Thread: Hybrid Vehicles

Looking to replace my 10 year old car with a new hybrid. Anyone have real world experience with a Hybrid?

Bob

I have looked into them as we are looking to buy. By my research, Toyota has the most reliable system system out there. We are going to go with a conventional motor Highlander.

Dude...I only drive non GMO vehicles.

If you are going to make the jump make the full leap into Electric

The Hybrid systems really were built as a bridge, they don't do anything great, a good solid 4 cyl will beat their fuel economy without the second hassle/cost of the Electrical system.

When the Hybrid Escape came out I was not only taught how to sell them, but because they were a limited production how to sell around them.
If you live in a city and you are doing stop n go under 30mph you might get enough benefit for it to make sense..

I have a Prius that i've been pleased with. It's been a while since I checked the average MPG but when I did it was 52. Seems as it gets older it might be a little lower but still around 49ish i'd guess.

I know someone who bought one of the larger Toyota hybrids and I was kind of shocked when they told me the mileage it was supposed to get because it didn't seem any better than what i was getting with my Nissan Quest v6.

Yea, Toyota seems to under perform in the mpg actual to what it's rated at in their larger Rav4 AWD Hybrid. The 2021 Ford Escape AWD Hybrid seems to be very close to it's mpg rating. The Ford is looking good being a bit larger than the KIA Forte 2.4 liter FWD I have now and can give me double the mpg in town and loose next to nothing on the highway. Most of my driving is stop and go around town.

Going the full leap to all electric is a no go around here because of poor infrastructure. The limited number of chargers when doing road trips along with some possibly being out of service and/or having to wait to use a charger so I can waste another 20 minutes charging up. I'd sooner do a 10 minute gas stop and be on my way with a Hybrid non plug in variety.

Bob

Longevity is something that would stop me from buying one. A quality gas vehicle (Toyota/Honda) can last for hundreds of thousands of miles if maintained. I have 2 Toyotas in my household. One is an 05 with 102k and other is an 11 with 60k. Both run as new. Everything works. I don't know but time will probably degrade a battery more than a gas motor. Just my .02 and its your money of course.

I would not buy all electric now unless all of your driving involves short hops only. I think infrastructure and charge times are big killers. I still think a major breakthrough needs to be made in batteries.

Hybrids are the best bet depending on the vehicle. Some cars, the systems are more for performance than economy and it depends on the driving you do and the particular system. A car like a Prius could cost you almost nothing in gas costs and they don't plug in so no infrastructure worries.

You need to do a lot of research. Some hybrids like Honda for instance get poor mileage if you drive at speed over 65-70.

You have to consider the cost of gas in this too. Right now where I live one US gallon cost $4.47 in US dollars. The higher the cost of gas the quicker the pay back on a non plug in Hybrid.

Bob

My in laws got an electric Honda. It has a small engine that can charge the batteries. They did their research and it can go on the highway since it has the gas engine. They also have places to charge it. Ma works at the hospital and has a charging station. They were able to do it, but had to do the research first to flesh out if they had the infrastructure near them to make it feasible.