Nissan Continues Blending Style & Affordability

Versa

The cheapest brand-new car you can buy in America is the Versa, with its starting msrp of $15,980 before destination and taxes. It has a 122 horsepower 1.6L 4-cylinder engine that gets 32mpg city and up to 40mpg highway. Long gone are the days of roll up windows and manual door locks, and even this, America’s cheapest vehicle, comes with power windows and locks, as well as air conditioning with in-cabin microfilter, once a luxury too grand for entry-level cars. Versa also has infotainment with standard 7-inch touch screen display, and optional USB and wireless charging. Other standard options include tilt/telescoping steering wheel, dual power mirrors, and carbon-fiber look rear diffuser. One of America’s last car’s available with a manual transmission, the Versa adds a continuously variable automatic starting at $17,650 msrp. Up-market trims offer LED headlights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, remote start, and heated front seats.

Sentra

The next size up from the Versa is the Sentra, a nameplate dating back to 1982 when it replaced the Datsun 210. With 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque, today’s Sentra still achieves up to 40mpg highway. It starts at $20,630 msrp, while options such as the SR Premium Package ($2,490) offer 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat, leatherette seating, heated steering wheel, Bose audio system, and power sliding moonroof. Remote keyless entry and continuously variable automatic transmission are standard.

Altima

One of Nissan’s most popular vehicles, the Altima starts, at $25,730 msrp, packing a lot of value into its price. Incredibly competitive in the mid-size sedan segment, the Altima undercuts both the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord on price with more standard features. A 2.5L inline-4 with 188 horsepower is standard across all trims minus one. All wheel drive is also an option on Altima SV and above, a rarity in the segment, starting at $28,030 msrp for inclement climate duty. The top of the line SR VC-Turbo, msrp $35,430, comes with leather seats, dual zone auto climate control, and is the only trim to offer the faster turbo four-cylinder motor with 248 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque through the front-wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Kicks

Nissan’s cheapest crossover/SUV is the Kicks, occupying the space once held by the Angry-Birds-looking Juke. While the Juke name lives on overseas, the American Kicks starts at an attractive $20,790 msrp, with the same 122hp motor from the Versa but with standard automatic continuously variable transmission. Kicks SV trim adds 17 inch wheels, an 8-inch touch screen display with Apple Carplay/Android Auto, and intelligent cruise control, while Kicks SR gets LED headlights, sport trim orange-accented seats, and leather wrapped steering wheel.

Rogue & Rogue Sport

The Rogue is Nissan’s best selling model, in part thanks to Nissan’s sales strategy; Nissan has continued to offer the outgoing model year design alongside the redesigned Rogue, in an effort to give more choice to price-conscious buyers. The Rogue Sport starts at $24,960 msrp and has a 141 horsepower/147 lb-ft of torque motor with a standard continuously variable automatic transmission. It has 7 inch color touch screen display, 17 inch wheels, and all power options. The more modern Rogue starts at $27,910 msrp, with its redesigned look, 201 horsepower / 225 lb-ft of torque turbo engine, and optional all wheel drive. Optional quilted semi-aniline leather seats class up the top-of-the-line Rogue Platinum trim, starting at $37,490 msrp for FWD and $38,990 for AWD, each with 19-inch wheels.

Pathfinder

Another storied nameplate from Nissan’s rich history is the Pathfinder, which is Nissan’s mid-size SUV offering starting at $35,810 msrp. Optional four wheel drive costs about $2,000 with seven modes for mud, sand, snow, towing, sport, and eco; the Pathfinder can pull up to 6,000 pounds. The standard 3.5L V6 has a healthy 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque, which jumps to 295 hp/270 lb-ft on premium gas. SV trim starting at $38,630, adds heated front seats and intelligent climate control, while top of the line Platinum offers 20-inch machine finished alloy wheels, panoramic moonroof, and semi-aniline quilted leather seats.

Frontier

All-new for the 2022 model year, the Frontier has gone from being far behind the pack to joining the mid-size pickup fray with style. Handsome and boxy styling pays homage to the 1980’s Nissan HardBody pickup, and it even has a Crew Cab HardBody edition added for this year, debuting at $43,940 msrp in 4x4 only. Its 17-inch wheels, decals, and rear bed sport bar are all borrowed from the original, and its sure to be a retro fan favorite amongst the Ready Player One set. If that’s too rich for your blood, fear not, the 4x2 Frontier King Cab S starts at $29,770 msrp, with standard 3.8L V-6 sporting 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque mated to a 9-speed auto. 4-wheel drive runs a bit more than $3,000 on top, while the four-door Crew Cab S starts at $31,070 for rear wheel drive. Pro-X ($36,300 RWD / $39,300 4X4 msrp) trim adds 17-inch wheels, Bilstein off road shock absorbers, and lava red interior stitching.

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