The Nissan Altima Hybrid
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.
Some of
those new features include "16-inch alloy wheels,
Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, power
windows/door locks, 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system with
auxiliary audio input jack, Anti-lock Braking System
(ABS), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control
System (TCS) and dual-zone automatic temperature control
that includes an Altima Hybrid-specific electrically
powered A/C that continues to provide cooling when the
gasoline engine is stopped".
Additionally,
the Altima hybrid will come in three different
packages; Convenience Package, Connection Package
(with either Sirius(TM) or XM® satellite radio) and
Technology Package.
Regardless, early
reports by Motor Trend indicate that this will be a
serious Prius contender.
I was able
to check out the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid at the 2006
Los Angeles Auto Show (pictured above). The new 2007
Altimas will be more compact. In fact, I thought the
Altima hybrid looked very similar to the Camry hybrid,
and I would say that the 2007 hybrid Altima is probably
not a Prius contender, but a hybrid Camry contender.
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