NYPD gets 40 Nissan Altima Hybrids

As I know we have several Nissan Altima owners/drivers on this site I thought this might be of interest.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pr/pr_2009_014.shtml

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/16 ... a-hybrids/

I read in another article that critics where silenced about the NYPD going with a Japanese car instead of American when they revealed these Altima's are actually built in Symrna, Tenn and most or all of the police versions of both the Impala and the Crown Victoria are actually built in Canada.

BTW I put about a 100 miles on a new 2009 rental Altima a few months ago and loved it.

Cheers

LGA777

I'd really love to know why they went with Altima Hybrids vs. Malibu Hybrids which share similar traits to the cars the NYPD already has. Out of all the Hybrids the Altima doesn't get the greatest MPGs in its class. Believe it or not GM currently has the best hybrids on the market. My company has invested in a number of GM Hybrids and their cost of ownership is far better then Toyota.

Wow, I was so shocked when I saw the title. I always thought that police departments in the US always bought American. I guess thats not always the case lol.

Tommy's just upset that he drives a cop car and will be thrown into the group with all the other senior citizens.

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Originally Posted by T-Bird76

Out of all the Hybrids the Altima doesn't get the greatest MPGs in its class. Believe it or not GM currently has the best hybrids on the market. My company has invested in a number of GM Hybrids and their cost of ownership is far better then Toyota.

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I just have these links handy as I have been doing a bit of research over the last few LATE nights :wink:

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2009/index.html has the Altima as top truest low cost to own.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars ... conomy.htm

2 Hybrids, a Benz and a diesel top the Malibu.


It's a decision we are thinking about..my lease is up in a few months and my wifes car, well, she needs a bus now, of course. :roll:

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Originally Posted by mirrodie

It's a decision we are thinking about..my lease is up in a few months and my wifes car, well, she needs a bus now, of course. :roll:

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It's minivan time, my friend!

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Originally Posted by mirrodie

2 Hybrids, a Benz and a diesel top the Malibu.

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The Jetta diesel is really nice, gets 40 mpg and only costs $25k well equipped, which is a good chunk less than comparable hybrids. I think it is, however, slightly smaller than the Altima and Malibu.

My friend who works in the city has already seen two of these broken.

I can help a little with the hybrid question, as I have one (Lexus RX400h). I also know a LITTLE about cars and the business.

The Malibu Hybrid is a soft hybrid, meaning that the car usually does not run on electric power alone at any time, except at a crawl. The electric motor is an assist, and is used to start the engine when taking off from a stop. It is not the most efficient type of hybrid, which is dual mode.

Dual mode is used by Toyota and Nissan (Nissan has licensed the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive). The car can run solely on electric drive up to about 20-30 mph (and can coast with the engine off), offering much better economy than the Malibu and other GM hybrids. I would expect fuel economy in the low to mid 30s for the Altima, with more in city driving.

Here's a snapshot of our car--it's an SUV, and the gas version, which I usually get as a service loaner, usually averages 17-19mpg with the 3.5. Although good for an SUV, my RX will AVERAGE around 24-26 mpg in normal driving (I reset for every tank). For highway drives, we average 27-28, but where she really shines is in stop and go traffic (NYC, LIE at rush). I have gotten an average of 31-33 mpg in such conditions, but remember I also know how to drive it to minimize the time the engine is on. The economy dioptic also gives battery state, which is important in stop and go--the battery depletes, and charges with engine power and regenerative braking. If you are in lots of stop and go, the battery runs down, causing the engine to run a bit longer...but overall, the economy is amazing.

Hope I didn't bore you guys, but I agree the Altima is the better choice (or Camry) for NYPD, although both have smaller trunks than the standard versions due to the battery.

>BTW I put about a 100 miles on a new 2009 rental Altima a few months ago and loved it.<

When I was in Cali in March we were given an Altima hybrid as our rental car. It was pretty funny as it took about 10 minutes
or so for my wife and I to figure out how to start the engine (oh you dont need the key in the ignition?) and shift into drive and put on the a/c. The last was really important as the car was baking in the southern Cal sun. Then when we stopped for my wife to run into Starbucks it took a few minutes for me to find out how it goes into Park. Then I played with the sound system awhile. Now after THAT initial breaking in period :lol: I really enjoyed driving it. The only thing I didnt like was the visibilty from the rear hatchback windows. I thought that was poor. We did have the TV screen that operates when the car is in reverse but that was a little off-setting though it
was something I would eventually get used to.
And out in the LA region the hybrids are everywhere.

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Originally Posted by moose135

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mirrodie

It's a decision we are thinking about..my lease is up in a few months and my wifes car, well, she needs a bus now, of course. :roll:

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It's minivan time, my friend!

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Yup. We went through three minivans and now on our third SUV. But with both my boys playing ice and roller hockey they were a
necessity of life. And the Pilot still comes in handy as my daughter plays travel soccer. Eventually when she starts driving (SHOOT ME
NOW) we downsize to cars only.
BTW you havent lived until you have seven 14 year old girls in your truck drenched in perfume, chatttering away and Z100 blasting on a Friday night driving them to some friends house. Thankfully we have kinda a rotating system with all the parents so everyone takes
turns. Its actually pretty funny and my daughters friends are nice girls (I guess :wink: ) They think I'm a cool dad 8) though my
daughter laughingly tells them not to tell me that!!

i saw one of these cars yesterday when i got off the williamsburg bridge. i was riding my new bike home, which only took 40 min from midtown to my home in BK all the while i was getting chased by a thunderstorm. they don't look all that bad, i just wonder how they're going to hold up to the way most NYPD cars get driven. let's not forget this city is not only pothole central, but we have got to have the ****tiest roads this side of the Nile!

[quote="Gerard"]>BTW I put about a 100 miles on a new 2009 rental Altima a few months ago and loved it.<

<When I was in Cali in March we were given an Altima hybrid as our rental car. <

Hehehe I'm driving along tonite and see a Toyota Prius and realize THAT was the car we rented not an Altima.
LOL, oh well.

There's not been much good to say about the Impalas the city has. They're VERY cramped in the interior, have many blind spots, and are really not very dependable in a fleet of RMP's that is consistently unmaintained. As almost comical as it is to see an Altima RMP, I think I can understand especially with Nissan's track record.

P.s. Being that these cars are so shiny and new, I'd only expect to see white shirt's in the passenger seats being driven by the resident house mouse who does her best police work on her knees.

Something I have noticed regulary about the 1-2 year old Impala's is how often I pass one opposite direction and one of the headlights is burnt out. No exaguration I have noticed this probably 100 times. Granted they are on many more hours a week than the average normal automobile but still, 1 or 2 years is not very long.

Cheers

LGA777

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Originally Posted by wunaladreamin

P.s. Being that these cars are so shiny and new, I'd only expect to see white shirt's in the passenger seats being driven by the resident house mouse who does her best police work on her knees.

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no white shirts in the one i passed by last night...

Folks, I think this is a great decision by NYPD to get these cars. I own an 05Altima & love it.(Even though nothing like these cars :lol: )

I saw one for the first time on Tuesday. I don't like the way they look, I feel like they just don't give off the same aura of authority as a larger American car. Maybe it's the mag wheels.

Also, I hope they don't expect anyone over 6 feet tall to commit crimes in the future because they're going to have a hard time fitting them in the back.