Reviving the then somewhat dormant tradition of a rear-wheel-drive sports sedan in Japan, the Altezza offered the pleasure of driving and controlling a fast car at will. While using the Progrès platform, the wheelbase was shortened by 110 mm, and the front and rear treads were extended by 20 mm and 25 mm, respectively. Smooth and sharp steering was enabled by combining the front midship engine layout with centralized positioning of heavy components such as the battery and the fuel tank. The vehicle was powered either by a 2-liter 4-cylinder twin-cam engine with 200 PS, or a 2-liter inline 6-cylinder 24-valve engine with 160 PS. The 4-cylinder model offered a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission and a 5-speed automatic transmission with steermatic buttons on the steering wheel for shifting gears manually. The 6-cylinder model initially came only with a 4-speed automatic transmission system, but later a 6-speed manual transmission (same with the 4-cylinder mode) was made available.

The Altezza won the 1998-1999 Car of the Year Japan.