2008 Nissan Altima 2.5 S SPORT COUPE

If Ford had some technology that General Motors needed, would the Blue Oval sell it to its cross-town competitor?

You bet. Business is business.

Another example: If you have a five-speed automatic in your late-model German-engineered Ultimate Driving Machine BMW, chances are it was built in France by GM.

So when Nissan was looking to get into the mid-size hybrid sedan market, it faced a choice: spend billions developing its own system; or buy the expensive electric bits, lock, stock and continuously-variable-transmission (CVT), from arch-rival Toyota.

Mate them to Nissan's own 2.5 L four-cylinder engine, stuff it all into the new-last-year Altima, and Ichiro's your uncle.

Whatever can be said about the new Altima Hybrid can be broken down into how it is similar to the regular Altima, and how it is different.

What you see inside and out is pretty much identical, apart from subtle badging. Nissan has decided as a corporate objective to make its cars stand out from the crowd. Yes, Toyota sells a lot of beige Camrys, but Nissan is looking for a different kind of customer.

So Altima is an almost in-your-face good-looking car, with jewel-like headlights and taillights, and a low, sleek silhouette, which sacrifices some interior space, notably rear seat headroom.

A further sacrifice is made in the hybrid version because approximately one-fifth of the regular car's 370 L trunk has been axed to accommodate the big battery. The resulting space, though, is fairly usable.

Efforts were made with the new-generation Altima to upgrade interior trim quality – trying to remember back far enough to the last regular Altima I drove, it seems as if they have done so, although sonnets will not likely be written on this topic.

I don't recall in the regular Altima the foot-operated parking brake dangling down so scarily close to my left shin like it does in the hybrid, but I can't imagine it's any different. It must pass crash standards, but it looks like a threat, as most such pedals are closer to the left footwell kick panel on the side.

At least Altima, as do most Nissans, has active front seat head restraints, perhaps the most cost-beneficial safety system in the car business.

Nissan is also trying to distinguish itself as the "handling" company, implying that its cars are more fun to drive than the competition.

This translates into Altima having a firmer suspension than most. It may have gone too far in that direction, because the ride is knobbly without much in the way of compensatory handling prowess.

All Altimas now have push-button start. In the Hybrid of course, it simply awakens the sleeping electric giant under the hood.

Unlike Toyota's Prius and more like the Camry Hybrid, there isn't a huge computer graphic display telling you where every electron is flowing. I think the idea is to make the Altima Hybrid seem as normal as possible. A small Ready indicator suggests the car is, well, ready.

I drove the car mostly in cold snowy weather, and this may not be the best environment to illustrate the benefits of a hybrid.

For example, the car almost always seemed to be operating with the gasoline engine running; electrics don't love the cold that much, so the fuel consumption advantage may not be maximal.

Acceleration is strong and the car runs quietly, even when cruising with the four-banger pumping away, only getting a bit raucous when accelerating hard.

Interesting that the hybrid four-cylinder's output is much lower than the regular car's – 158 versus 175 hp, and 162 lb.-ft. of torque versus 180 (very interestingly, virtually identical to Camry's base four-cylinder). The electric motor more than compensates, adding approximately 140 hp and 199 lb.-ft.

The CVT doesn't shift as such, and so is seamless in operation.

Various groans, wheezes and whistles emanate from the car, front and back, ignition on or off, because there are cooling fans and pumps that run under the control of a computer somewhere.

There is a noticeable shudder when the gasoline engine switches on or off and, as with all CVT transmissions, changes in road speed do not always correspond to changes in engine r.p.m.

One downside did raise its ugly head during my test: like many, and perhaps all hybrid vehicles, it is not possible to turn off the Traction Control system.

I know that some hybrids don't allow this system to be deactivated because excessive wheelspin can damage components of the CVT. Not sure if this is Altima's issue or not, but not being able to shut it off was, I'm sure, a big factor in the car getting stuck in my driveway.

For some, driving a hybrid is a statement, not an economic decision. Fair enough. Nobody buys a Porsche in Canada to be able to go 250 km/h on the 401.

Interesting, though, to look at Altima Hybrid's financials versus Camry Hybrid's, from which the Nissan acquires most of it hybrid technology.

According to Transport Canada's calculations, Camry's regular four-cylinder automatic will cost you $1,440 per year in fuel, while Nissan's larger, more powerful 2.5 L four costs only $1,386.

Hybridize them, and the advantage swings the other way: $1,026 for Camry, $1,044 for Altima.

Marginal sure, and only truly relevant if your driving matches Transport Canada's assumptions (20,000 km per year, 55 per cent city driving, 90 cents a litre for fuel). Higher gas prices (guaranteed) and more city driving might force the advantage more toward the hybrid.

Also, comparing the V6 numbers (Camry $1,620; Altima $1,840), which may be more relevant because the performance is closer, bolsters the hybrid's case.

Any way you slice it, the fuel savings will be in the hundreds of dollars per year – about what you'd save by twice-daily switching from a venti to a grande latte.

Calculating the actual payback is made (deliberately?) difficult by the manufacturers, because they don't offer exactly the same specification and equipment, hybrid versus regular, for apples-to-apples comparison.

In Altima's case, the hybrid has the highest base MSRP in the range: $33,998, versus $25,698 for a CVT-equipped base Altima four-cylinder, or $32,498 for a CVT-equipped V6.

You'd have to go through the standard-versus-optional equipment lists for all variants, factoring in whether you'd actually want some of the stuff you have to take on the hybrid, to determine whether the fuel savings make up for the extra capital cost.

The various (ill-advised, in my view) government grants may swing the balance toward the hybrid, but resale value might slam that pendulum back.

I don't know that the market has enough experience yet with older hybrids to really evaluate their long-term worth, but a couple of anecdotal situations with which I am familiar suggest it will take a while before the used-car market warms to hybrids, probably due to uncertainty about long-term reliability.

Suffice to say that if a hybrid mid-size sedan appeals to you, Altima has to be on your shopping list, because there are really only two other options. Now that the Accord hybrid has been dropped, it's Camry or the new Malibu, and the latter is really a mild hybrid, hence really isn't in the same game.

If you want some style and ride firmness to go with your green suit of clothes, the Altima Hybrid is probably your choice.

The new-for-2008 Altima Coupe, unveiled at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show, does what a coupe should do – look and feel special while being practical and comfortable.

This two-door is rakish in a way the bulging Altima sedan isn't (almost every body panel is different from the four-door's, Nissan says). But it asks for a few compromises in return.

The first is access to the back seats. While they're spacious enough for adults, getting into them isn't easy. The thick pillars and small windows can add a claustrophobic note.

The bigger compromise is the trunk. Its floor is way up high; blame the swoopy body styling.

Two engines are offered: a 175 hp 2.5 L four and a 270-horse 3.5 L V6.

In profile, the Altima Coupe looks a lot like the similarly sized Pontiac G6 coupe, but that's not a bad thing. The roof is a low, sweeping arc reminiscent of the Infiniti G37, the wheel arches are big and bulging and the stance is aggressive.

Too bad, then, that my four-cylinder tester came with 16-inch wheels and high-profile tires, which don't really match the car's sporty image (and don't look as good as the fat wheels that come standard on the G6).

But the little wheels and big sidewalls do make for a calm, sedan-like ride.

Fitted with a continuously variable transmission (a six-speed manual is standard equipment and would be my choice), my Altima whispered down the road with a minimum of fuss, the engine humming away near-silently.

The four-cylinder is more than fast enough for most driving situations.

It's refined when cruising, pleasantly snarly under hard acceleration and has fine throttle response when it matters.

It is also shockingly economical. Despite a heavy foot, I averaged less than 8 L/100 km in mostly urban driving, an impressive figure for a mid-size car with an automatic transmission.

Turn the aggressiveness up a notch and you find the Altima's steering to be precise and communicates a lot of road feel. The suspension delivers decent handling with very little body roll.

The brakes are sharp and responsive.

In terms of handling, it's right up there with the entertaining G6.

A similar balance of sportiness and refinement is reflected in the interior, which is comfortable for four while retaining the intimacy and sporty styling cues appropriate for a coupe.

The easy-to-read gauges are set deep into their pods and lit with orange. The dash and console sport textured aluminum inserts. The four-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in thick leather with audio and cruise controls.

Seating position and ergonomics are spot on: the seats and steering wheel have a wide range of adjustment; the centre stack is clearly designed.

The dashboard shares its architecture with the Altima sedan and is no poorer for that.

Fit-and-finish and material quality are much improved over the old Altima and are as good as anything in the class.

No complaints about the level of standard equipment. Even the base model Altima two-door comes with a full complement of power assists and a/c.

You also get a convenient keyless entry and start system, which means you never need to take the key out of your pocket.

The Bose stereo sounds fantastic; you can get Bluetooth integration for your cellphone.

Most of the Altima coupe's goodness – as well as a roomier, more accessible rear seat and a larger trunk – is available in the Altima sedan, which drives almost as well but, overall, doesn't feel quite as special.

And the four-door sedan is already a looker in its own right.

Then again, coupes court those privileged enough to be able to indulge themselves. If you like the look of this two-door, you'll like the rest of the package, too.

Growing up in a French-Acadian family, my father had a line for anything he disliked. "It's the dose," he'd say in his thick accent, and then scrunch up his nose.

He criticized any friend or relative who took home a new two-door, four-seater coupe. "The dose," he'd tell them, explaining that every two-door car was impractical – the climb to and from the back feasible only for a 6-year-old, and opening the long door and flipping the seat too inconvenient to let out riders on a busy street.

Over the last few years, it seemed everyone thought coupes were the dose. Sales numbers fizzled, sporty two-doors fell off the rosters of Acura and Toyota.

But that was just a temporary slide in popularity. Coupes are now enjoying a revival like never before, and auto makers are hopping on the bandwagon.

Nissan's all-new Altima Coupe is helping restore faith – at least mine – in the Japanese auto maker. Nearly a decade ago, under the direction of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan was rocketing toward its own renaissance. Nearly every model was new; Infiniti was receiving praise for its lineup, too. Then, over the past few years, the excitement at Nissan seemed to plateau.

When the newly redesigned Altima sedan launched late last fall, it appeared the auto maker was again gunning for a blue ribbon. In less than a year, it's delivered two other variants of its popular family sedan: a hybrid and the new coupe.

Coupes are supposed to be unique compared with the sedans from which they are often derived. The Altima two-door shares only the hood with the sedan. All body panels, the grille and head- and tail-lamps are unique to the coupe. And though the two cars share a platform, size-wise the coupe's wheelbase and length are shorter, and its profile lower – all the better for a sportier ride.

The coupe might look like an entirely different car than its Nissan sedan siblings, but it borders on plagiarism from its upscale alternative, the Infiniti G35. There is a bonus, however: Nissan drivers hand over $27,798 to get behind the wheel of the entry-level Altima Coupe – nearly $20,000 less than a $47,200 base price Infiniti.

It's expected that many of the best-selling cars on the road right now are little more than appliances with tires: they serve a purpose, but do little to excite. The Altima coupe brings back that loving-to-drive feeling. It's the difference between the life of the party and the wallflower in the corner.

Splashed on billboards across Toronto is Nissan's marketing strategy for its new Altima Coupe: "Take no passengers."

On a Tuesday afternoon at a stoplight, an Altima Coupe billboard in full view, a Mini Cooper driver looked at the advertisement, and then gave the Silver Mist Altima Coupe 3.5 SE the once over. He motioned to the billboard and smiled. No passengers.

It's often easy to forget what it's like to drive for the pleasure of the activity rather than the duty of reaching a destination, and the front-wheel-drive coupe doesn't disappoint in its power, sporty ride and handling and thrill factor.

It's the spirited feel of the coupe that gets you, that creates that excitement you don't feel in four-door family sedans. The coupe looks tame, but 3.5 L V6, the more powerful of the two available engines, oozes 270 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, nearly equal to the Infiniti's 275/268 numbers.

(The base is a 2.5 L four-cylinder with 175 horsepower and 180 lb.-ft. of torque.)

Nissan's continuously variable transmission technology is currently used in about half the models it offers. And like any new technology, it takes time for it to catch on. Driving a car with a CVT feels slightly different than a traditional automatic or manual tranny. The transmission automatically up- and downshifts seamlessly, so you don't feel the shifts.

Most drivers won't miss the feeling of gears engaging, except for those who are in tune with their transmission. But takeoffs are less than perfect from a standing start; your passengers will be doing the head bob as the car leaps forward. The main trade-off is better fuel efficiency. Much of the coupe's interior is shared with the sedan – with the notable exception of the sport-style front seats with extra filling in the side supports. On highway driving and around the city, the seats were fitting in all the right places.

The lofty, however, don't fit too well: a 6-foot-3 passenger's hair scraped the roof. Otherwise, he found cavernous amounts of leg room in both the driver's and passenger's seat with a few seat adjustments.

Inside, the coupe's fit and finish and materials stood out. The cockpit's instruments are housed in easy-to-read pods surrounded in a bold red glow. Push-button ignition and an "intelligent key" that can be left in your pocket rather than plugged into the ignition are standard.

The optional leather seats are as luxurious as expected, but the soft plastic on the dash and the padded door inserts were impressive: they were what you'd expect of a higher-priced coupe (say, an Infiniti).

The coupe is touted as a five-seater, but it's best for four (yes, that climb to and from the back is dreadful, but that's the case with all two-door cars). The rear seat folds and splits 60/40, so you don't always have to pay for electronics/furniture delivery. The trunk, however, is shallower than expected due to a full-sized spare under the floor.

The auto maker isn't shy about saying that coupes are best for the driver and perhaps a front-seat passenger. But Nissan is trying to sell an experience with the coupe, and that's just what you get – a very good one.

In essence, the Accord Hybrid was the automotive equivalent of having one's cake and eating it too. With 255 hp, it was the swiftest Accord in the lineup. Yet it sipped less fuel than the four-cylinder model.

At nearly $40,000, the Accord Hybrid was also an expensive piece of cake. Honda cites the weak sales that resulted as one of the main reasons it decided to stop making it.

So what's an eco-friendly driving enthusiast to do now?

Don't fret. Entries from Nissan, Toyota and Saturn are here to vie for the retiring Accord's title as the hybrid family sedan for drivers:

2007 Saturn Aura Green Line

Even though its rivals benefit from $3,500 of federal and Ontario government rebates, at $27,290, Saturn's "mild" hybrid is still the most affordable of this trio.

"Mild" means the Aura can't run on electric juice alone.

Its 2.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine is aided by an electric motor-generator only when called upon. And even then, it can only muster a combined 164 hp and 159 lb.-ft. of torque, producing the weakest power-to-weight ratio here.

Mild could also describe the Aura's savings at the pump.

Based on a test route that was three-quarters urban driving, the Saturn is rated at 8.5 L/100 km in city driving and 6.2 highway, with an as-tested number of 9.7 – the thirstiest hybrid here

As a driver's car, the Saturn falls somewhere in between the cushy Camry and the athletic Altima. The Aura's accurate steering and well-controlled ride are highlights. It's also luxury-car quiet on highways.

Too bad the Aura's urban driving experience suffers from all the noise and commotion when the engine stop-and-start function is working. And with only four gears in the auto gearbox, there are large gaps between shifts.

WHY BUY? Relatively low price, almost one-third more trunk space than Camry or Altima hybrids.

WHY NOT? The least refined drivetrain that's also down on power and fuel savings.

GAS-ONLY ALTERNATIVE: 2007 Saturn Aura XR $24,990

2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid

At $32,000, the Toyota offers an excellent balance between performance, fuel economy and convenience features. Among these three hybrids, the Camry is a genuine value.

The 45 hp electric motor in the Toyota's drivetrain is shared with the Nissan. In the Camry, it's mated to a 147 hp 2.4 L gasoline four. Torque, at 199 lb.-ft. matches the Altima. But the Camry's combined horsepower is six less at 192.

At 5.7 L/100 km in both city and highway driving, and 7.9 as-tested, the Camry best delivers on the hybrid promise of thriftiness at the pumps.

Like the Nissan, Toyota uses a continuously variable transmission. Unlike the Altima, the Camry's CVT acts like it has only one, long gear. However, the conversion between electric and gas modes is the least intrusive here.

Numbers aside, the Camry possesses the roomiest cabin and the quietest, smoothest and most relaxing driving characteristics of this trio. But what about the Toyota as a hybrid for drivers?

If the Camry Hybrid rolled less in corners, produced less understeer, didn't wallow as much and had some (any!) kind of feel at its helm, it would have easily garnered first place.

WHY BUY? Quiet, roomy cabin, lots of features, highly refined and efficient hybrid powertrain.

WHY NOT? Small trunk, sensory deprivation driving chamber.

GAS-ONLY ALTERNATIVE: 2007 Toyota Camry LE $25,900

2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Having a hybrid powerplant doesn't seem to have diminished Nissan's aspirations with its Altima. It's still one of the better driving front-wheel-drive sedans.

All the vigorous sports sedan attributes that are found in the gasoline-only Altimas – sharp steering, taut suspension, balanced handling, enthusiastic performance – are all present and accounted for in the hybrid version as well.

For the additional $998 Nissan charges over the Toyota, you also get the top performance numbers with the Nissan.

The Nissan combines the Toyota-sourced electrical motor with the largest gasoline four-banger here: a 2.5 L unit. With a combined 198 hp and 199 lb.-ft. of torque, plus the lightest curb weight, feel free to call the Altima the hot rod of hybrids.

As Toyota leads the way in hybrid drivetrain refinement, Nissan plays the same role for CVTs. Unlike the Camry, the Altima's transmission will shift up before it starts to rev too high, and it's more obedient when you request a down shift.

What really helps, from a driver's perspective, is Nissan's dialing-in of fake gear changes. It gives the CVT a more natural feel.

With the Altima's fun-to-drive leanings – guess what? Its 5.6 L/100 km in city driving and 5.9 highway, with an as-tested number of 8.8, can't match Camry's stingy ways.

The Nissan's rear seat backs don't fold, while it's also the noisiest hybrid sedan here. Consider these nits to pick if you're an eco-friendly driving enthusiast.

And note: pack plenty of napkins in your Altima Hybrid for all that cake you'll be eating.

WHY BUY? Sports sedan steering, suspension, and performance.

WHY NOT? Limited cargo room, sports sedan road noise.

GAS-ONLY ALTERNATIVE: 2007 Nissan Altima S + CVT $25,598

MINNEAPOLIS–Nissan unveiled the brand new Altima coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show this winter as a production vehicle rather than following the typical strategy of calling it a concept.

Considering the potential for negative reaction, it was a bold move, but from purely a design standpoint, Nissan probably has a hit on its hands.

This is one of those cars that is instantly pleasing; a result of Nissan creating a nicely balanced look for the two-door with a shorter wheelbase, shorter length overall and a roof height lower than that of its parent, the Altima sedan.

Even among the major body panels, the two cars share only a common hood, a decision by Nissan that sets this coupe apart – not everyone in this segment changes the chassis or body components when dropping a set of rear doors.

Carved from the fourth-generation Altima design, the coupe uses the "D" platform, which has been made more rigid and has a redesigned suspension.

This version of the platform's chassis sees the engine placed lower in the frame and supported by new shock absorbers with rebound springs. This position also spawned new equal-length half-shafts that are more parallel to the ground – changes that help eliminate torque steer in a front-wheel-driver. Good thing too as the V6 makes 270 hp.

This hopped-up 3.5 litre V6 is the "next generation" of the current VQ-series V6. Its acceleration is strong, the exhaust note pleasant (with just a dash of attitude) and can be coupled to the six-speed manual transmission or the Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which thankfully doesn't whine – it doesn't shift either, but you get used to that.

The other choice is the 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder, which makes 175 hp and 180 lb.-ft. of torque. It too is smooth, with a good exhaust note and performance that moves the car out smartly.

Driving the coupe, all these design features – the smaller size; lower centre of gravity; equal power to the front wheels – meshed for a sporty road-hugging feel, whether normal speed or while pushing it.

That's the visceral result of this engineering. In other words, it feels as good as it looks. And, all these impressions are gleaned from a base $28,000 coupe.

That price-point should have a lot to do with whether this model establishes itself. Granted that's equipped with the 2.5-litre engine, but I felt that it was enough (plus some) to keep me grinning.

Also contributing to the coupe's performance feel are a speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering system and four-wheel disc brakes equipped with ABS and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD).

This is a set of brakes that grab. In fact, in my first ride of the day, I felt they were a little overwhelming as both my co-driver and I had a tough time finding just that right amount of gradual pressure for smooth stopping – we both kept getting a hard bite as we first hit the pedal. Interestingly, the V6 version I drove later didn't exhibit this trait.

Inside (like any coupe) it's an "all-about-me" design. Or put nicely: it's driver-centric. It starts with sport-style front seats with good bolster support, tilt and telescoping wheel, stalk and steering wheel controls (depending on accessory package) that push even me (at 6-foot-1) into a low slung, elbows up, F1 posture.

Splitting the cockpit is an in-board parking brake lever (versus sedan's foot release) alongside the sweeping centre stack/console that includes two cupholders and other storage bins (two of which could hold a purse). The seats have nice kangaroo pouches too.

Standard amenities include "Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition," heated cloth seats, power sunroof, dual-zone HVAC, Bluetooth-capability and an available Bose-developed audio system with nine speakers.

Nissan makes good use of soft-feeling plastic materials around the dashboard and on the padded armrests. Chrome accents are nice but kept to a minimum and there are vanity mirrors in both sunvisors.

Standard safety features on the coupe include front and rear crumple zones; dual-stage front airbags; front seat side-impact airbags and roof-mounted curtain airbags for front and rear head protection.

The rear seats in most coupes tend to be an engineer's afterthought – consigned to hold a variety of sweaty sports equipment, discarded latte cups and dog-eared business files. Altima's coupe fares somewhat better – not that I'd want to spend much time back there, but it wasn't hugely uncomfortable and access was straight forward with a passenger-side front seat release that tilted and sprang the seat forward in one motion. The trunk on the coupe is a traditional lift-lid design that reveals a small space. Though this is offset by the lid opening to a full vertical position and a 60/40 flat fold-down rear seat that can be unlatched from the truck or cabin side. With the seat down, there is suddenly a lot of room for cargo – like enough to go camping with.

Since the car is in dealerships now, it won't be long before we learn whether it is indeed a hit.