Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's been well over eight years since I first encountered a hybrid -- a Toyota Prius n a C-store parking lot in an upscale part of suburban D. C. Plenty of water has gone over the dam in the intervening years, and perhaps appropriately, the fuel-price worries that sparked the interest in hybrids peaked only two years later.
So with a slow-but-steady growth in the interest in hybrid teechnology. but fuel prices under negative pressure unseen since sometime in the Nineties, I'm wondering what the future will hold for the hybrid market. One point which interests me particularly is how. or even whether the kinowledge to service them will move outside the dealerships.
It was Henry Ford himself who said "Pioneering don't pay", and while I recognize that instability is a permanent feature of the petroleum-based econoomy and that it's always a good idea to hedge one's bets, it would appear at this point that the advantages of hybrid technology have been dealt a substanitial setback by the workings of the markets.
i''d like to hear the comments of some of the regulars here on that issus.
Toyota's hybrid system can no longer be called "pioneering." In fact, it is rock-solid reliable. Hybrids are here to stay--there is still nothing that can touch them, except a pure electric, in city fuel economy and, let's face it, that is the type of driving most Americans do.
I just computed my lifetime fuel economy to date on my Prius--which actually sees more highway miles than city, by a long shot. Get ready for it--49.3 mpg. Problems with the vehicle to date? ZERO, just oil changes. So, great vehicle, using way less fuel than a comparable conventional vehicle--doesn't matter how expensive or cheap gas is, it still costs less per mile for fuel than driving a conventional engine vehicle. And, with Toyota's history to date, the hybrid battery pack should be good for at least 200K miles--enough that it will outlast a lot of the rest of the car, I suspect.
Unlike many, I also feel that today's lowering fuel prices are just a temporary event. I think the long-term price trend is going to be up, probably outpacing both wage inflation and other commodity price inflation. With the current dip in fuel prices, it is probably an ideal time to buy a hybrid--while the idiots are clamoring for gas guzzlers.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57750
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover
Toyota's hybrid system can no longer be called "pioneering." In fact, it is rock-solid reliable. Hybrids are here to stay--there is still nothing that can touch them, except a pure electric, in city fuel economy and, let's face it, that is the type of driving most Americans do.
Unlike "most Americans" the driving I do in one of our cars is mostly long highway trips, the other is a truck used for hauling things that won't fit in any hybrid but also mostly highway. Our third is a little 4 cylinder beater that goes 5 miles round trip to the park and ride for the commute to work by bus. I paid
$950 for it (at 14 years old) and it's lasted 4 years so far. A Hybrid would be a waste for us, and we are not likely to be the only ones. I agree that the current gas prices under $3 won't last, but I also think the less expensive and more fun to drive conventional gas engine with turbo such as our 1.6 liter with 180 HP getting 32 MPG highway will continue to outsell the hybrid.
What is the market share for hybrids? They have been around for a long time to have made an impression. My point is a lot of people who wanted to buy them have already done so. I have never driven one so can’t say how I feel about them.
Unlike "most Americans" the driving I do in one of our cars is mostly long highway trips, the other is a truck used for hauling things that won't fit in any hybrid but also mostly highway. Our third is a little 4 cylinder beater that goes 5 miles round trip to the park and ride for the commute to work by bus. I paid
$950 for it (at 14 years old) and it's lasted 4 years so far. A Hybrid would be a waste for us, and we are not likely to be the only ones. I agree that the current gas prices under $3 won't last, but I also think the less expensive and more fun to drive conventional gas engine with turbo such as our 1.6 liter with 180 HP getting 32 MPG highway will continue to outsell the hybrid.
I also drive a big pickup for my work, but I drive the Prius whenever I don't need the truck. Most of my driving is rural and the Prius still beats nearly everything on the road for per mile fuel cost. I happen to be a diesel lover, but a diesel in an automobile just doesn't pan out for cost. Most any diesel car, even a diesel Cruze, will cost more than a Prius to buy, and they won't get at as good a fuel economy as the Prius in the city. In rural driving, the Prius fuel economy is still around 48-50 mpg, which a VW diesel or Chevy Cruze can attain with the diesel, but the diesel fuel is way more expensive--right now, where I live, diesel fuel is $1.10 higher per gallon than gasoline.
I constantly hear the trumpeting, "Well, my 'fill-in-the-blank' compact conventional engine car gets 40 mpg on the highway." I wonder if they do the math to understand that is only about 80% of the Pruis' fuel economy? And, of course, most of the same conventional cars get about 25 mpg in the city--that's HALF of the Prius' city fuel economy.
All I can say is that it's really nice to make a 500 mile drive in an extremely reliable, comfortable, adequately performing car on a whopping 10 gallons of fuel.
If you read the owner reviews you’d think there are no downsides to hybrids. The battery is not an issue and nothing else seems to be a problem source so why wouldn’t everybody buy a hybrid?
If you read the owner reviews you’d think there are no downsides to hybrids. The battery is not an issue and nothing else seems to be a problem source so why wouldn’t everybody buy a hybrid?
My short answer is that most of the American car-buying public is pretty dumb and brainwashed by the marketing mavens of the auto companies whose big profits are in big gas-guzzling vehicles. Also, Toyota/Lexus is the only car maker that has really gotten the hybrid technology right so far. I wouldn't buy any of the other manufacturers' hybrids that are on the market right now.
My short answer is that most of the American car-buying public is pretty dumb and brainwashed by the marketing mavens of the auto companies whose big profits are in big gas-guzzling vehicles. Also, Toyota/Lexus is the only car maker that has really gotten the hybrid technology right so far. I wouldn't buy any of the other manufacturers' hybrids that are on the market right now.
Conventional gas cars make compelling arguments. The Honda Fit does everything the Prius does and does it better. The one thing it can't do is match the mileage. It's a fantastic little car with an absurd amount of space and practicality (a major reason I bought the Prius as well, but the Fit is just better). It's also in the real world about $1,500 cheaper due to discounting on the Prius and a bit better equipped. That's partly because it's a brand-new model versus one that should have already been replaced. Next Prius will address that, I have no doubt.
But anyway, do you spend $1,500 more to get an extra 1/3 is gas mileage for a car that's really worse? For me the answer is yes. Doesn't bug me that someone would take the Fit over a Prius. Likewise, it doesn't bug me at all if people want to purchase big crossovers that get poor gas mileage and cost a lot of money. I'm sure there's things they like just as much as I like going 500 miles between now sub $30 fillups. I'm a cheapskate, so even though the Fit is generally a better car even at $3/gallon for gas I'm more than happy with my choice. There's two Fits (and another Prius) in the extended family.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
