Head-to-Head: 2023 Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry
Which car has the better gas mileage? The more powerful engine? The most features? Find out with this Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry comparison.
2023 Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry
Sedans need to offer more and more in order to compete with crossovers these days. Whether it’s more luxury, better fuel efficiency, a hybrid powertrain, or improved handling, automakers are trying to offer up whatever they can to appease the car-buying public. Two sedans that work quite well as vehicles to commute with or scoot around town in are the 2023 Nissan Altima and the 2023 Toyota Camry.
They have plenty of competition with the likes of the Kia K5, the Honda Accord, and the Subaru Legacy, but today we’re specifically comparing the 2023 Nissan Altima vs the 2023 Toyota Camry. The head-to-head comparison looks at what’s under the hood, performance, and those infotainment amenities that we’ve all come to love. Which car goes the extra mile in offering more than the other? Our full analysis is below!
Specs
A 2023 Nissan Altima comes with a couple of different engines. Both are paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 188 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. While front-wheel drive is also standard, all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional with the SV, SR, and SL trims. There is a slight decrease to 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque with AWD. The 2.5-liter gets 25 miles per gallon (MPG) in the city and 35 MPG on the highway with AWD. Those numbers go up to 28 MPG and 39 MPG with FWD.
The 2023 Nissan Altima SR offers an extra boost in the form of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It’ll achieve 236 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. This engine is strictly paired with FWD. With 93 octane fuel, the turbo maxes out at 248 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Gas mileage comes out to 26 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway.
The 2023 Toyota Camry comes with a few engine options, all of them mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. First, there’s a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 203 horsepower and 182 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Like the 2023 Nissan Altima, FWD is standard on the 2023 Toyota Camry, and AWD is available. 27 MPG in the city and 38 MPG on the highway is what you’ll get with FWD and the four-cylinder engine. AWD takes those numbers down to 25 MPG and 34 MPG.
The most powerful engine is a 3.5-liter V6 that’s available on the XLE, the XSE, and the TRD variant. The V6 makes 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. Only available with FWD, the V6 can get 22 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway. There’s a hybrid version, too. It uses a less powerful version of the 2.5-liter engine with 176 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid works with a battery and two electric motors for a combined output of 208 horsepower. It gets an estimated 51 MPG in the city and 53 MPG on the highway.
Driving and Performance
A well-tuned CVT automatic and good handling around curves or around typical city obstacles are a couple of highlights in the 2023 Nissan Altima. Acceleration and braking are two of the weaker points. Some models are equipped with Active Ride Control, which helps for a smoother ride and better braking. The SR trim, with a sport-tuned suspension, and the turbocharged 2.0-liter isn’t a bad combination either. You’re not getting a speedy, impressive vehicle here when it comes to performance, but you’re probably not buying the 2023 Nissan Altima for those reasons either. This Altima is a well-mannered daily driver.
The 2023 Toyota Camry isn’t thrilling, but it is responsive. Neither the brake nor the gas pedal requires too much pressure to slow down or get started. The Camry is stable for the driver and smooth for the passengers around curves. The steering is good enough to easily maneuver in and out of parking spots.
Comfort and Interior
You’re going to hear noise from the wind and the road inside the 2023 Nissan Altima. There’s not much you can do to avoid that. The good news is that it’s not unbearable, but it is noticeable. The engine, however, isn’t very noisy. It’s surprisingly quiet.
Seats are comfortable enough. You will feel those large potholes, bumps, and unpaved surfaces, though. There’s not a tremendous amount of personality in the 2023 Nissan Altima, but hard knobs and controls are placed in areas that make sense and are easy to access.
The driver and front passenger get 43.8 inches of leg room while the rear passengers have 35.2 inches. Cargo measures 15.4 cu. ft. That expands to 58.8 cu. ft. of space when the rear seats are folded. Unfortunately, the seats don’t lay entirely flat, but folding them down at least expands the amount of room for luggage and other items.
There’s already a good amount of cargo space with 15.1 cu. ft. to store bags, boxes, or other items. The rear seat folds down in a 60/40 split, expanding that storage area. When it comes to legroom, the 2023 Camry offers 42.1 inches in the front, and 38 inches in the rear.
The interior of the 2023 Toyota Camry is comfortable even if it’s not outstanding. Like the 2023 Nissan Altima, the 2023 Toyota Camry also lets in a lot of road noise. Large seats cushion the ride, though. Lower trims have a lot of hard plastics, but getting into the XLE trim territory will bring even more luxury with leather upholstery and a larger touchscreen.
Trims and Features
Nissan offers the 2023 Altima in five trims: the S, SV, SR, SL, and SR VC-Turbo. The first four trims come with the 2.5-liter engine. The S trim comes with several other standard features like a remote start, a six-way manual-adjustable driver’s seat, a six-speaker audio system, Bluetooth, a USB port, and 16-inch steel wheels. Driver assists on the S trim include automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, a driver attention warning, a lane departure warning, and a forward collision warning with automatic braking.
The SV adds Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, three more USB ports, an 8-inch touchscreen, keyless entry, and 17-inch alloy wheels. Going further, the SR comes with fog lights, 19-inch wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob, and special sport suspension on FWD models.
Then there’s the SL, which comes with heated mirrors and turn signal indicators, wireless Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather seats, a navigation system, traffic sign recognition, a 360-degree camera, rear automatic braking, and a nine-speaker Bose audio system. Meanwhile, the SR VC-Turbo, of course, has the more powerful turbo engine.
The 2023 Toyota Camry has as many options as the Nissan Altima. There are actually six trim levels for the Camry: the LE, SE, SE Nightshade, XSE, XLE, and TRD. The LE starts off with 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen. The LE also comes with forward collision mitigation, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, and road sign recognition.
18-inch wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, simulated leather upholstery, and a sport-tuned suspension are extra touches added to the SE trim. The SE Nightshade has a stealthier look with black exterior trim, 19-inch bronze-painted wheels, and a trunk-mounted spoiler. The XLE adds more high-quality features like a wireless charging pad, heated front seats, leather upholstery, keyless entry, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and a power-adjustable front passenger seat.
Moving up another step to the XSE adds sport-tuned suspension, a gloss black grille, dual exhaust, metallic interior trim, and an extra 206 horsepower for the four-cylinder engine. At the top is the TRD with the 301-horsepower V6 engine, the sport-tuned suspension, black-painted outside mirrors, and simulated leather upholstery with red seat belts that are specific to this trim.
2023 Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry: The Verdict
Though the 2023 Nissan Altima isn’t a bad sedan to choose. It did make our list of the Best Mid-Size Cars. When compared with the 2023 Toyota Camry, the Camry wins. It’s more versatile in terms of engine options, offers more horsepower, has just as many trim options as the Altima, and it’s flat-out more stylish. The 2023 Camry also outdoes the 2023 Altima in terms of fuel efficiency. While the Altima isn’t far behind, the 2023 Toyota Camry comes out just a bit better in every category.
