Nissan Altima vs. Mazda3

The Altima sports a 2.5-liter engine that cranks out 188 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. Plus, with an upgrade to the 2.0-liter Variable Compression Turbo engine, you can reach new heights, with 248 horsepower.

While its 2.0-liter Skyactiv®-G base engine puts out a comparable 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, the Mazda3 falls a bit short when looking at your options.

Its available 2.5-liter turbo engine isn’t as powerful—you’ll experience just 227 horsepower with this powertrain. As such, you may find the higher engine output on the Nissan Altima to be more desirable, especially if you’re looking to satisfy your need for speed.

Some of their standardly equipped safety features include brand-specific versions of:

If you need an extra set of eyes when parallel parking or pulling out of your spot in a busy parking lot, the Nissan Altima has you covered. It comes standard with many more safety features designed to aid you when in Reverse.

Unfortunately, similar features in the Mazda3 are only available with an upgrade, so you may feel less confident while parking.

The Altima may be able to suit your party of five more comfortably thanks to its 100.6 cubic feet of passenger space. The Mazda3 falls short with 92.8 cubic feet of passenger space.

Here’s what those figures look like spread out across these sedans’ two rows:

Do you have a romantic getaway planned with your spouse? You can utilize the 60/40-split fold-down rear seatbacks in either vehicle to open more space for your luggage. However, if all you need is trunk space, the Nissan can offer 15.4 cubic feet of cargo space, while the Mazda3 is equipped with 13.2 cubic feet of space.