No car exemplifies the typical boring rental car quite like a Nissan Altima. Ever-present on rental car lots across the country, the Altima has bored drivers for years with its uninspired design and middling interior which, in spite of its full-size classification, seems no larger than that of a Corolla. Though its driveability may have been adequate nearly 7 years ago when the current generation was unleashed on the public, it seems detached and less sophisticated than other cars in its class. With the Altima seeing a redesign in the 2019 year, I can’t imagine anyone becoming overwhelmed with nostalgia when looking back at its uninspired predecessor.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone has any affection for the Altima’s design besides the folks at Nissan themselves. The company was lauded when they made drastic styling changes to many of their models in the early 2000s. The Altima’s redesign in 2002 was no less dramatic, as its boxy, Camry-like design was softened by the addition of a slatted grille and the sweeping, rounded edges which so epitomized car design at the start of the millenium. While it was a refreshing update at the time, not much has changed since. Seriously, I dare anyone to try to pinpoint the model year of any Altima seen on the street. You’re probably an expert if your answer is within 3 or 4 years of the actual date, because they all look nearly identical. Though the car was put through further facelifts in both 2006 and 2013, not much was really changed. Everything from the basic shape of the headlights, taillights and grill have been carried over, in addition to the same bland bodylines that didn’t excite even when they were new in 2002. In particular, the car’s front fascia and rear-end have been carried over perpetually. The facelifts were just enough to freshen up the car’s appearance a bit, but its evolution has ultimately stagnated due to the preservation of far too many styling characteristics.

The Altima’s boring looks could be ignored if it was actually fun to drive, but it unfortunately is not. That’s not to say that Nissan doesn’t try, but their attempts at making the Altima appear more sporty are just that: a bid at vanity. The heavily bolstered seats, racing-inspired steering wheel and the token S on the gear selector, which indicates the transmission’s “Sport mode,” could leave one with the impression that performance is a priority for the Altima. However, any notion of performance is dropped upon driving the vehicle, as the Altima’s ubiquitous 4-cylinder engine, when coupled to its CVT transmission, fails to deliver anything other than a floaty, uninspired ride. While some top trim-level Altima’s are equipped with Nissan’s 3.5 liter V6, they are exceedingly rare in our rental fleet. Furthermore, the V6 models suffer from the same shortcomings as their 4-cylinder counterparts — namely the hindrances of a lifeless CVT transmission and unrefined power steering. It’s not that the power steering is boosted to such an extreme level such that it makes the wheel spin too freely, like in the Rogue SUV, but that it feels too imprecise for the kind of accurate, aggressive driving for which sport cars are traditionally known.

But that’s just it — the Altima isn’t a sports car. I imagine that Nissan believes they don’t have to make the Altima competitive in terms of performance, because the average customer will be swayed by the facade of such. While some people may be duped into thinking the car is a quick, modern sports car like the marketing implies, one familiar with other cars in its class will ultimately be unimpressed by its lack of comparable features. For instance, most Altimas in our fleet lack the kind of safety features that are prevalent on other full-size cars, such as lane departure and blind spot warning systems. While these systems are presumably available on the Altima’s higher trim levels, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them in a rental. The Altima does impress in a few areas though — namely in the comfort and entertainment categories — which are bolstered by a pair of quite-comfortable front seats and a rocking sound system. The seats are firm and supportive in spite of meager lumbar and position control, though it is still easy enough to find a comfortable seating position. Likewise, the audio system presents its own set of inadequacies, like the frustrating inability to control the midrange of the EQ, but overall manages to impress with a sound quality which outperforms that of most cars in the rental fleet.

The same idea applies for the design of the interior, which isn’t necessarily bad, but rather dated in comparison with other full-size vehicles in our fleet. Sitting inside the Altima is like opening a time capsule, or the dormant bedroom of some kid long gone off to college — their things left unchanged because of a mother’s nostalgia. Perhaps the people at Nissan share the same maternal sentiment and are too attached to their design to alter it, because the interior seemingly hasn’t had a major update in nearly a decade. The quality of the materials are fine overall, especially at the higher trims levels, which often come equipped with leather seats and power accessories among other small upgrades. Even at the higher trims levels however, the styling is as stale as the musty weed-smoke smell that seems to naturally accumulate in every Altima in our rental fleet. The cheap floor mats, unintuitive creaky center console and antiquated infotainment system are as characteristic of the Altima as its reputation for banality. It’s one thing to be boring, but to be boring and cheap is another thing entirely. The Camry, for instance, has become the standard for dull, yet reliable cars. While it will never excite one with performance and bold design, its innovative safety features and exceptional reliability combine to make it one of the most dominant cars on the market.

The Altima on the other hand isn’t particularly dominant in any area. In fact, it seems to submit itself to the dull inadequacies which its cheapness affords. Because after all, the Altima is a relatively inexpensive car. However, the low cost just doesn’t justify some of its more extreme deficiencies, namely the spongy steering and outdated infotainment system, which are bested by most cars in its size-class. In trying to strike a balance between sportiness and driving comfort, the car ultimately fails in both regards. While it isn’t the worst car in our rental fleet, until it gets a refresh the Altima will continue to carry the baton as the quintessential boring rental car.