Hybrid Altima: 56% BETTER MPG than the Gasoline Model!

[AZhitman]

Nissan began selling its first hybrid vehicle, the 2007 Altima Hybrid, in late January. The vehicle is assembled in Tennessee and is available in the eight states that have adopted California emissions regulations: California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price for the Altima Hybrid is $24,400, and it also qualifies for a federal tax credit of $2,350. The hybrid vehicle is estimated to achieve 42 miles per gallon (mpg) in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway, for a combined fuel economy rating of 39 mpg.

The vehicle mates a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine to an electric motor and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for a total power rating of 198 horsepower, giving it slightly better performance than the standard 4-cylinder Altima. Nissan offers a 4-cylinder Altima with a CVT for $20,300—$4,100 less than the hybrid—but its combined fuel economy of 25 mpg is less than two-thirds of the fuel economy achieved by the hybrid version.

[SovereignAxe]

omg, if you could get that car in a 5sp manual version it would truly be the tits.

...well, it already is the tits, but it'd be better in a manual.

I have one question about it though. If they didn't drop the size of the engine (and assuming increasing the size of the car) then where did they put the electric motor, battery, and all the electronics that control it?

[TweeKeer]

omg, if you could get that car in a 5sp manual version it would truly be the tits.

...well, it already is the tits, but it'd be better in a manual.

I have one question about it though. If they didn't drop the size of the engine (and assuming increasing the size of the car) then where did they put the electric motor, battery, and all the electronics that control it?

in the trunk

[scrutmonkey]

in the trunk

Yup...car battery is in the back passenger side in the trunk and electric battery behind the rear seat. The Toyota motor and internals take up the space to where the regular car battery would be. If you want a pic of the eninge bay and where the battery resides...I'm sure there are pics online, or I could a few this weekend or during lunch.

[bustamove]

158 hp, 2.5L I4 Hybrid Engine

The bag is a little larger than a laptop computer. You can fit some groceries and luggage in the trunk space, but not too much more.