Anyone here own a Hybrid car?

[Reasonable Doubt]

If so what are the pros and cons?

Thanks in advance

 

[SlitheryDee]

I don't own one, but I always assumed it was a MPG vs. purchase price type trade off. I would also guess that a hybrid might be more expensive to repair, but not necessarily given the numbers of them on the road these days.

 

[zerocool84]

Cons, you pay more for the car upfront and need to drive a lot to make it up. Most people won't make up the difference between just getting a normal car with great gas mileage. Some people think driving 10k miles a year is a lot. You'd definitely have to drive a lot to make up the difference but when we have normal gas cars that can get around 40mpg now, I wouldn't get a hybrid. Plus it has more things that would eventually need replacing.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

 

[RossMAN]

[Nik]

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[/Nik]

 

[TridenT]

I don't own one, but I always assumed it was a MPG vs. purchase price type trade off. I would also guess that a hybrid might be more expensive to repair, but not necessarily given the numbers of them on the road these days.

That's probably true of any car that is more expensive than some of the competition... But there is an added complexity to hybrids, I'll give you that. However, I would not be intimidated by that if I was to buy one (Unless I was getting one that is 10 years old and has a lot of miles?).

Anyway, why are you asking ATOT the pros and cons? It should be obvious what they are. If you're in the market for a hybrid then you're probably not performance oriented or concerned about handling/track-times. In which case, you're a fine candidate for one (Like 99%+ of the population).

Pros: Generally has better fuel efficiency (Toyota Prius; 50mpg+. I would not get the newer Honda Insights as they are garbage.). It's considered more environmentally friendly. Some have /really/ good emissions in comparison to other cars. I don't think there are any tax incentives anymore or any HOV benefits but that's a YMMV.

Cons: There aren't any significant cons other than that they cost more upfront than their traditional counterparts. That's about it.

Neutrals: It's not fully electric. Most are not plug-ins (Some are and if you do a lot of sub 40 mile trips, then you should highly consider it. You can do many tens of thousands of miles on a Chevy Volt and never use a tank of gas.).

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yes.

I drive about 20k miles a year so the extra cost of a hybrid was about a break even over a comparable gas powered model. I'm averaging 38+ mpg in SoCal traffic out of a nicely equipped midsize Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Pros: excellent fuel economy, excellent resale value

Cons: slightly higher upfront cost, not so much a "drivers" car

 

[PsiStar]

You will not blow anyone's doors off accelerating on to the highway. If needing to be 1st is a frequent occurrence in your driving you will be frustrated. If less so, then a smugness of incredible fuel mileage and less messing around at gas pumps is pretty nice.

I have a Lexus CT200H & get in the high 40s mpg. Most of the driving is very local with occasional 200+ mile trips thru Jersey @ 70 to 80 mph. When traffic goes to a crawl is the most efficient mode for the car as the power cells run the car entirely in creep & crawl. When traffic speeds up I can be there as quick as anyone. No, not as a Maserati, but who is going to drive a Maserati to the grocer ... there are plenty of Maseratis, Bentleys, & Porsches around here. What the hell people do with them in this traffic is a mystery.

My crazy nuts car is a 800 WHP WRX. I'll go to Summit Point any day in that thing but it is not a daily drive.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Cons, you pay more for the car upfront and need to drive a lot to make it up. Most people won't make up the difference between just getting a normal car with great gas mileage. Some people think driving 10k miles a year is a lot. You'd definitely have to drive a lot to make up the difference but when we have normal gas cars that can get around 40mpg now, I wouldn't get a hybrid. Plus it has more things that would eventually need replacing.

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.

 

[zerocool84]

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

City driving is where the hybrid shines.

People driving in a city normally don't drive 20k+ a year.

 

[brainhulk]

Yup

 

[SparkyJJO]

I think Toyota's requirement for every new model of the prius is to make it uglier than the previous model.

 

[JulesMaximus]

People driving in a city normally don't drive 20k+ a year.

By city driving I meant city mpg... which the norm in socal driving.

SoCal=City mpg

You may drive 30 miles on a freeway here every day but it is pretty much comparable to city driving.

 

[BoomerD]

Yup

I've been looking at them, but as others have pointed out, the "break even point" requires quite a few more miles than normal.
We rarely drive even 10,000 miles per year, (some years, not even 7500) so for us, the added cost of a hybrid over a comparably equipped car just doesn't make sense. Yes, I'd LOVE to have a car that gets ~50 MPG in/around town...but financially, it just doesn't add up. (BTW, many of the hybrids don't get anywhere near their advertised EPA mileage. Ford has been getting hammered over their Fusion and C-Max hybrids averaging 10 MPG less than advertised...or worse)

brainhulk, I tried to get into one of the PriusC cars...couldn't get through the door comfortably...and when I did finally get in...I hit my head on the roof. NOT for me. The standard Prius hatchback was fine though.

 

[Leros]

I don't think you need to break even to justify the cost of a hybrid. There is something to be said for supporting the technology.

 

[brainhulk]

I've been looking at them, but as others have pointed out, the "break even point" requires quite a few more miles than normal.
We rarely drive even 10,000 miles per year, (some years, not even 7500) so for us, the added cost of a hybrid over a comparably equipped car just doesn't make sense. Yes, I'd LOVE to have a car that gets ~50 MPG in/around town...but financially, it just doesn't add up. (BTW, many of the hybrids don't get anywhere near their advertised EPA mileage. Ford has been getting hammered over their Fusion and C-Max hybrids averaging 10 MPG less than advertised...or worse)

brainhulk, I tried to get into one of the PriusC cars...couldn't get through the door comfortably...and when I did finally get in...I hit my head on the roof. NOT for me. The standard Prius hatchback was fine though.

I used to drive a 15 mpg SUV. Going to 55 mpg car was just to tempting because all i saw was rising gas prices. That may or may not be the case, but since I work the graveyard and the wifey works days, we have been sharing the car. We've put about 22k miles on it in 1 year as the sole work commuter car and have left the SUV's at home.

Regarding getting through the door, I'm not Trident size but I'm not sasquatch size either. So i'm ok with it.

 

[RossMAN]

I don't think you need to break even to justify the cost of a hybrid. There is something to be said for supporting the technology.

We average around 7k/yr, it would take a long freaking time to break even

 

[NutBucket]

Bought a CR-Z two years ago. Wasn't really planning on it, was looking to get something like a Focus or Civic but ended up liking the looks better. From what I can tell I really didn't pay more then I would have for a similar Civic or Focus. I'm probably getting better fuel economy then I would have with the other two. I'm getting about 40 in mixed driving which is fine by me. At least its not boring to drive and it was able to get an MT. So in this case, the only real trade-off between this and a Civic coupe was the backseat and sunroof. Civic has both, mine has neither. Oh well.

 

[Slew Foot]

I was thinking about an Escape Hybrid for a bit but then they decided to stop making it. Fuckers

 

[BoomerD]

I was thinking about an Escape Hybrid for a bit but then they decided to stop making it. Fuckers

Take a look at the C-Max. It's the "replacement" for the Escape hybrid.

 

[jhu]

BTW, many of the hybrids don't get anywhere near their advertised EPA mileage. Ford has been getting hammered over their Fusion and C-Max hybrids averaging 10 MPG or ess than advertised...or worse

Completely depends on the driver. Wife drives a Prius and gets about 48 mpg/tank. That's pretty close to EPA ratings. Meanwhile, EPA says I should get 29 mpg on the highway in my 2008 gasoline Jetta. I can consistently get 40+ mpg on the highway (best was 46 mpg over 450 miles).

 

[TridenT]

If you want hard numbers, go to fuelly.com. It's self-reported but gives you an idea of real world mileage.

 

[Tiamat]

Take a look at the C-Max. It's the "replacement" for the Escape hybrid.

Too bad I couldn't get the fuel economy beyond 35 mpg in a nice relaxed no traffic highway drive from san Diego to LA... I don't see how it is possible to obtain the rated 40+mpg at all. This is one the only hybrid I have driven (Lexus 400h, prius) that falls so short of rated mpg :/

 

[jaedaliu]

Too bad I couldn't get the fuel economy beyond 35 mpg in a nice relaxed no traffic highway drive from san Diego to LA... I don't see how it is possible to obtain the rated 40+mpg at all. This is one the only hybrid I have driven (Lexus 400h, prius) that falls so short of rated mpg :/

I thought Ford got caught misrepresenting their hybrid MPGs.

 

[JTsyo]

I was thinking about an Escape Hybrid for a bit but then they decided to stop making it. Fuckers

My wife drives an 2005 Escape hybrid and I got a 2013 Fusion hybrid. The tech has come a long way. When driving the Escape now, it doesn't feel like a hybrid any more. Still haven't replaced the brakes on the Escape yet, 80K+ miles. Yay regenerative braking.

I thought Ford got caught misrepresenting their hybrid MPGs.

I notice with my Fusion, I can get about 52 mpg in city driving but only like 35 on the highway. The EPA testing for highway doesn't go to 65-70 mph. The Fusion can switch to electric at speed for up to 62mph. I think that's where the difference comes.