Nissan Strips Altima Trims as U.S. Sales Plunge 26%
Three special edition packages are gone and every remaining model costs $210 more following a 26% drop in U.S. deliveries.
Nissan has quietly gutted the 2027 Altima lineup, killing three trim packages while raising prices across the board for a sedan that lost more than a quarter of its U.S. buyers this year.
The SV Special Edition and both front- and all-wheel-drive SR Midnight Edition models are gone. Buyers now face a binary choice between the base SV and the sportier SR. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel drive requires stepping up to the SR. Every surviving configuration costs exactly $210 more than its 2026 equivalent, pushing the entry point to $27,790 before a mandatory $1,275 destination charge. The all-wheel-drive SR now tops out at $30,690.
This contraction reflects a broader collapse in demand for Nissan’s once-dominant midsize car. Through September, U.S. dealerships moved 56,424 Altimas. That represents a 26% drop from the same period last year. For context, the Altima routinely cleared 250,000 units annually during its peak years around 2015, when it frequently battled the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord for the top spot in the segment. The current pace puts the sedan on track for its worst annual sales performance in decades.
Mechanically, nothing changed. The 2027 model carries over the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with the Xtronic continuously variable transmission. Output remains 188 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque in front-wheel-drive configurations, dropping slightly to 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft when power routes to all four wheels. EPA estimates hold at 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway for front-wheel drive, or 25/33 mpg with all-wheel drive.
Equipment levels follow the same carryover logic. The SV rides on 17-inch alloy wheels and uses an 8-inch touchscreen supporting wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Zero Gravity seats remain standard. The SR adds 19-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch display with wireless phone integration, paddle shifters, and a sport-tuned suspension restricted to the front-wheel-drive variant. Nissan Safety Shield 360, bundling automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear auto braking, and lane-departure warning, applies to both trims. ProPILOT Assist remains an option exclusively on the SV.
The 2027 Altima is currently on sale in the United States. Nissan executives have previously confirmed the nameplate will eventually exit the portfolio entirely as part of a wider restructuring effort prioritizing crossovers and electrified vehicles. No official timeline for the final discontinuation has been published.
