Sometimes, you lose the Executive Selection lottery game and an FCAR is what you have to take. This happened to me recently at SAN and I had a chance to try out the 2021 Nissan Altima in the fake-spicy SR trim on an extended highway trip. This particular example finished in Super Black had racked up a bit more than 13,000 miles when I had a chance to take it. The Altima (all trim levels) is classified as an FCAR, sharing the class with the Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Mazda6,Ford Fusion (before they're all phased out), and rarer Honda Accord.

The easy way to tell the SR from the more common S and SV is the flashy 19" aluminum wheels. As compared with the other versions, the SR has a sportier suspension and 19-inch wheels, along with paddle shifters - but otherwise it's pretty much the same as the SV just below it. The SR comes with lots of standard equipment that other FCAR offerings do not have, including an eight-way power driver's seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights with high-beam assist, an "upgraded" digital gauge cluster, a leather-wrapped and flat-bottomed steering wheel, fake leather seats with cloth inserts, and more. Total as-tested price is $27,645 exclusive of destination fee.

While an upgraded Turbo motor is available on the SR, fleet purchasing stuck with the standard 4-cylinder with the dreadful CVT transmission for this one. It drives the same as every other CVT-equipped Nissan. Suspension was firmer than expected but not overly so, although I did notice a lot of tire noise coming from the (fairly well-worn) factory rubber. Driving engagement was a solid "meh" though it did not feel as boat-like in corners as other FCARs I've driven. I think the Mazda6 is still miles ahead of it in terms of fun factor. I averaged 30 mpg overall with a mostly highway trip, well below the EPA-estimated 39 highway MPG. I attribute this to long idle times in between drives with the A/C on full blast and a significant headwind on the freeway both ways.

Visibility was fine and standard blind spot monitors helped in traffic. Rear seat room was generous. I found the seats comfortable - probably second best in the class only behind Fusion and maybe Mazda6 - and the standard driver's adjustable lumbar was really a nice touch. I'd take these seats any day over the offerings by Malibu and Camry. Trunk space was generous, reference picture shown with a backpack and rollerboard. I will note I found the A/C to be barely adequate on this one, and while it was quite warm / desert driving where I had it with 100+ degree daytime temperatures, we had to keep the air on recirc and full blast all the time to keep comfortable, which was annoying. Chalk it up to a weak system or black car in the desert, but something I noticed.

The infotainment system was fine with standard CarPlay / Android Auto. I liked having duplicate buttons for many of the functions. The gauge cluster is the same that's been in Nissan/Infiniti products since early part of the last decade.

If a Mazda6 or Ford Fusion isn't available, I offer a lukewarm recommendation on this one - it's nothing special but it does get the job done.