With the soaring prices of gasoline, the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid is the automaker's first entry in the gasoline-electric market, and most are asking for the reason of its late entrance.
Toyota and Honda, two huge Japanese rivals, have been marketing hybrids for years, and Nissan just recently followed the trend with this sedan.
The price of the car is pretty nice. A tester had a starting price of $24,400, which is just enough for a five-passenger, midsize sedan. But it had a "Technology Package" that added a walloping $7,250 for a bottom-line sticker price of $32,365. In the midsize class, that number is some serious money.
Equipped with quality , a basic 2007 Altima with a gas-powered 2.5-liter, 175 horsepower in-line 4 cylinder engine has a starting price of $17,950. On city streets, fuel economy ratings are 26 miles per gallon while 35 mpg on the highway. Those figures are not as good as the respective 42 mpg city, 36 mpg highway ratings on the Altima Hybrid. But if you do not put a lot of miles on a car every year and do very little city driving, the low-cost gas-powered Altima might make more sense than the Altima Hybrid.
Moreover, upon last year's introduction of the Altima Hybrid, the Internal Revenue Service announced that it is eligible for a $2,350 tax credit. But that credit will progressively decrease once Nissan sells its 60,000th Altima Hybrid.
The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid offers a smooth-cruising, attractive sedan with ample interior room for five. A rounded front and nicely sculpted back end are listed under smooth exterior styling. Its nicely laid-out interior is attractive and comfortable. Everything is within easy reach and easy to understand and has no complexity from the cockpit.
On the open road, there are no bumps on the run up to 60 miles an hour and above. Bumps are experienced when stopped at traffic lights and occasional stops are made.
Standard features include traction control, dual-zone climate control, side curtain air bags, steering-wheel mounted controls and a tire pressure monitor.
With the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid, Nissan fans will surely find a nice choice in this long-awaited hybrid option.
Nissan is the fifth major car maker to either introduce a hybrid to the US market or announce plans to do so. According to Nissan, one of the well known Japanese auto manufacturer, Nissan and Toyota signed in September 2002 a basic agreement guaranteeing that Nissan will produce 100,000 hybrid vehicles within a five-year period, and that Toyota will supply the hybrid system components such as transaxle, inverter, battery, and control unit. Nissan will come off the engine and unit adaptation.
