The interior has also been upgraded, with an attractive gauge array that includes an illustrated computer screen of information located in front of the driver between the speedo and the tach, which is easier to glance at than a center-mounted video screen. In optioned-up models, the center video screen is also present with a whole array of infotainment (there’s that annoying word again) and other functions.

The interior has been significantly upgraded, highlighted by a pair of NASA-inspired “zero-gravity” front bucket seats. (Photo: Nissan)

The cabin itself feels high quality, more so than you’d expect especially in the lower-status four-cylinder model that we drove. There’s ample space for five, although with a tall guy like me driving, only a little person would fit behind me.

The real stars of the interior are the new, NASA-inspired “zero-gravity” front bucket seats. These were configured, we were told, by using the natural posture of the human body in the weightlessness of space flight to provide the least stress and greatest support, which increases blood flow, decreases muscular load and reduces fatigue.

They are most certainly comfortable and supportive. My only question about the human-shape modeling is how they compromise between a too-tall 230 pounder like me and the tiny 100-pound woman who was my driving partner. Makes you wonder.

The 2013 Altimas are scheduled to appear in showrooms in June, priced from $21,500 for the base four-cylinder to $30,080 for the top V6 version, plus shipping and whatever options you care to pile on. A range of seven model levels will be offered in all,

Among the available options is a unique “easy-fill” system for adding air to the tires; the car beeps to tell you when the correct pressure has been achieved. Goodbye, pressure gauge.

Nissan certainly stepped up its bread-and-butter sedan into something more premium while holding the line on pricing. Altima should be able to retain its place as second-best-selling sedan in the U.S. and could even challenge Camry for supremacy.

Details

Vehicle type: Five-passenger, four-door sedan, front-wheel drive.
Engines: 2.5-liter inline 4, 182 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 180 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm; 3.5-liter V6, 270 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 258 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm.
Transmission: Continuously variable.
Wheelbase: 109.3 inches.
Overall length: 191.5 inches.
Curb weights: 3,108 to 3,355 pounds.
EPA mileage ratings: 27 city, 38 highway (inline 4); 22 city, 30 highway (V6).

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at