The 2024 Altima's Intelligent AWD Makes for Great All-Weather Performance
Canadians know just how hard winters can be and how slippery the roads can get during the rainy seasons. Finding a vehicle that can navigate between these drastic shifts in the weather can be difficult for some car shoppers because it means you need a vehicle that can tackle multiple roles throughout the year. Thankfully, for those of you shopping for a midsize sedan, whether for commuting, the family, or daily driving, the Nissan Altima fits the bill as a comfortable sedan that can conveniently navigate all of Canada's wildly varying weather changes with ease.
Before you start shopping for a Nissan Altima for sale to go blasting through the snowy roads, you might be interested in some of the performance features and technologies that make the Altima worthwhile for Canadian drivers. Nissan has pulled out all of the stops in an effort to make this the best midsize sedan for the often challenging weather where we live. Let's go over some of these features, including Nissan's patented Intelligent AWD, Active Ride Control, and Intelligent Trace Control.
How Nissan's Intelligent AWD Tackles Canada's Weather
The Nissan Intelligent AWD system has been a staple for the Altima since it was introduced for the 2019 model year. Nissan was actually the first mass-market brand after Subaru to make all-wheel drive standard in a sedan. The midsize sedan ushered in the new underlying technology of stability management and traction control, which aimed to give drivers a lot more control over the vehicle than what previous systems enabled. So what makes Nissan's Intelligent AWD system any different from other all-wheel drive systems? Well, it's in the design.
The electronically-controlled system is designed to afford a sedan like the Altima the kind of control that you get from a four-wheel drive vehicle but with the fuel economy of a front-wheel drive model. This is accomplished thanks to integrated systems that measure the way the vehicle handles on the road and use electronic sensors to dynamically distribute torque between the axles to adapt to road conditions and weather situations. This kind of control gives you a lot of stability on the road, whether it's on windy highways in the spring or icy backroads in the winter. The Altima is designed to keep you stable on the road by dynamically distributing torque to maintain traction at all times.
Nissan Offers More Than Just Intelligent AWD
The weather in Canada can be absolutely vicious when it comes to snowfall. Getting stuck or dealing with slippery roads can become a problem for many sedans. It is critical to have a vehicle that you can rely on to get you out of a tight spot when the roads aren't trustworthy. Whether it's on common roads or across the national highway system, being able to travel to your destination with the safety and reliability afforded to you by a high-quality vehicle is an invaluable asset, and that's one of the reasons why the Altima and its Intelligent AWD system are so revered.
However, the Altima offers more than just Intelligent AWD to help prepare you for handling bad weather with ease. Just about the only thing it doesn’t come standard with is winter tires, but we can handle that for you at our service centre. If you're dealing with a lot of snowfall or sleet, you have standard splash guards to protect the underside of the vehicle from getting caked up with sludge. There is also Active Ride Control as part of the stability management system in the Altima, which uses small inputs to reduce body pitch and roll when driving over uneven roads, which can occur with heavy snowfall. This also works hand-in-hand with Nissan's Intelligent Trace Control system, oftentimes referred to as I-TC.
The I-TC system––in conjunction with Intelligent AWD––applies brake pressure to the wheels depending on how the Altima is approaching a turn. I-TC works to correct your trajectory to prevent understeer or oversteer and ensure you don't veer too far off the road one way or the other or cut corners short due to slippery or wet roads. Intelligent AWD, working with Nissan's other traction and stability management systems, can neatly tie the functionality of the Altima together so you have an easy-to-handle ride. Thanks to the dual-pinion electric power steering, you have a stable and balanced vehicle that never feels like you’re losing control or that the Altima is slipping away from you. That kind of confidence on the road is highly valuable, and you can find it easily by visiting us here at your local Nissan dealership.
Getting the Best Fuel Economy Out of the Altima No Matter the Season
While all-wheel drive offers massive advantages when it comes to stability and traction in bad weather, there are downsides in the form of fuel economy. As we know, many of the most stable four-wheel drive vehicles typically have very poor fuel economy. All-wheel drive vehicles can also sometimes suffer from this because it takes more work to power all four wheels, which causes the vehicle to expend more fuel in the process. This is particularly the case with SUVs, which also suffer from poor aerodynamics compared to sedans. However, Nissan has managed to find a fine balance between functionality and fuel economy with the Altima thanks to the sleek profile and intelligent design of the all-wheel drive system.
As some of you already know, depending on where you drive, getting around certain parts of Canada can either see you stuck burning fuel in bumper-to-bumper traffic or travelling long, lonely roads trying to conserve a litre or two while making the trip. The 2024 Altima manages to navigate the turmoils of inner-city traffic jams by offering an estimated fuel economy of 9.1 L/100 km in the city. That's pretty noteworthy for an all-wheel drive vehicle that has a lot of technologies in place to make sure that it is stable on the road, helping you save some money at the pump while remaining confident in bad weather.
The other benefit, however, is just how well the Altima performs in long-range travel, which is really where the Intelligent AWD system and driver-assist features like Pro Pilot Assist shine, as the 2024 Altima can achieve an estimated 6.5 L/100 km on the highway. Those are fantastic numbers, and you're getting great gas mileage out of the Altima with a total fuel economy of 7.9 L/100 km combined, even with a lot of engineering systems in place to correct oversteer, reduce understeer, stabilize traction control, and maintain appropriate braking applications throughout your travels.
Are You Convinced the Altima Can Handle Canada’s Weather?
If you're convinced that travelling across Canada in an Altima is a wise decision based on the technology that Nissan has included to make the vehicle viable across all types of road and weather conditions, then it might make sense to start eyeing a Nissan Altima for sale as your next vehicle. For those shopping for a tech-rich midsize sedan with great looks, even better on-road handling, and exceptional fuel economy for an all-wheel drive vehicle, the Altima is an enticing option. Do you need help finding one? Contact us with our online help tool, or give us a call so we can answer any questions you might have.