High Gas Prices!  Have you considered a Hybrid?

[Professor]

We went to dinner with the next door neighbors last night. They offered to drive and check out their new hybrid. I was kind of surprised to hear they bought a hybrid ( they own a Lexus, MB SLE, and a F250 CC Diesel) and didn't expect much as I haven't been keeping up with the new stuff. They pull up and we get in.

Let's say I was very much impressed. Heated leather seats, Sunroof, Navagation, all the bells and whistles"¦ pretty well hard loaded. It was a 09 Toyota Camry hybrid. 4 cyl with electric. This is a full blown hybrid as opposed to some of the "mild"￾ hybrids out there. Watching the on board monitoring was pretty neat seeing going from both modes, to electric to charging during coasting and stopping. Performance was pretty impressive. I looked at the consumer reports test and the performance times fell between the I4 and the V6 models. The CR fuel economy was as high as 41mpg observed. He said he was getting over 40. Our 45 minute trip each way netted over 40 in combination driving.

Let just say I'm impressed enough I am seriously considering one.

 

[Busaman5000]

Yeah but what happens when the battery goes bad? What will it cost to replace it? How long does it last? Disposal fee? 40mpg don't seem like all that great considering Civics get around 35mph highway on a pure gas engine.

 

[BlueHaya]

I will be glad when Chevy makes a Hybrid Crew Cab.

 

[Heat]

how about a Hummer Hybrid

 

[Over_Easy]

Been considering a Hybrid as of late, BUT they are not THERE yet. I'm looking to lease a 4-door Civic, 36 mpg and by the time that lease is up Hybrid's will be abundant, very affordable and won't look nearly as horrible as the ones now. BTW, the Camry Hybrid @ 34 mpg sucks when a base Civic gets 36 solely on gas.

 

[runeight]

Never! Give me my V-8! I'm an American for Christ sake and I need my V-8.

r8

 

[turbobusa2000]

Sounds pretty decent. My self I drive my 87 ford escort gt. I get 33mpg. Not bad for a beater!

 

[BlueHaya]

Never! Give me my V-8! I'm an American for Christ sake and I need my V-8.

r8

Get one now in a Tahoe Hybrid

 

[Professor]

Yeah but what happens when the battery goes bad?  What will it cost to replace it?  How long does it last?  Disposal fee?  40mpg don't seem like all that great considering Civics get around 35mph highway on a pure gas engine.

8 Year 100K warrenty on the Battery (and any Hybrid part) so that does not really concern me.

You are comparing a Civic with a full size car. I don't fit in the back of a civic, I was very comfortable in the back of it.

 

[Professor]

I will be glad when Chevy makes a Hybrid Crew Cab.

They are making a Tahoe now.

 

[Professor]

Been considering a Hybrid as of late, BUT they are not THERE yet.  I'm looking to lease a 4-door Civic, 36 mpg and by the time that lease is up Hybrid's will be abundant, very affordable and won't look nearly as horrible as the ones now.  BTW, the Camry Hybrid @ 34 mpg sucks when a base Civic gets 36 solely on gas.

I'm not sure where your number are coming from.    A civic is not the same class/size car. Kind of like comparing a Silverado 1500 to a Ford Ranger.  A toyo Prius would be a better comparison. With the MPG in the mid 40s-50.    

Camry
EPA Rating       I4  V6  Hybrid
EPA city, mpg    24  22  40  
EPA highway, mpg 33  31  38  


Consumer reports          I4    V6     Hybrid
CR's overall mileage, mpg 24    23     34  
CR's city/highway,    mpg 16/36 16/32  28/41  
CR's 150-mile trip,   mpg 29    29     37  

Civic
                              Base Hybrid Base
                              AT          MT
CR's overall mileage, mpg NA  28     37    31    
CR's city/highway, mpg NA  18/43   26/47  22/40  
CR's 150-mile trip, mpg NA  34      45     37

EPA city, mpg                  30      49   30
EPA highway, mpg               40      51   38    


Prius
CR's overall mileage, mpg 44        
CR's city/highway, mpg  35/50      
CR's 150-mile trip, mpg 48      
EPA city, mpg           60      
EPA highway, mpg        51

 

[zukracer]

lots of reasons to look into them, with gas approaching something stupid in price and surpassing it, heading directly to rediculous, the excess cost of a hybrid can be recouped in fewer years now.

The camary, various honda models and even the GM ones aren't bad. The toyota (and lexus) models are slick though.

Honestly, I think 2010 models are going to be where you find your best, most improved technology. Ford has some stuff planned for that model year, more electrics will have come to the US markets and we'll have at least part of a year of a new president to help see where things are going with the oil/gas charlie foxtrot we are currently starring at

For me, I'm paying off my big anus V8 15-20mpg GM trucks and saving for what makes the most sense in the next 18-36months.

 

[Revvv]

Never! Give me my V-8! I'm an American for Christ sake and I need my V-8.

r8

EXACTLY

 

[SAMBUSA]

Never! Give me my V-8! I'm an American for Christ sake and I need my V-8.

r8

Get one now in a Tahoe Hybrid

Yeah and lose your azz when you drive it off the lot. They go new in the $53k range. One thats a year old goes for about $25k.

I'm with John, I want my V8.

Screw the Caribou, drill Alaska.

 

[Busasweety]

We bought the prius just 4 months ago and have loved it everyday !! lots of room in the back, comfortable to drive everything...
To the people who ask about the batteries, my response is 8yrs and heard it cost @ $1400.... but considering the money saved I don't care ! We are getting and average of 47-56mpg, heck this week I haven't seen under 57mpg. By our calculations in 4 months we have driven over 6k miles and if you take the cost difference in car payment increase that we had been paying on older vehic. and then the average cost of fuel then figure the cost of fuel would have been in our other vehic. so on etc.... we have figured we saved $800-$1000 in only 4 months !!!!!!!! Take that and I hope to save 2400-3000 in fuel this year !
This car has tought me alot about putting the foot down and goin....it shows evrything on screen and heck sometimes the the wieght of my boot on the pedal and I can get to 45 or so just on electric !

 

[Projekt]

Hybrids are BS! Wait for TDCI and other advanced diesel technologies to penetrate the US market completely.

 

[twotonevert]

I want to check out the new Tahoe Hybrid. I am not completely sold on electric/gas vehicles. There are a lot of new vehicles that can run flex fuel, but there is only one place in Tulsa to my knowledge you can fill them up. Still though, thats pretty good mileage, but with 4 kids it makes it hard to fit in one.

 

[Professor]

I want to check out the new Tahoe Hybrid. I am not completely sold on electric/gas vehicles. There are a lot of new vehicles that can run flex fuel, but there is only one place in Tulsa to my knowledge you can fill them up. Still though, thats pretty good mileage, but with 4 kids it makes it hard to fit in one.

I can't see the advantage of E85 yet"¦. other than less environment impact by using a renewable resource. E85 is cheaper, but the cost per mile is about 10% higher even with E85 being about 15-20% cheaper to buy per gallon. Todays cost here is 3.15 for E85 vs 3.65 for 87ul. . Performance is down slightly in flex vehicles. If a vehicle was E85 only, they could bump the compression a couple of points to pick up the performance (and the mileage a bit)

I think we have 2-3 E85 locations. I know a couple of Fuleman locations have it.

 

[shawnski]

i work for honda and civic hybrids are pretty much all pre sold. hybrid is good if you drive a lot of miles a year. if you drive 15 to 20 thousand miles a year, might as well get you regular economy car like civic or corolla etc.. because for price difference it takes you 4 to 5 years to pay the difference.

 

[B-12]

Try the new Diesel TDI in an Audi A5


3l TDI Quatro

o-100km/h 5.8 sec. 250 Topspeed (electronical limited)

in mix about 7l/100km

good for long Distance . f you drive in town or urban(much stop and go) take a hybrid
on highway you wont have any savings because the hybrid runs on fuel , with the additional weight of the batterie.

There the new Diesels are unbeatabel with abou 40 mpg and 200HP (if needed)

But
i ride a 5.7 Hemi as company-car
I m not an american , but saw it as my last chance to have a V8