Compare the2022 Nissan AltimaVS 2022 Volkswagen Passat

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Altima have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Passat doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Altima are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Passat doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Altima has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Passat doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking in the Altima as “Superior.” The Passat scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Altima offers optional Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Passat doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Altima offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Passat doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Altima Platinum has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Passat only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Altima’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Passat doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Altima and the Passat have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Volkswagen Passat:

	Altima	Passat
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	166/453 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	239	267
Chest Compression	.5 inches	1 inches
Neck Compression	110 lbs.	147 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Volkswagen Passat:

	Altima	Passat
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	249
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	713 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	359
Spine Acceleration	42 G’s	49 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Altima, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.5% less likely to roll over than the Passat, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Altima its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passat has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Altima 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Passat. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Passat ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Altima’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Passat’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 68 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Altima’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Altima’s reliability 21 points higher than the Passat.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima first among midsize cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Passat isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 67 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 21st in reliability. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 11 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Altima’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 8 more horsepower (182 vs. 174) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (188 vs. 174) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Altima SR’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 62 more horsepower (236 vs. 174) and 61 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 206) than the Passat’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Altima 4 cyl. is faster than the Volkswagen Passat:

	Altima	Passat
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	9 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.6 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	119 MPH	116 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Altima gets better mileage than the Passat:

			MPG
Altima
	FWD	S 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		SV/SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
	AWD	SV/SL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
Passat
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/36 hwy

Transmission

The Altima has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Passat doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the Passat:

	Altima	Passat
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Altima has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Passat doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Altima is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Passat.

The Altima Platinum handles at .91 G’s, while the Passat pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Altima Platinum executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Passat R-Line (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Nissan Altima amounts to more than styling. The Altima has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is lower than the Passat (.28) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Altima get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Altima uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Passat doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Altima SL/Platinum uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Passat doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Altima has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Passat.

Ergonomics

The Altima Platinum’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Passat doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Passat can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

On extremely cold winter days, the Altima SL/Platinum’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Passat doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Passat because typical repairs cost much less on the Altima than the Passat, including $203 less for a water pump, $322 less for a muffler, $419 less for a starter, $82 less for a fuel pump, $147 less for front struts and $305 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Altima and the Volkswagen Passat, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Altima was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2019. The Passat has never been an “All Star.”

The Nissan Altima outsold the Volkswagen Passat by over five to one during the 2021 model year.