2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid Test Drive

The Alternative Altima

Nissan's roomy Altima Hybrid is a worthy player in the green sedan game.

The Nissan Altima Hybrid is the first ever gas-electric model from Nissan or its Infiniti luxury division. But its hybrid system comes courtesy of Toyota, modified by Nissan for its own Camry-fighting hybrid sedan.

Being a hybrid, this Nissan raises one overriding question: How’s the mileage?

Quite solid, actually. In our testing, the Altima’s combination of a four-cylinder gas engine with a battery pack and electric motor/generator delivered 36 mpg over five days of driving. And there’s no question that the Altima will deliver markedly better mileage than even the most economical four-cylinder, gas-only sedans, including the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and the gas-only Altima itself.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch, and it's big enough to strand buyers from Florida to Washington: Nissan is offering the Altima hybrid only in California and the seven Northeast states that follow California’s tougher emission standards: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Nissan’s official explanation of the limited availability is that the company is testing the hybrid market in states where consumer interest is strongest. But Nissan has also been publicly ambivalent toward hybrids — at least until recently — and officials have also told us that, the company is selling the Altima Hybrid at a financial loss to comply with California exhaust emissions mandates.

While Nissan may eventually decide to expand the sales territory, that seven-state decision is a shame. Because even though the Altima Hybrid can’t match the racy appeal of the V6 version, it’s an intriguing proposition for any family that wants to save fuel, pollute less and still drive a stylish all-around sedan.

The biggest caveat is price. This hybrid’s $24,990 base price doesn’t sound bad, considering that the four-cylinder Altima starts at $20,080 with an automatic transmission, and the six-cylinder 3.5 SE at $24,080. But the hybrid is only modestly equipped at its base price. Three option packages range in price from $1,300 to more than $7,000.

Our test model went out the door at $26,415. But choose all three options packages, and the Nissan can reach $34,000, in the ballpark with the Infiniti G37 luxury sedan.