With its 2007 Altima Hybrid, Nissan becomes the last car manufacturer to enter the hybrid market. With a fuel economy of 35 MPG, this greenie version of the Altima is ranked # 1 among midsize hybrids by Motor Trend.
According to Motor Trend, the Altima is more powerful than Camry and is the only hybrid that drives like a Nissan.
The Altima name was originally a trim line of the Nissan Laurel, a mid-size car sold in the Caribbean before 1992. Nissan discontinued its much-criticized Stanza in 1993, replacing it with the US-made Altima, but still remaining a compact car. All Altimas had been built in Smyrna, Tennessee until June 2004. This is because there was a new plant which began operation in Canton, Mississippi and started producing additional Altimas to meet high demand.
The Nissan Altima Hybrid car borrows Toyotas gasoline-electric hybrid system and is much like Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. Nissan will eventually replace the Toyota hybrid drive with a properietary hybrid drive. The Altima has had four design generations: 1993-1997, 1998-2001, 2002-2006, and 2007-present.
The MSRP on Nissans first hybrid is $24,990 and is only available in 8 states.
It is available only in California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine and New Jersey. In addition, the Altima is also available in the Middle East. Nissan sells a related mid-size sedan called the Nissan Teana in other markets. It is built on the same FF-L platform used by the 2002-2006 Nissan Altima.
A full hybrid, this mid size car 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. Just like the Prius, the vehicle can be powered purely by electricity at low speeds. Two things help the battery power pack powered - Regenerative breaking and variable transmission.
The car will come in three different packages; Convenience Package, Connection Package (with either Sirius(TM) or XM® satellite radio) and Technology Package.
This green car has so many features like its 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.
The sedan market is nicely divided between the Camry and Altima hybrids. For those who want a sportier one with superior onboard tech, the Altima would be the better choice. Meanwhile, Camry will definitely be the sedan for those wanting a higher level of cabin refinement.

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