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Adding a hybrid system to a car not only increases complexity (and cost) but compromises it in terms of space. The batteries have to go somewhere. Lots of hybrid sedans have compromised trunks compared to their gasser brethren as a result.
It's going to end up as one of those break-even things, kind of like a diesel 2500 truck. Lower running costs on the hybrid, but compromised space and higher overhead. With a V6, the fuel economy is not going to be THAT much better, so that end of the argument loses steam.
Just filled up the tank today on my 2006 Lexus RX400H and the MPG monitor showed 28.5. That's pretty good for a 3-liter 6-cylindar heavy SUV. The same car with a straight gasoline engine averages in the high teens.
I absolutely love this car. Purchased it as a lease return with 60,000 miles on the odometer and it is now at +185,000 miles. Absolutely zero repairs. Only regular maintenance. I'm sold on 6-cylinder hybrid technology.
p.s. The car cost me $26k, about half of what a new one would go for.
Still happy with DW's '03 RX300 purchased used. Avg 20.4 mpg as a non hybrid. I was skeptical of the hybrid reliability. Thanks for your post. Hers at 191k miles, only tires and brakes. It is a great car.
Still happy with DW's '03 RX300 purchased used. Avg 20.4 mpg as a non hybrid. I was skeptical of the hybrid reliability. Thanks for your post. Hers at 191k miles, only tires and brakes. It is a great car.
When I worked in a shop a few years back, it wasn't uncommon for us to get RX300s with over 300,000 miles
Exactly. If you're buying a V6 or V8 car, you're still likely to mash the pedal on acceleration, defeating the purpose of having a hybrid.
And GM had this in their trucks for a brief moment. It was very ineffective. Achieved maybe 1 or 2 more MPG on the hwy.
Hybrids really aren't meant to increase hwy mileage though. Most hybrids have higher city mileage than highway.
I'm glad I don't do much city driving though. My last two cars have gotten pretty good mileage considering they're just plain old internal combustion engine (2013 Mustang V6 got 28 hwy even with the 3.31 rear gear, and my 2014 Fiesta ST gets 36 hwy, even with a tiny turbocharged 1.6L engine putting out 200HP).
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