Altima Hybrid Review

My company allows us to rent vehicles for business trips. Much to my surprise, today's vehicle was a new Altima Hybrid. What did I think? As per my prior posts, I don't think hybrids are a good economic or environmental choice. Today, I covered 270 miles including a significant amount of time stuck in Manhattan traffic. Gallons used = 9.02. Although pretty good, my fiancé's 3 year old Toyota Corolla would have had similar results over the same course. Economically, the Corolla is a no brains winner over the Altima.

What about size? In a pinch, the Altima could probably seat 5 while the Corolla can only seat 4 (with less overall room). With respect to trunk space, the Corolla probably has 75-100% more space than the Altima. IMHO – a hybrid with reasonable trunk space would likely need to be a wagon or hatchback.

Below: I have posted a link to a review by Car and Driver. For some reason, they got horrible mileage with the Altima.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/green_machines/2007_nissan_altima_hybrid_short_take_road_test