2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Pros: Acceleration, comfort, stereo, bluetooth, navigation, gas milage, safety, space, style, no need for key.

Cons: Gas mileage would ideally be better, but considering it gets 35 with a 200HP motor and zippy acceleration it is not really a downside.

Summary: We bought this car over the other hybrids for a couple of reasons. When we tested the prius out it did not have visibility in the back. the lower "window" was tinted extremely black. There is a random bar obscuring your vision making this horrible for starter drivers. Acceleration again was horrible. Price was literally 33K after tax for one that included leather and all the goods.
Honda civic hybrid had the worst acceleration at around 12-13 seconds. Felt like it was pushing it on the freeway and was very jerky with the motor. Lots of road noise / bumps.

The nissan altima hybrid coasts along like a dream car. It has plenty of power and still gets great miles per gallon. Also it should be noted that the cars advertising "35MPG!" is a highway estimate and there city is usually somewhare around 24mpg. Also when idling the nissan shuts off it's engine and resumes it when it moves at above 15-20 miles per hour. The engine is so quiet you don't notice it at all. The nissan gets the same score as the honda civic and the prius in california. Outside of california it bests the prius AND the honda civic substantially. The honda civic hyrbid gets a 9/10 and the prius gets an 8. The nissan altima gets a 9.5. Also the honda civic hybrid has only one trim( no leather/bluetooth/heated seats) which could be a deal breaker for you. The nissan altima is still eligible for the full hybrid rebate ( 2,300 dollars ) which brought the price down to 28k after taxes/fees. I was impressed considering with everything loaded it was 35k MSRP ( with tax ). The camry hybrid is probably pretty nice, but had no discounts ( rebates from the government or the dealer )so we decided to go with the altima for 6-7,000 less.