I have to confess one of my recent guilty pleasures has been watching the Martha Stewart documentary, “Martha,” on Netflix. She’s as perfectly pleasant and prone to details as ever, but post-prison Martha has a bit more edge, hanging with Snoop Dog and dropping F-bombs like garden flower ordinances. If she had an automotive alter ego, it may be something like the 2025 Nissan Altima SR with all-wheel-drive.

This cake gets frosted through a tall black grille with red SR logo, 19-inch bronze wheels, aggressive ground affects, flat body color spoiler and rear diffuser. Lines are crisp and the roof hovers above with a broken C-pillar. Crack open the trunk and flip down the rear seats to haul almost any gear you want.

Martha may appreciate styling flourishes throughout the cabin like red seat stitching and cloth inserts that hint at houndstooth. Red stitching on the console and doors pop, while piano black and faux carbon fiber trim add panache. The touchscreen couldn’t be easier to use and has actual knobs for volume and tuning. Connect devices via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel is perfect, but there’s a focus on value, so don’t expect automatic climate control, Bose audio, sunroof or adaptive cruise control. There are no heated seats either. Safety, however, was given its due with automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, lane departure warning, blind spot alert and forward collision warning systems.

Peppy performance

Performance is less spirited than styling promises. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine delivers 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. Routed to the all-wheel-drive system through a continuously variable transmission, that’s enough power to travel comfortably at comfortably above the speed limit. How nice would it be with a turbo? Even so, it achieves 25 mpg/34 mpg city/highway.

Handling is more Martha than Mario as the suspension and steering are tuned for long-distance journeys and daily commutes. I don’t love the continuously-variable transmission that’s sleepy in its action, but it does keep the engine in the right rev range for power and efficiency and can be shifted via paddles should your inner Snoop bark.

I love the new Martha and her F-bombs, but engineers really need to drop a T-bomb and make the Altima SR a real sport sedan. Then again, it might dislodge its considerable value. Base Altimas start at $27,000, but our fancy-pants SR came to $34,580. Also consider the Toyota Camry SE, Honda Accord Sport Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata N Line, Chevy Malibu RS and Kia K5 GT-Line.

Likes: sporty styling, stylish cabin, solid value

Dislikes: limited luxuries, mundane handling, no hybrid

2025 Nissan Altima SR AWD

Five-passenger, AWD Sedan

Powertrain: 2.5-liter I4, CVT

Output: 182hp/178 pound-feet

Suspension f/r: Ind/Ind

Wheels f/r: 19”/19” alloy

Brakes f/r: disc/disc

Fuel economy city/hwy: 25 mpg/34 mpg

Assembly: Canton, Mississippi

Base/as-tested price: $27,000/$34,580

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC