2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid - CNET Reviews
We never thought we could have so much fun with a hybrid, but Nissan ups the performance of its 2009 Altima Hybrid with a stronger engine than its rival, the Toyota Camry Hybrid , and adds anti-sway bars to keep it from wallowing in the corners. The Altima Hybrid uses a full hybrid system that behaves similarly to that in the Camry Hybrid, which comes as no surprise because Nissan licenses the system from Toyota. Fully loaded, the Altima Hybrid runs well over $30,000, but that gets you navigation with traffic, a Bluetooth cell phone system, and a Bose audio system, plus other niceties like a smart key and XM Satellite Radio. The most obvious lack in the Altima Hybrid is an iPod connection, although there is an auxiliary jack in the stereo face plate. For one of our initial drives with the 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid, we took it on one of our usual routes through the Santa Cruz Mountains. On the freeway, we found it easy to run the car up from 60 to 80 mph, the gas engine getting a turbo-like boost from the electric motor. This hybrid was encouraging rambunctious behavior, which continued on the two-lane roads off the freeway. The acceleration to 40 mph felt very fast, but the extra bit to 60 mph seemed to take a long time. Source: www.cnet.com
