Anyone here own a Hybrid car?

[vi edit]

Like Jules said, the critical thing with Hybrids is that they are most efficient in stop & go city crawling. They easily destroy any other straight up gas vehicle of similar size in that setting. If you do a majority of your driving on the highway then their benefits really start to dwindle.

Price wise, a Prius is a relatively good value given the size and options of the car. It's not really that much of a premium over many other mid size sedans. The Camry Hybrid carries a bit of a premium, but can be had for around $24k if you don't option it out. It's faster than the base 4cylinder, gets excellent city milage and over 40MPG on the highway. It's still a relatively decent value if you are more city driving oriented but still take some long trips. If/when gas goes back up to $4+ a gallon then their value just continues to increase.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Like Jules said, the critical thing with Hybrids is that they are most efficient in stop & go city crawling. They easily destroy any other straight up gas vehicle of similar size in that setting. If you do a majority of your driving on the highway then their benefits really start to dwindle.

Price wise, a Prius is a relatively good value given the size and options of the car. It's not really that much of a premium over many other mid size sedans. The Camry Hybrid carries a bit of a premium, but can be had for around $24k if you don't option it out. It's faster than the base 4cylinder, gets excellent city milage and over 40MPG on the highway. It's still a relatively decent value if you are more city driving oriented but still take some long trips. If/when gas goes back up to $4+ a gallon then their value just continues to increase.

Gas is over $4/gallon here. I filled up a couple days ago and it was $4.19/gallon for regular unleaded.

 

[jaedaliu]

Gas is over $4/gallon here. I filled up a couple days ago and it was $4.19/gallon for regular unleaded.

WTF. It was only 10 - 20 cents more /gallon when I moved to New England 1 year ago. Now, there's a 70 cents difference?!

 

[pauldun170]

There is no real "pro vs con"
Once you factor out styling, interior space and "toys" its about what you consider to be a performance metric that is important to you.

Some people want to be able to brag about how much HP their car makes or how fast they can take an off ramp
Some people want to be able to brag about how many miles they can get out of one tank.

You pay for what you want to brag about.

I would pay 5K over the base model for the faster variant of a car.
My wife would pay 5k over the base model for variant of a car with leaves and shit on the dashboard. Whatever "green" insignia the brand uses to note the "environmentally friendly, save the world" crap is popular with consumers.

 

[rsutoratosu]

I have a rx450h and city driving only gets me around 20-25mpg, highway gets me 32/33 in warm weather and 27-30 during winter.

-Hybrid can't go up hills on battery itself.. my car is around 4500/4600 pounds.
-Hybrid sucks in winter, battery does not hold charge well and the engine shuts off in the cold too
-Hybrid sucks in NYC city traffic ? why, you can't drive in battery mode, people will fving honk like crazy thus i always go pass the battery mode into power range and uses gas.

I'm sure city traffic in other places will be much better but in my instance.. my highway gets better mpg because i rarely stop and go.

To my surprise, this heavy ass car gets 32/33mpg highway is awesome. I dont know how much a prius weights or how well it does up hills, my car sucks on up hill

 

[Blackjack200]

I have a Prius, only get 42 MPG because I'm always doing 80 on the highway, but it's worth it for me because in another car I'd probably only be getting mid-upper 20s driving the way I do, and in 15 months I've put 31,000 miles on it. I've already saved $1,300 over a car that gets 27 MPG.

 

[Imported]

We have a Prius. Put close to 20k miles a year on a car so we decided to get one. It will probably be sold once we relocate somewhere a bit closer to work. I'm hoping for a used Cayman to replace it. :ninja:

 

[slag]

I have a hybrid -- Nissan Titan. It's part truck and part passenger hauler with the 4 doors and a bed. It's great, but I get like 15-18 mpg, however, it is a nice hybrid vehicle that takes the place of two other vehicles, so I really like it.

 

[Vetterin]

Show me one that gets anywhere near that in city driving.

City driving is where the hybrid shines. Highway mileage is a useless figure for anyone commuting daily in SoCal traffic.

Well after 40,000 miles I'm averaging just over 42 mpg in my Cruze Eco 6MT. I drive 75 miles per day in and out of Chicago (which I will put up against your SoCal traffic anyday).

Just in case you're a little skeptical.....http://www.fuelly.com/driver/vetterin/cruze

 

[jaedaliu]

Well after 40,000 miles I'm averaging just over 42 mpg in my Cruze Eco 6MT. I drive 75 miles per day in and out of Chicago (which I will put up against your SoCal traffic anyday).

Just in case you're a little skeptical.....http://www.fuelly.com/driver/vetterin/cruze

Very impressive. How long is your commute? (time-wise)

I was 50 miles round trip for a total of 2hr 15 min - 3hr 45 min when I lived in LA.

 

[pauldun170]

I have a hybrid -- Nissan Titan. It's part truck and part passenger hauler with the 4 doors and a bed. It's great, but I get like 15-18 mpg, however, it is a nice hybrid vehicle that takes the place of two other vehicles, so I really like it.

Well done sir

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well after 40,000 miles I'm averaging just over 42 mpg in my Cruze Eco 6MT. I drive 75 miles per day in and out of Chicago (which I will put up against your SoCal traffic anyday).

Just in case you're a little skeptical.....http://www.fuelly.com/driver/vetterin/cruze

Nice try but that car is rated at 25mpg city. Either you are doing a lot of highway driving and just don't realize it or your particular car is magic and has unicorns under the hood powering it.

Here is a guy who lives in NYC who averages 24mpg in the same car but has gotten a best of 37.2 mpg (probably highway).

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/incanus/cruze

 

[jaedaliu]

Nice try but that car is rated at 25mpg city. Either you are doing a lot of highway driving and just don't realize it or your particular car is magic and has unicorns under the hood powering it.

Here is a guy who lives in NYC who averages 24mpg in the same car but has gotten a best of 37.2 mpg (probably highway).

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/incanus/cruze

Cruze Eco is a special case Cruze.

fueleconomy.gov has the 2013 rated for 28 city, 33 combined, and 42 highway.

Pretty damn impressive for someone that goes 75 miles in stop and go traffic.

 

[jhu]

Nice try but that car is rated at 25mpg city. Either you are doing a lot of highway driving and just don't realize it or your particular car is magic and has unicorns under the hood powering it.

Here is a guy who lives in NYC who averages 24mpg in the same car but has gotten a best of 37.2 mpg (probably highway).

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/incanus/cruze

Or he's hypermiling. It's a pain in the ass to do in stop and go traffic but it's possible.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Cruze Eco is a special case Cruze.

fueleconomy.gov has the 2013 rated for 28 city, 33 combined, and 42 highway.

Pretty damn impressive for someone that goes 75 miles in stop and go traffic.

I doubt it is stop and go traffic. If the car is rated at 28 mpg city I don't see how it would be possible to get 14 mpg higher than the rated city mileage in that type of driving.

 

[TridenT]

Gas is over $4/gallon here. I filled up a couple days ago and it was $4.19/gallon for regular unleaded.

Yep, it's that much around here too... At least it is at the gouge you lots stations.

 

[JTsyo]

Many of the new cars are coming with engine shutoff during stops. That'll help fuel economy dramatically for stop and go but it shouldn't be better than city rating.

 

[tweakmonkey]

I've never bought a new hybrid - but I have driven a used 2001 Honda Insight for 40k miles. I bought it with 130k about 5 years ago. I do a lot of highway commuting these days but originally bought it because I wanted a lightweight 2-seater with a 5-speed transmission that was also reliable and easy to park. It also happened to get good gas mileage. I drove my friend's Insight and loved it, so I bought this one.

0-60 is around 10 seconds, 0-30 is faster than most cars that take to get to 60 since it has lots of torque with the electric motor. I've taken it over 100 before. It's nimble (great turn in and braking since it's 1850 lbs / aluminum) and fun to drive with a 5 speed. Average MPG in my 40k is 52.5, but I drive 80 on the freeway and WOT/hooliganish around town. If I baby it I can get 100 mpg at 40 mph assuming no stoplights, and 75+ at 60 but I never drive that slow.

Reliability has been perfect (no changes except oil, all the engine and clutch etc. are original). EXCEPT I did replace the hybrid battery, which died at about 158k miles. The car drove fine without it, but was a bit slower and less fun. MPG was still about 50 without the battery installed. It cost me $2000 to replace it. I paid $7500 for the car so I figure I'm still way out ahead, once every 10 years I'll just replace it again. My friend's Insight also required a new battery around 150k miles.

Some people want to be able to brag about how many miles they can get out of one tank.

You pay for what you want to brag about.

I definitely didn't buy my car to brag about gas mileage. I bought it because it makes sense to have a car that goes 600 miles on a 10 gallon tank instead of 250 etc., and it's as reliable as any Honda except the battery pack that's worth worrying about on a used hybrid.. I'm the kind of person that likes to save money.

 

[Doppel]

42 mpg in a cruze Eco if you do all highway and never speed or very damn little city and hyper mile. Regular joe driving that car is never getting 42 average no matter what, period.

Hybrids are great, highly recommend each family to have one. Even a large family has a lot of 1-2 person errands and commuting and they shine in this. The technology is thoroughly mature now and fantastic.

 

[JulesMaximus]

42 mpg in a cruze Eco if you do all highway and never speed or very damn little city and hyper mile. Regular joe driving that car is never getting 42 average no matter what, period.

Hybrids are great, highly recommend each family to have one. Even a large family has a lot of 1-2 person errands and commuting and they shine in this. The technology is thoroughly mature now and fantastic.

I seriously want to kill people who do that.

 

[Yuriman]

I seriously want to kill people who do that.

It drives me nuts when I see people floor it up to a traffic light and slam on the brakes 25ft away. I take my foot off the gas when the light in front of me turns red, because nobody is going anywhere until the light changes.

If it drives you nuts that I start to slow down early, maybe you ought to consider what you're doing. I get 40mpg city in a car rated for 23/24/27 and I don't drive slow, I just don't waste gas accelerating toward red lights. Hypermiling is the art of slowing down intelligently, as that's where you lose the vast majority of your fuel economy.

 

[Mide]

Just for a CPO 2010 Prius with 30k on the clock. If you shop around some you'll find some good prices. I've driven Civics, Fits, Saabs, G35s, etc.

The main things I've noticed is that the MPG is nutty good. 48 mixed. I can get more if I put the thing in Econ mode and do everything to piss off fellow drivers. I remember getting 34 mixed in the Fit which I thought to have great MPG.

The regenerative braking takes a bit to get used to be it's cool to know that it is recharging the battery. The best part of a hybrid is when the engine shuts off at a stop light. Electric mode is neat but realistically unless you are in really slow traffic it is hard to keep it totally economic without having people behind you want to run you over. "You don't want to be that guy".

 

[natto fire]

It drives me nuts when I see people floor it up to a traffic light and slam on the brakes 25ft away. I take my foot off the gas when the light in front of me turns red, because nobody is going anywhere until the light changes.

If it drives you nuts that I start to slow down early, maybe you ought to consider what you're doing. I get 40mpg city in a car rated for 23/24/27 and I don't drive slow, I just don't waste gas accelerating toward red lights. Hypermiling is the art of slowing down intelligently, as that's where you lose the vast majority of your fuel economy.

Seriously, the red light racers and people that use brakes on controlled access highways have a special place in hell. Although it is entertaining to watch their dance of stupidity, I must admit it sometimes interrupts my flow of traffic.

I guess, like my last correspondence with Jules would suggest, we can't all be cool drivers like him and we are all retards waiting to slaughter at the great driving god. (Look I interjected my opinion that California drivers are left-lane occupying twits) guarantee I could win that poll.

 

[fr]

I drive a Prius C and I get about ~52 MPG in the summer and ~48MPG in the winter with 80% highway driving. I use all the common MPG-maximizing techniques (pulse and glide, warp stealth), but I am always aware not to annoy people on the road. I do not grille block or super inflate my tires like some do to increase their MPGs.

My most fuel efficient highway drive so far:

Pros:

-Very high MPG if you learn how to drive it right.
-No starter, alternator, serpentine belt, or timing belt to replace.
-A/C and power steering are electric and supposed to be maintenance-free.
-Less wear on brakes due to regenerative braking.
-Some people are impressed by you being able to get in your car and drive off without making any startup noise.
-You can use it as a electric generator, but I have never done so.
-Super small turning radius. Smaller than any car it's size. Very useful in parking lots and making U-turns.

Cons:

-Slow: 0-40 is relatively quick. 40-70 is meh. Anything faster and it starts to sound and feel like you are working the gas engine hard. Sometime short merges are a small challenge.


I usually drive ~65MPH and stay in the right lane. I've never taken it above 86MPH.

Before, I had a Lexus that got 19-22MPG. I used to drive ~85MPH. Cops caught me speeding about once per year.

So far, no traffic stops with the Prius.

 

[Yuriman]

I drive a Prius C and I get about ~52 MPG in the summer and ~48MPG in the winter with 80% highway driving. I use all the common MPG-maximizing techniques (pulse and glide, warp stealth), but I am always aware not to annoy people on the road. I do not grille block or super inflate my tires like some do to increase their MPGs.

My most fuel efficient highway drive so far:

Pros:

-Very high MPG if you learn how to drive it right.
-No starter, alternator, serpentine belt, or timing belt to replace.
-A/C and power steering are electric and supposed to be maintenance-free.
-Less wear on brakes due to regenerative braking.
-Some people are impressed by you being able to get in your car and drive off without making any startup noise.
-You can use it as a electric generator, but I have never done so.
-Super small turning radius. Smaller than any car it's size. Very useful in parking lots and making U-turns.

Cons:

-Slow: 0-40 is relatively quick. 40-70 is meh. Anything faster and it starts to sound and feel like you are working the gas engine hard. Sometime short merges are a small challenge.


I usually drive ~65MPH and stay in the right lane. I've never taken it above 86MPH.

Before, I had a Lexus that got 19-22MPG. I used to drive ~85MPH. Cops caught me speeding about once per year.

So far, no traffic stops with the Prius.

I'd love to own a Prius, but I think my dream car is a first-gen Insight. It's basically my hybrid of choice, I don't think there's a production car that has lower aerodynamic drag so you can get excellent gas mileage even with a bigger engine swapped into it. Google "k20 insight", they claim to still get close to 50mpg with over 200whp.

Many of the economical savings of a hybrid are really not related to the electric drivetrain - things such as electric power steering and other accessories, improved aerodynamics at the expense of traditional aesthetics, and downsizing the engine. The electric drivetrain *mostly* just makes it more fun to drive an economy car.

The best I've done personally is this:

^ 51mpg on the way back from a Starbucks, 4 stoplights and a stop sign. I believe I had 49mpg on the way there so I averaged around 50mpg for 10 miles of city driving. I have a 1994 Honda Del Sol (heavy for a Honda) with a B18C motor (~170hp@crank) coupled with the very, very short transmission from the B16A, which kills my highway mileage (4300rpm @ 70mph). Only mods I have other than the swap are a slight lowering and I keep my tires at around 40psi.

Honestly, I have no idea how anybody gets at or below their EPA rating.