Far too few new American cars average more than 30 mpg. But the 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid is in the small fraternity and that means it warrants extended consideration. A midsize sedan with strong competition among hybrid and non-hybrid family vehicles, the Altima hybrid offers surprising versatility and holds its own in many areas against non-hybrid leaders Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. There is one problem. Hybrid buyers throughout most of the country are out of lucky since the Altima hybrid is available in only eight states. My weekly test drive (in California) included a 500-mile round-trip from Sacramento to the Monterey Peninsula. As I\u2019ve referenced many times in reviews, I make the same drive at least a half-dozen times per year and there\u2019s no better testing conditions. High speed, wide-open freeway segments to the tight-cornered ascents and descents on and near Pacheco Pass and the San Luis Reservoir, the 3 1\/2-hour trek offers myriad driving conditions. The hybrid is one three Altima options and it features a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission and a battery-powered electric motor for a total of 198 horsepower. Like all hybrids, driving the Altima hybrid requires adjustment, and it\u2019s not a bad thing. Hybrids are quiet and even after driving different manufacturers\u2019 hybrids in recent years, I still sometimes mistakenly think the engine is off when the car is running on its electric power source. The Atima has a clean, straightforward interior with spacious front seats and better-than-average headroom and legroom. Although the interior material isn\u2019t the same quality as the Honda Accord, the Altima\u2019s materials are still quality. Gauges are large and easy to read and controls are simple to operate. Nissan prides itself on its substantial list of standard equipment and that\u2019s certainly the case for the Altima hybrid. Consider: 16-inch wheels, a tilt\/telescoping steering column, keyless ignition\/entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, three center console cupholders, Halogen headlights, velour seats and a six-speaker audio system with a CD player and auxiliary audio jack. It\u2019s a lot for the base price of $25,070. But that\u2019s where the Altima\u2019s one drawback begins. My weekly driver included as options: a power moonroof ($850), moonroof wind detector ($100), floormats ($100) and aluminum kick plates ($170). And then there\u2019s the potential deal-breaker, the more than 20-item Technology Package and its whopping $6,400 price tag. Category:Home \u203a Autos \u2022 Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? \u2014 part 2 \u2022 You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car \u2022 Should a new car be rust-proofed? \u2022 Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? \u2014 part 1 \u2022 Five safest cars in North America \u2022 How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license \u2022 Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car \u2022 DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Far too few new American cars average more than 30 mpg. But the 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid is in the small fraternity and that means it warrants extended consideration. A midsize sedan with strong competition among hybrid and non-hybrid family vehicles, the Altima hybrid offers surprising versatility and holds its own in many areas against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[46],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142940"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142940"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142941,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142940\/revisions\/142941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdata.circle.tufts.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}