Nissan
Altima Hybrid
Nissan's
first hybrid vehicle |
 |
The Nissan Altima Hybrid
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your Altima hybrid testimonial.
The Nissan Altima
Hybrid car, much like the Ford
Escape Hybrid SUV, borrows Toyota's
gasoline-electric hybrid system. Eventually, however,
Nissan will replace the Toyota hybrid drive with a
proprietary hybrid drive.
Currently,
the Altima hybrid is now available in just 8 states;
California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The MSRP on
Nissan's first hybrid is $24,990.
With an
expiring and already significantly reduced tax credit
available for Toyota's hybrid vehicles, many hybrid
buyers are now considering the Altima hybrid, including
those from outside the 8 states where Nissan is selling
the hybrid Altima.
However,
if you purchase an Altima hybrid, but live outside of
these 8 states, servicing for the hybrid will be limited
and it might include several day delays. So, where you
live is an important consideration when contemplating an
Altima hybrid purchase.
According
to Nissan, the automaker hopes to sell some 50,000 Altima
hybrids the first year, but that is probably more hype
than reality. Of course, the price of gasoline coupled
with Toyota's expiring tax credits could be beneficial
for Nissan.
Essentially, the Altima
hybrid will run on a QR25 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, but should
achieve the power and torque of a 6-cylinder engine while achieving the fuel
efficiency of a 4-cylinder vehicle. Currently, the EPA rates the
198 horsepower Altima
hybrid at 42 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.
Like the Prius, the
Altima hybrid is also a full hybrid, or it can be powered
purely by electricity at low speeds. Regenerative breaking and
variable transmission will help keep the battery pack
powered.
As the most popular
Nissan model, the Altima hybrid will offer all of the
same features that the newly designed 2007 Altima
offers.
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More
on the Nissan Altima Hybrid
3 Altima hybrid testimonials:
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So far, I have no complaints. It’s running very well. The parts are tough. I make it a point to check every single part so as to avoid any problem in the road. Hopefully, I haven’t had any trouble with it during rush. I got to replace its Nissan Headlight last week and I’m fortunately enough that it’s only the part that I needed to purchase for it this month.
I've had mine for 4500 miles now with no problems. Love the car and the performance. The mileage is lower than that stated on the EPA window sticker. But I am getting around 33 MPG with mostly highway driving. Wish it was a bit better. One thing I've learned is that using the cruise control gives poorer mileage, so I have stopped using ti to squeeze more miles from a gallon. Not at all sorry for buying it.
After the first 1,000 miles I'm averaging 39.2 mpg - I haven't reset the calculator yet so that's since I drove it off the lot. I'm driving it faily easy for the 1,200 mile break-in period so I'm not doing full throttle accelerations yet.
I'm very happy with this car and would recommend it if you're in the market for a new mid size sedan.