2014 Nissan Altima: There’s an Apps for That

One of the hottest-selling cars in the country is adding a significant new tech benefit for the new model year, as the 2014 Nissan Altima will launch the brand’s smartphone-integration system: NissanConnect Apps. Providing competition for rival technologies like the Chevy MyLink and Ford’s SYNC AppLink, the feature provides a relatively affordable way to bring an array of online resources to the 2014 Nissan Altima without having to pay extra to add new technology to the car itself.

Instead, NissanConnect Apps relies on the technology in select smartphones and will debut this fall with services including Google-powered web search and Facebook access, with iHeartRadio and Pandora Internet radio to follow soon after and, no doubt, a stream of more apps to follow.

If you can live without that upgrade in your 2014 Nissan Altima, however, you can start shopping immediately, since the new models are on sale now with an MSRP that begins at $21,860. It’s a fairly painless $100 increase, and it does cover revised seat cloth, chrome exhaust tips and a quieter cabin; it also leaves the car in the middle of a tightly clustered pricing list for the top mainstream midsizers. Which are listed below in order of MSRP, with the latest (July) sales figures provided as a bonus:

• 2013 Toyota Camry—$22,235; 34,780 sales; up 16.3 percent
• 2013 Chevy Malibu—$21,995; 12,473 sales; up 1 percent
• 2014 Ford Fusion—$21,900; 20,522 sales; down 12 percent
• 2014 Nissan Altima—$21,860; 29,534 sales; up 11 percent
• 2014 Honda Accord—$21,680; 31,507 sales; up 10 percent
• 2013 Hyundai Sonata—$21,165; 18,903 sales; down 9.9 percent

And there are further enhancements to the 2014 Nissan Altima lineup as well, in the form of three new packages.

2014 Nissan Altima: Repackaged

The premiere of the NissanConnect Apps technology in the 2014 Nissan Altima also occasioned some fine-tuning for its option packages. As a result, the Altima now comes in four increasingly well-contented trim levels—with CVT-enabled V6 and 4-cylinder power—that can be complemented by:

• Technology Package—Includes NissanConnect with navigation, NissanConnect Apps, SiriusXM Travel Link, Blind Spot Warning, Moving Object Detection, and Lane Departure Warning
• Display Audio Package—Consisting of NissanConnect Apps, a five-inch color display screen, RearView Monitor, USB port, diversity antenna, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (subscription sold separately)
• Sport Value Package—Bundling 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, remote start and a trunk-lid spoiler

Also, on the odd chance you don’t have the 2014 Nissan Altima’s powertrain numbers memorized, its 4-cylinder, 2.5-liter engine makes 182 hp and 180 lb.-ft. of torque, while delivering stellar EPA grades of 27 mpg city/38 mpg highway/31 mpg combined. Motivated by a 3.5-liter V6, the 2014 Nissan Altima welcomes 270 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, along with EPA marks of 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway/35 mpg combined.

The 2014 Nissan Altima Coupe? It’s been discontinued, leaving only the Honda Accord Coupe to carry on among the mainstream midsize two-doors.