Drove 2008 Altima:

[tnthub]

I had the opportunity to drive a 2008 Altima hybrid to a green expo this past Saturday and as such out about 110 miles on it. My average MPG (3/4 highway miles) was 37.6mpg as measured by the vehicle's mpg calculator. Acceleration and handling were very good and it handled the few rough spots in the road easily.

I noticed the brakes seemed "touchy" in comparision with other cars, similiar to the old mopars in the 1970s, but I actually like this feeling once I recovered from the first couple of brake taps.

The transmission seemed a bit odd to me however. Not bad... Just a strange feeling at the shift points and several times it felt like it was trying to figure out what gear it wanted to be in, but perhaps that is because the car is brand new with only 166 miles showing on the odometer.

I found the electronic information a bit cryptic in the display but again, my unfamiliarity with the vehicle might be the problem.

Overall it is a nice ride but the mileage was dissapointing for me.

[Tideland Prius]

I presume you mean the Altima 2.5 not the Altima Hybrid?

[tnthub]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

I presume you mean the Altima 2.5 not the Altima Hybrid?

No. The hybrid... Sticker on the windows said twenty-seven grand and change... And hybrid was on the front fenders... Am I wrong? I only had the car for about nine hours...

[Tideland Prius]

The reason why I asked is because you said it shifted and I believe it doesn't have gears, it has a CVT.

[prius729]

Originally Posted by tnthub

I had the opportunity to drive a 2008 Altima to a green expo this past Saturday and as such out about 110 miles on it. My average MPG (3/4 highway miles) was 37.6mpg as measured by the vehicle's mpg calculator. Acceleration and handling were very good and it handled the few rough spots in the road easily.

With that kind of mileage it had to be a hybrid. Can you confirm this? I've actually looked at an altima(the 2.5) to replace my wife's versa with. Not bad cars and with the current cash back program you can get a pretty good deal on them. Of course I do wanna get another prius but the only toyota dealer in town gets one in at a time and it's sold in a few days.

[tnthub]

It was the hybrid model. The "shifting" sensation I felt was almost like a "ghost foot" between the gas and brakes as I was negotiating slow/gradual acceleration. It was not there during hard acceleration but it was very noticable when trying to maintain a consistent level of performance on rolling hills ( allowing acceleration going downhill whil minimizing yet allowing a gradual slowing going uphill). It was only noticable with a very light foot on the accelerator. For me, I found is annoying and frustrating as the car "felt" as though it was downshifting beyond my control.

[tassle]

I drive an Altima 2003 (bought in May 2003), 2.5 and get 20 mpg city and when I go on long trips I average 28 mpg with air conditioning running and 32 without the air.

I drive only 1.5 miles to work daily, come home for lunch.

The car has 32,000 miles on it. Lately I have been averaging about 350 miles a month because I have been planning travel more carefully and have not gone on any long trips.

I have been thinking of getting a Prius.

Would anyone want to convince me that this is right time to do it?

[sdtundra]

A lot of dealers out here had the Altima Hybrid at around $22,000 last year. Had i not gotten such a deal on my Prius, i would have gotten the Altima.

[cwerdna]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

The reason why I asked is because you said it shifted and I believe it doesn't have gears, it has a CVT.

For MY 08, the only transmission choices for non-hybrid Altimas are the CVT and manual. The NAH is (not surprisingly) CVT only. Automatics are gone as a choice.

I've driven my mom's (leftover) 07 NAH a bunch of times. Most recently, I've found that it seems to shutdown the ICE pretty aggressively when you left off the gas <42 mph. You can sort of feel a lurch and see the EV mode indicator come on.

Either the Prius doesn't try to shutdown the ICE as aggressively while still rolling (below 42 mph) or it does so more smoothly. Unfortunately, since I don't have CAN View or a Scangauge, it's not easy for me to tell when the shutdowns occur at higher speeds.

I have no clue how accurate the trip computer's mileage indication is vs. actual as my mom refuses to even bother calculate her mileage nor look at the trip computer. I've personally seen it say in the 38-40 mpg range.

[Tideland Prius]

cwerdna, maybe it's cause your mum's Altima is new? I remember my Prius would shake violently when it shut down when it was new. It was kinda unnerving but of course now it's a lot smoother.