Compare the2024 Nissan AltimaVS 2024 Toyota Crown

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

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, its standard 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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Crown has not been fully tested, yet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Altima 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Crown 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Altima uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Altima SR for maximum performance). The Crown Platinum requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Crown (16 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Altima FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Crown (16.2 vs. 14.5 gallons).

The Altima stops much shorter than the Crown:

For better traction, the Altima SR/SL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crown (235/40R19 vs. 225/55R19).

The Altima SR/SL’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crown’s optional 45 series tires.

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 Crown doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Crown Platinum pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Crown Platinum (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Altima S’ turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Crown’s (36.1 feet vs. 38 feet). The Altima SR/SV/SL’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Crown’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Nissan Altima may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 850 pounds less than the Toyota Crown.

The Altima is 3.2 inches shorter than the Crown, making the Altima easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 Crown doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Altima SR VC-Turbo uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Crown doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Altima has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Crown (100.6 vs. 98).

The Altima has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Crown.

The front step up height for the Altima is 2.7 inches lower than the Crown (14” vs. 16.7”). The Altima’s rear step up height is 2.3 inches lower than the Crown’s (14” vs. 16.3”).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Altima easier. The Altima’s trunk lift-over height is 26.9 inches, while the Crown’s liftover is 30.3 inches.

The Altima is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Crown doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Altima will be $6795 to $7525 less than for the Toyota Crown.

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

The Nissan Altima outsold the Toyota Crown by almost seven to one during 2023.