front fascia of this radical redesign.

Like the concept, the all-new Altima features a fastback-like rear windshield, giving it a sleeker, swoopier side profile. and upswept lights at the front and rear. While the concept featured deep creases on its sides, the production Altima is more subdued in execution with more gentle character lines on the doors and quarter panel.

The rear on the other hand has a more conventional treatment with wraparound tail lights which form a V-shape at the edges. There's also a lot of room for the license plate with a large, flat panel at the center. Also, a black strip at the rear pillar is similar to that in the larger Maxima. Giving the rear some flair are integrated diffusers at the bottom of the rounded bumper.

Inside, there is a high center console with traces of the V-Motion design language on the dash. The all-new Altima uses a floating screen for its infotainment system. Its dash fascia is rounded off with the top parts being flat. Meanwhile, the three-spoke steering wheel boasts a thick rim with a flat bottom, housing all functions for audio, cruise control and semi-autonomous driving capabilities. As for its instrument cluster, it's a mix of analogue and digital displays. With a longer wheelbase, Nissan claims more room inside the 2019 Altima.

For the first time ever, the Nissan Altima can be specified with all-wheel drive with front-wheel drive being the standard layout. The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine gains direct-injection, along with other enhancements for noise, vibration and harshness reduction. For the base engine, power is rated at 190 PS and 244 Nm of torque.

Nissan dropped the V6 engine for this generation of Altima. In its place is a 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four with what Nissan calls Variable Compression Turbo. As the name suggests, the system can adjust the engine's compression ratio depending on how much throttle is applied. The new 2.0-liter turbo makes 251 PS and 370 Nm of torque, down in terms of horsepower to the V6 but more torque compared to the old six-cylinder.