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We bought ours on May 26, 2007. We have the tech package and leather interior. We are switching from an Acura RL, so the comfort and ride are a downgrade, but we don't miss the 19 mpg on premium fuel. Actually, the only thing that we really miss is the seat memory as my wife is 5'2" and I am 6'2".

This is my wife's daily commute car (22 miles each way). I have been surprised that she is actually using the Nav system. She REALLY likes the bluetooth phone connection and with voice prompts. She has a Verizon Treo 650 which is not fully compatible (you can't download the phonebook), but the basic features work well.

We haven't made it through a tank of gas yet, but I will try to check in periodically with updates.

 

We purchased at Mossy Nissan, a big dealer here in San Diego County. The salesperson made the deal on the car, but we knew that the paperwork closer would be trying to sell the extra warranties and other add-ons. We told the salesperson that if they we didn't want anything else and that we would walk away if they did? (this is our standard strategy when buying from a dealer and it works for us).

The finance person did "verify" that we didn't want the extra warranty. My response was "Why would someone buying a Nissan need an extra warranty? I thought it was one of the most reliable cars made." That ended the discussion.

P.S. They told us at the dealer that they wouldn't be trying to sell us any add-on electrical stuff, including a fancier security system offered on the other cars, because of the hybrid's electrical system.

 

Well as i said somewhere I got mine off the transport truck from California yesterday and over to DVM today for plates, registration ect. in Arizona. Loaded the Cd player, Inputted the FM and Am stations, Sprayed the floor matswith silicon. Next leather treatment, Bluetooh paring, window tinting and a decent license plate frame, XM sat activation and a few more minor things including the inital "Insulator Wax" coating and I am ready to start using it.

 

I bought mine in November. I consistently get 35+mpg and fillup the tank at about 720 miles. Red and technology 2 package - 2007.

 

Can you start a new thread with this information as well as where to get an extra battery pack, how much it costs, etc. I think it will be usefull for everyone thats interested in modding the electrical systems.

Thanks!

 

New owner here. Just got mine yesteday. So far so good. I likes me my shiny toys.

Do people get better/worse mileage on the first tank?

 

Hi and welcome.

The first tank is usually worse then normal. You don't know what gas the dealer put in, when they reset the computer, and how many folks test drove it and how they performed.

It also takes a while to relearn the best way to drive a hybrid and there is a break-in period till at least the first oil change where things get slightly better.

It's best to ignore the "courtesy tank" and start keeping track when you know all the variables.

You should be able to get 33 to 36 MPG depending on how hot or cold it is and how long or short your trips are once you get going, better (37+) after you learn some techniques and get a solid feel for the car, but that first tank will probably be around 31 to 32.

If you get less then 31 MPG after the first tank then there may be a problem, unless you are doing extremely short trips only (less then 5 minute trips don't even warm the car enough to go in to EV mode) or have extreme temperatures (below 40 degrees or above 95 take big MPG hits)

Best wishes and let us know how we can help.

 

I haven't visited the board lately. I'm here! After about 4 months of ownership I'm averaging 36mpg. Not bad coming from a G35x!

 

Hi:

We bought a Nissan Altima hybrid 8 months ago, we are really happy with the car but the mpg is not nearly as good as the Prius we also own.

Any ideas on how to improve the mpg on the Altima?

Martin

 

The Altima is a larger, heavier car with a bigger engine then the Prius so you can't match the Prius MPG. The NAH is rated at 34 MPG, so if you are beating that, you are doing well. There are some things you can do, but these things will also improve the Prius MPG.

First, you can slightly over inflate your tires. This will give you a small MPG improvement at the cost of a stiffer ride.

Second, you can make sure your dealer is using 0W-20 oil or you can change it yourself and make sure. Unless you asked for it and actually saw them put it in your car, I guarantee they put 5W-30 or 10W-30 in. The correct oil, 0W-20 (not sure what the Prius takes) gives an increase of 2 to 3 MPG's.

Third, try to avoid short trips the first time you run the car in the morning. The NAH needs 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up before it functions in full EV. So try to do your longest trip first. If you want to try to stay in EV mode for as long as you can, try to do this on the last trip so you can take advantage of the warm-up period the next morning. Since you use more gas to recharge your battery if it gets too low, normal driving with basic hyper-techniques is best the rest of the time, unless you know you will be on an extended highway drive after the long EV run.

Fourth, watch your temperatures. Driving the HAH under 40 degrees or over 95 degrees have big hits on MPG. The NAH cools its battery by drawing air from the passenger area through the vent in the middle of the back shelf. If cabin temperature exceeds 100 degrees, a sensor reduces or cuts off charging to the battery. It is actually better to have the AC running in 95+ temperatures, particularly if you have a dark interior, to keep that battery cool. Reduce or don't use AC under 90 if possible. Under 40 degrees there is not much you can do unless you can install a block heater.

Finally, try not to drive too fast and furious. This is hard to do because the NAH is so much fun to drive.

Best Wishes