2008 Midsize Hybrid Sedan Comparison

Hybrid powertrains started in small cars—namely the two-passenger Honda Insight and the compact Toyota Prius. Those vehicles were uniquely hybrid, offered only with a gasoline/electric powertrain.


Honda took another tack in 2003, unveiling a compact Civic Hybrid sedan. This time, they took an existing model and gave it a hybrid powertrain, as an alternative to the regular gasoline-engine Civic. Honda introduced a larger Accord Hybrid midsize sedan for 2006. Early in 2007, however, production of the Accord Hybrid ground to a halt.


In hybrid automobiles, a gasoline engine works in concert with an electric motor/generator. The computerized system switches between the two power sources as needed. Depending on the model and on driving conditions, the car might run on battery power alone, the gas engine alone, or both together. When the car is slowing down, regenerative braking takes energy from the powertrain to recharge the system's batteries. Nothing ever needs to be plugged in.


Fuel economy is the main drawing card for hybrids, but emissions also are a factor. The Camry Hybrid, for instance, qualifies as an Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emission Vehicle and meets California's emissions requirements.

The Competition

2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid

All three midsize hybrid sedans were launched during the 2007 model year. Each is a gasoline/electric variant of a model that's also sold with a conventional gasoline engine.


The Toyota Camry Hybrid arrived first, in early summer of 2006, as the popular midsize sedan underwent a major redesign for its sixth generation. Unlike the Prius, which comes only in hybrid form, the Camry Hybrid is an offshoot of the regular gas-engine Camry. Two new upgrade packages are available for the 2008 Camry Hybrid, which went on sale in July 2007. For the new model year, Toyota cut the Camry Hybrid's price by $1,000.


Car-spotters in most parts of the country might rarely see Nissan's Altima Hybrid. Thus far, the Hybrid has been marketed only in California and seven others state that have adopted California's more stringent emissions regulations: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. For 2008, the Altima Hybrid adds standard splashguards and a Diversity Antenna, and XM satellite radio is newly available.


Saturn promotes its Aura Green Line as an "affordable" hybrid, an alternative to the regular gas-engine Aura sedan, launched for 2007 with a four-cylinder or V-6 engine. Little has changed for 2008 on the Hybrid, except that XM satellite radio is now standard. In the fall of 2007, Chevrolet redesigned its Malibu sedan, including a hybrid version that's similar to the Aura.


Overall lengths vary by only an inch or two, but the Aura Green Line rides a 112.3-inch wheelbase—three inches longer than that of a Camry or Altima.

Engines, Transmissions, and Mileage

2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Each midsize hybrid sedan comes only with front-wheel drive. In each case, a four-cylinder engine runs on regular-grade gasoline, mating with an electric motor/generator. Saturn uses a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission for its Aura Green Line sedan, but Toyota and Nissan install continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in the Camry and Altima Hybrids.