I've got about 1k miles on my NAH, really like the car except for one aspect kinda bugs me.

I understand the electro/mechanics/controls of the Synergy system and CVT but....

The whole car feels "twitchy" from the over-sensitive throttle to the constantly "hunting" CVT / ICE while cruising without a load change.

If I had a "GAIN" **** it would need a few turns down. I also get a slight pulling/pushing sensation through the drive while cruising.

It isn't terrible but I really don't care for it, is this normal ?

Anyone else experience this???

Before I wrestle w the dealer I wanted some feedback from the group!

TIA...

 

No have here.

 

One of the biggest things we had to get used too was the combination of the new transmission and the on again off again on together off again of the electric and normal motors. Somewhere around 50 - 60 MPH the electric motor always seems to turn off/reset and I feel a sudden loss of power that then returns. I can tell it's the electric motor because the KW gage falls to zero every time it happens, then rises again. It is similar to the feeling that happens when the regular motor turns off and on at the lower speeds only opposite. This may happen at other speeds as well.

I have also noticed that this car likes to have the gas pedal pressed firmly and drives almost normal this way. However, that is not the way most of us want to drive a hybrid. We tend to have a very light foot to try and coax it longer in EV mode. The car wants to be driven normally.

Make no mistake, this car does not drive like any other car we have owned, but the slight twitchiness seems to occur as a combination of all of the above and seems normal but tends to be magnified when we are paying close attention to "Hybrid" driving.

 

We haven't noticed it. Maybe we aren't paying attention to the right thing... or maybe we just got used to something without noticing it.

 

Thanks for confirming my sanity Ian!

You have described exactly what I have been feeling....

I am a Hard Core Gear Head and am always listening/feeling, comes from a background in racing Sprint Karts.

Thanks..

 

I hate it when people who don't own a vehicle chime in about said vehicles performance. However, if I may:

One thing that takes some getting used to with the HSD systems (Toyota/Nissan and Ford), is that when the system detects that you don't need much power, and the battery can be charged, it will start to divert power to recharge the battery, this happens frequently when you let go of the pedal when you've reached crusing speed and no longer need to accelerate. As it's recharging, either back up to capacity because the ICE is running and there's room, or because the battery was recently depleted so it's in a charging cycle, the vehicle feels like it's pulling back, your coasting results in a surprising amount of deceleration and that you've got to push harder to speed up, or in some cases maintain a high speed. That's because during that time, the ICE is both propelling the vehicle and recharging the battery.

At other times, especially at lower speeds, if the battery is full, it'll be more apt to use up that energy, giving you extra power in an attempt to bleed off excess energy that it has, so that next time you slow down, there's someplace for that power to be stored, resulting in what could be called power surges, where you let go of the brake and you actually accelerate slowly.

These don't happen that often, and with skillful piloting, their effects can be minimized, and aren't anything to be alarmed about. If you have a power display, that shows where energy is going and coming from, as well as a battery state of charge dispay, it becomes even easier to control.

 

Thanks Pravus,

That makes sense. So between the new transmission, the two motors turning off and on, the recharging and discharging changes and a computer that is trying to juggle all of that and monitor heat and problems, its amazing the car performs as smoothly as it does.

Wow, this is unbelievable technology we've stumbled on!

 

What a thread to introduce myself -

I just bought a 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid last wednesday (11/21/07). It's black with blond interior, and I have the convenience package. I currently have 280 (or so) miles on it and I absolutely love it. I can't give MPG numbers yet, because i've only used 1/4 of a tank so far I traded in a 1999 Nissan Maxima that had 107K miles on it. Had no problems with it, just wanted a new car. This will be my 3rd Nissan in 11 years, but my first Altima.

Now I'm used to the maxima, then all the other cars I have are american muscle V8's (old school carbureted). This hybrid is a whole different beast for me. I love the acceleration, the tight turns, smooth suspension and the looks. The things I don't like but I'm hoping to get used to: flutter between gas & electronic mode, and (why I'm responding to this post) the push/pull sensation when on the highway. Oh and I have an LED light out on my radio display (the clock, second digit, top led light is out, so the top of my 8's look like a u). I took this to the dealership and what do you know, it started working before I got there. Then a few days later, out again. I'm debating if this is really a big deal and will see how long it lasts before I call them again.


So, when you take off from a stop, I hear this is normal to feel the injectors kicking in. Now if I felt this in my carb'd car, I would think I wasn't getting any gas. It's kind of a herky/jerky flutter sensation. That's the best way I can describe it. Even the service rep at the dealership says this is the injectors and it's perfectly normal. Is this a trait of hybrids?

One more thing - I noticed when coasting to a stop and you go into EV mode, the MPG gage reads all the way up to 60 - mine was staying this way during my stop, but I've noticed the last few days, that the MPG gage drops to 0 when I come to the complete stop. Is this my car just going through it's quirks as it still breaks in?

Thanks for any input. Other than that, I love my car so far

Sarah-

 

Hi and Welcome,

On the Altima hybrid, when the regular engine comes on, you feel it slightly. This is normal and you will notice it more when the car is cold.

If you consider how loud a normal car is when starting, however, you might be amazed how quiet the NAH actually is. No starter is a help, but the starter is only part of the noise one hears on a normal car start-up. Backing out without turning on the engine and then having it come to life while I'm accelerating freaks my Father-in-law out every time he rides in our car, but I'm used to it now.

My problem is after I drive the NAH and then go back to my other car, I get worried about all the sounds I constantly hear on my normal Honda Civic.

 

Thanks for the info. Looks like the transition from EV to gas is just something I'm going to have to get used to

Sarah-