After teasing us with a cropped photo several weeks ago, Nissan has now officially unveiled the refreshed 2010 Altima Sedan, Coupe and Hybrid models with an updated interior and exterior and some new electronic toys.

The car doesn’t look all that different on its own, but place it next to an ’09 model and the changes are certainly noticeable. Included in the refresh is a new Maxima-esque grille and restyled hood, as well as a few new wheel designs. Inside, new fabric and new trim finishes help to update the interior look with the center stack getting a more thorough makeover.

New options include a premium audio package with a nine-speaker Bose stereo with a color 4.3-inch LCD display, iPod connectivity and a USB port, as well as Bluetooth, MP3/WMA playback and a RearView Monitor. In addition, a revised version of Nissan’s Hard Drive Navigation System is optional on all models. It replaces the standard 4.3-inch display with a 6.5-inch one, with a 9.3 GB Music Box hard drive and advanced features like speed limit advisories and optional XM NavTraffic and XM NavWeather

In the safety department, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), is now standard on all models.

Under the hood there have been no real changes with the base 175-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder or a 270-hp 3.5-liter V6. Don’t be confused by the name changes either, as Nissan has opted to drop the SE badge in favor of a more exciting SR badge.

The Altima Hybrid also gets a redesign, but no engine changes with the same 2.5-liter 4-cylinder/electric motor combination, making 198-hp that registers 35 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

Pricing for the base Altima sedan remains the same, but a slight “market adjustment” increase for all other models has been made.

Check out the huge gallery of photos Nissan has provided, or take a gander at our more realistic exclusive first images of the Altima Sedan 3.5 SR, just taken a few hours ago.

GALLERY: 2010 Nissan Altima Sedan, Coupe and Hybrid

GALLERY: 2010 Nissan Altima Sedan 3.5 SR

Official release after the jump:

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Last week Nissan sent out a teaser image of the 2010 Altima, playing the marketing game and trying to pump up interest before the new mid-cycle redesign was fully unveiled.

Between then and now the company also had to issue a recall notice. Unfortunately, in the process of sending out the recall, one image of the 2010 Altima, fully revealed, was shipped out, spoiling Nissan’s plans. Or perhaps, its an extremely brave marketing tactic aimed at moving interest away from the recall notice – but we doubt it.

Above is a photo of the 2010 Altima, with minor changes including a new grille, new headlights and a more sculpted body with a strong line running along the side of the car. We can’t say its much of a change (see 2009 Altima below), but we do like the new split-spoke five-spoke wheels.

As for the recall (No. 09V358000) it affects 26,398 Nissan Maximas and Altimas, which have strut housing that could crack causing damage to the suspension and possibly cause an accident. Nissan is required to notify all owners by law, including those who purchase one of the new 2010 Altimas, even though very few 2010 models got the problem parts. Nissan has even said that the part was replaced in all 2010 Altimas before they left the factory.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Nissan has just released a teaser-image of the 2010 Altima, which will receive a mid-cycle redesign – although it’s hard to tell. New headlights are a part of the package, but it would take a serious Altima-nut to notice the rest. We image a full reveal will show more changes, with a new grille a strong possibility.

According to a report on Autoblog the 2.5 Premium IS CVT Plus model will get a 4.3-inch display screen with an iPod interface and USB capability, while the 2.5 S M6 and 3.5 SR M6 IS will get Xenon headlights added to the Premium Package. The Tech Package will also get a 9.3 gig music server with DVD playback, Bluetooth streaming audio and a new input jack that replaces the auxiliary input.

The 2.5 S M6 model will get sporty additions, including Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) and traction control as well as a manually adjustable lumbar support for the driver. A set of 17-inch wheels and 215/55/17 tires will also be included.

We’ll have to wait on official details (expected soon) for the rest.

[Souce: Autoblog]