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Hey there! Any of you own a Hybrid? If so - what kind of gas mileage are you actually getting?
Also - were you able to get the hybrid tax credit on your return? I've heard there are a lot of limitations to this.
We have an Odyssey (that I love) and the lease is up later this year. I love my van but don't love the cost of the gas I'm having to put into it. I have 3 kids (2 in booster seats, one still in regular car seat). I know the Accord comes in a hybrid but I'm not sure I could fit all three kids comfortably in the back seat. I wish Honda would come out with a hybrid Odyssey and then I could have the best of both worlds.
I have a hybrid, the ford escape hybrid. I am getting, average, 34 miles to the gallon. I went from an expedition to an escape, and it was a challenge! I have two kids, one in a booster, and one in a regular car seat. I have gotten two boosters and the seat in the back, but it can be a challenge to get everything buckled.
Granted I paid more for the car because it is a hybrid, and we did get the tax incentive the first year, which didn't add up to much, but a little something, which was nice. I think the law has changed (for the better) since we bought the car 2 years ago though. You have to know how to drive a hybrid in order to get the gas mileage though. I pay more attention to the way that I drive now, I don't excellerate as quickly as I had in the past, I watch the rpm's when I am driving, and it certainly helps. I know people buy hybrids and automatically expect the great gas mileage without making slight changes in their driving.
People always ask me where I plug the car in, and you don't. You don't need to use the brake at times other than the normal braking times to recharge the battery. I have also been happy with the gas mileage when I am on the highway, we went to the beach last weekend and averaged 32 miles to the gallon, not too bad in my opinion!
I am a big fan of hybrids, but they are not for everyone!
I have a friend with a honda accord by the way, not the hybrid, but she is able to get her three kids comfortably in the back, baby in a car seat, preschooler in a booster and 12 year old.
With a hybrid - when/how exactly do you get the good mileage? What is it about ones driving that needs to change/adjust in order to get the most benefit from it?
you cannot excellerate too quickly (pushing down the gas makes the rpm's increase, which decreases the gas mileage). The higher your rpm's the lower mileage you will get as the gas part of the engine is working harder (you can only go about 25 miles per hour in electric mode. Our car has the navigation system with the display where you can watch the gas mileage go up and down based on how you are driving. Slower taking off, not driving too fast (as in over 70mph), not using the air conditioner as much as normal. There are many forums for hybrid use and those will also help.
Having researched this topic in the winter I came to this conclusion. Pay more for car and get better gas mileage or buy something with a 6 cyl engine and spend more money on gas. In the final anaylsis we did not get the hybrid because it was just not the answer. My hubby has a 114 mile round trip per day and the hybrid was not the answer is money was the motivation. If you are trying to be green then by all means be green.
Why all this talk about hybrids? I get 50mpg driving a volkswagen diesel. And it doesn't cost me thousands of dollars to replace my battery either. My diesel car should last for 300K miles too.
PONTIAC VIBE--Great Car. 35 Mpg hiway. Seats 5. Excellent Handling, Reliability, Crash Worthiness. Hybrids maybe not worth the extra initial cost. Now they are finding that the mileage ratings on most hybrids are not accurate (lower mileage than advertised). Repairs could be very costly. I have heard good things about the Ford Escape, for what it's worth.
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