I wonder what the real world gas mileage is? I could never get my dad’s prius over 45MPG.

I believe that the hybrid Camry is 40/38.

So it should be competitive.

Now if only the Maxima came in a hybrid.
With 270hp please.

Anyway I like the way that the hybrid battle is heating up. I wonder if diesels will ever be able to make a comeback in the US?

They will certainly sell well, and blend in the pack. That’s one thing I hated Prius for, it looks like a Dustbuster from the 80’s, and stands out like a sore thumb. This is much nicer, and doesn’t have the Smug “I care more about the world than you” attitude connected with Prius. I did like one bumper sticker I recently saw on a first gen prius. “Eat my Volts”.

you know, I don’t think that the battle is heating up, because I remember reading (here, I think) that Nissan would be sourcing Toyota’s hybrid technology. If that is the case, it’s not a battle, Toyota is winning on all fronts.

True , Toyota is further ahead right now but the battle is far from over. Ford, Nissan and others are using Toyota to get their cars into the market while they develop their own technology. Eventually Toyota will be cut out of the picture and those manufacturers will have their own hybrid systems. In the meantime the consumer is winning on all fronts.

thank goodness, a hybrid that doesn’t look like… well, a hybrid! the prius is just awful to look at on the road. for some reason, they just come off as being obnoxious. that’s why I like hybrid cars like the accord/civic hybrid, camry hybrid, etc. I think this one will sell pretty well since the nissan altima is seen as being a sporty-looking/handling car than the honda or toyota alternatives.

One thing that can be said was that the Prius kicked the Civic’s ass in terms of sales. It could be because of that “unique” styling or that it offered greater MPG than any other hybrid on the road. I had always thought that the hybrid that was most normal looking would win the hybrid fight; Prius proved otherwise.

Now if only the Maxima came in a hybrid.
With 270hp please.
270hp with fwd? please.

What lead Nissan to restrict sales to just these states? Of all the hybrids on the market, this one is probably the most attractive to most people. Affordable, great gas mileage, normal-looking, and real power/torque. What gives?

It’s because Nissan doesn’t really want to be in the hybrid market. I don’t have a source, but I’ve definitely read that. It’s just a stopgap and it’s expensive.

+1

“Now if only the Maxima came in a hybrid.
With 270hp please.
270hp with fwd? please.”

the hybrid in this is liscenced from toyota for now until nissan can make their own. so the hybrid stuff here is the same one as in camry. so expect that kinda mileage

Nissan has, in fact, licensed the hybrid technology from Toyota to create the Altima Hybrid. The fact that Nissan is selling the Altima Hybrid (even in select states) allows them to boast that they’re offering “green” options. Based on the price point and the fact the technology is licensed from Toyota, their margins on the Altima Hybrid are probably minimal if not negative – not surprised they haven’t rolled this vehicle out for sale in all states. Current news reports indicate that this is a stopgap measure until Nissan is able to develop and implement their own hybrid drive system.

*270hp w/fwd accurately describes the 2007 Altima w/updated 3.5L V6
*Maxima is currently still using the old 3.5L V6 rated at 255hp – also fwd

2008 is going to be the year of the diesel, as C&D is reporting Audi/VW will bring theirs to the states for 08′ following Mercedes lead with the Blutec line. HondaMotor is also planning on exporting their ctdi to be used in the next gen Accord and current CRV models.

All of these will be successful if the public drops their preconcieved notions that Diesels are still the dirty, black smoke spewing monstrosities of yore.

I’m going to file this under the “Do Not Care” section.

I remember there was an article here a month or so ago about Nissan saying hybrid technology was still too young to bother with. It makes sense that they just license Toyota’s tech instead of coming up with something, but if you’re taking a loss why even bother until your own technology is ready? How much does this really help their public image if it’s only in eight states?

I suspect this will be a big hit within the 8 states they will sell these in, such that they will roll it out to all 50 later on. It makes sense for them to test the waters with this deal with Toyota, since they have spent nothing to generate this hybrid Altima. The appeal is that this is really the first hybrid that does have the dull look of the usual suspects (Accord, Civic, Camry, Prius). Also looking forward to the Hybrid Aura.

The regular Aura is a disappointment. Drove an XR when they first came out and it was to Camry-esqe. The interior is all loks and no show consisting of cheap, hard plastics and those door panels were just slabs of plastic. The leather is about the only high quality item in the whole car. 3.6l is nice mill, equal to the Camry 3.5, but without the gas mileage. The Honda Accord is still the tops in the segment. But I digress…

Having seen the new Altima on the roads (very popular already) given the choice between it and the Camry, sign me up for the Altima, no contest.

270 at fwd ? See the new Acadia ?

Why is this only availible in those states?

I sure wish this wasn’t only sold in a few states, my state not being one of them. still though, props to nissan for this, and using toyota’s hybrid system is a great idea, toyota is leading the back in this field. I too like hybrids looking like mainstream cars, i find nothing wrong w/ the prius, but to bring the hybrid car to the masses it has to look normal for it to be accepted. a simple fact that deals w/ peoples obsession w/ aesthetics, not a bad thing though, im a big fan of looks myself.

Altima, yawn. Hybrid, double yawn. The only thing is has going for it is it’s less flimsy than a Camry.

Never trust a word they say. Nissan once said they had NO intention of developing a hybrid model because they felt hybrids were a fad that provided no real benefit. What a load of ****. This was like 2 years ago too. In any case they are not a fad and do have real world benefit. Until they get those new EPA rules in effect all EPA numbers will be way off from real world driving. Expect EPA numbers to drop 20% on all window stickers across the board when that takes effect ppl. Yet another scam perpetrated by our government to placate the oil industry. Keeping the EPA testing in the 80’s for 30 years. Not that we dont know already that its near impossible to duplicate those numbers.