peestandingup

Exactly. And let us not forget that when you buy a hybrid, or any car for that matter, most people finance and set up monthly payments. So, for most people who already finance, the added monthly cost of owning a hybrid is all relative to owning any type of automobile. Its not that much more $$ when payments are usually stretched out to 4-5 years anyway.

But, when a person pays for fuel at the pumps, that $$ usually comes straight out of a persons pocket, or their weekly "spending money" if you will. I know thats how I operate & almost everyone else I know does too.

So, the point is I would rather tack on a few extra $$ to my monthly auto loan payment (which I gotta pay anyway) than to get raped at the pump a couple times a week.

djct_watt

Yes, and don't forget. . . it all becomes moot if gas prices keep rising. If gas prices were to double, you'd make your money back in an EXTREMELY short time.

t2BDetermined

I think a lot of people will buy the hybrid camry not only for the gas mileage, but also for the "gotta have it" factor. Think about it. If their neighbor says "I just got the new '07 Camry," they can say, "I just got one too. Except it's the hybrid." Now that person thinks they are the hero. They spent extra money to "save the environment" and got the same car with BETTER overall performance.

I think this is the case with a lot of hybrid buyers. They know they are paying extra for the technology, but it makes them feel better about themselves. The price of hybrid technology will come down eventually, but right now manufacturers are riding the "gotta have it" wave because they know people with buy them.
And what better car to exploit the "gotta have it" craze than the number one selling car in America???????

Scionpilot

In my family we have a surburban and the toyota highlander hybrid. Just driving around town the highlander is a big cost saver on gas. Grnated that it isnt 60mpg or anything lke that, but it still has a lot of room for 7 passengers if need be

miraclecreator

anyone seen the mileage of a prius? it's 60mpg, that's pretty awesome, but i heard they have some problems tho, like the suspension of turning corners... Hybrid civics have about 50ish mpg too i think.

hotbox05

the prius is a mileage hybrid , the highlander is a power hybrid, the rx400h is a power hybrid. the camry is a mixture of the two. almost the same power as the v6 camry and for about 2k more you get much better mileage.
imo they stink cuz they're ugly.

oh and whoever said the prius handles badly is POORLY , i repeat POORLY misinformed. with the batteries in the back and the hybrid drive up front the weight distribution is very very good. it handles very nicely. somewhat overboosted electrical steering but it's nice. when we set up a ride and drive i make it as an autocross course for my scion then run through it in the highlanders and prius's.



i promote for toyota/scion. and have actually been on a hybrid synergy drive tour lately.

just wait till u can get the 4.0v6 hybrid in the gs.

doctorcue

So can someone answer me this? I drive mainly highway miles and I read somewhere (I think off yahoo or msn) that City mileage is better than highway as the batteries can operate the car at low miles without the use of gas. Where as at cruising speed the engine is always on.

Is this right?

As for the arguement, I think hybrid technology is great. Just at current prices though... the additional cost versus the current price of gas doesn't make it that much more beneficial to drive a hybrid. It actually works out better to buy a better performing compact car that is cheaper. This is just speaking from the financial impact each month to your pocket book.

I do believe though that the technology is getting better and we'll see much better performing cars in the future. Just wonder how much it would be to replace some car batteries. Look how much cell phone batteries are.

hotbox05

it is the way of the future . toyota's plan is to make every car a hybrid or offer a hybrid option within 5-10 years.

and yes yopur understanding is pretty much correct.

the car is CONSTANTLY changing back and forth between just gas , just electric or the combination of both. at higher speeds you are using gas and the electric motor is used for a boost in speed.

the determining factors in whether you're on gas/both/electric are..... road speed , load , grade , throttle position , battery level.

i tell lot's of people looking for a hybrid who can't quite afford it to check out a corolla. 13,8xx dollars and it gets 41 highway.


but if u have a vehicle with an average combined mileage of over 45mpg you can use the diamond lanes and for the bay area that in it's self makes the prius , insight , or civic hybrids worth it. lol.


most prius owners are getting between 45-55 mpg in combined driving. so ......


toyota's warranty on hybrids in cali are:
powertrain 8yr/100,000
batteries 10yr/100,00
bumper to bumper 3yr/36,000


cost for parts and labor on batteries are estimated at 2500-3500

the batteries are expected to last the life of the car which toyota is referencing as a minimum of 15 years.

there are first generation prius's with over 200,000 miles on original batteries , original hybrid synergy drive , and original combustion motor.

mtxblau

28MPG For an SUV is pretty amazing. My dad's landcruiser (1997) gets about 12 city on a good day (they're considering trading said vehicle for a highlander hybrid).

Some companies do cheat though, like Honda, where the hybrid isn't for fuel efficiency but for additional HP. As mentioned before, it is very much a status symbol. Kind of like bottled water in the 90s (re: stupid symbols of status and/or class).

doctorcue

I disagree with your labeling of Honda as "cheating". If power is the main objective, explain the Insight. 65 hp & 66 MPG. Please research before making totally inaccurate statements. I really dislike Honda bashing just because.

doctorcue

Oh yeah... thanks Darren for the info on the hybrid specs. Down the road I know I'll own one.

hotbox05

only problem is imo it IS NOT an suv. it's a raised up elongated camry.

Tomas

Yeah, the Highlander is a nice vehicle, but it is *NOT* a Land Cruiser. (I've had six Land Crushers - very honest and solid vehicles that come through when you need 'em. )

emiller

I think bigger more expensive vehicles are more popular for hybrids than small compacts. Many want or need larger vehicles and a few thousand more in price isnt a huge % increase like it is in something like a Corolla. Besides there are more SUVs on the road than compacts. It only makes sense to build was people want.

hotbox05

yet suvs are losing sales like CRAZY. why do you think people are still buying them? cuz gm and chevy sell em at 14,000 cash back. no one will buy them unless the dealers are losing money to sell them

peestandingup

YES, you are correct sir! (my Ed Mcmahon impersonation).

But, really. That is very true. People are finally starting to wise up & not buy these big SUVs, unless they truely need them. Fact of the matter is that most people that bought SUVs before the gas prices went crazy did NOT actually need them. The market was saturated with these things for many years leading up to this point, now all of a sudden the game has changed & the auto makers are trying to play catchup. The numbers dont lie folks. Can anyone say "GM"???

So, yes. Dont buy an SUV unless you actually need one, get something more practical. And for the love of god, dont buy a Windows PC unless you really need it for work or something, get a Mac instead :-) You will be much happier. (Sorry, had to throw that in too)

Cheers!

djct_watt

Is this a new engine or something? Do you mean a 4.3L V8 hybrid, or a 4.0LV6 hybrid? I know that the new 3.5 is supposed to be the new standard engine (eventually), but I had no idea they were going to bump up to 4.0L! That would be the truck block for the taco's and 4runner's, no? That's downright silly! But it could potentially be very awesome.

Then again, that's not a very big displacement gap between the new V8 they are producing (4.6L) and a 4.0L V6?

I'm confused. . .

I thought the new block being put out were a 4.6L V8, 3.5L V6, and 3.3L V6 (the latter two of which are already on the market). . . at least for the non-trucks. . . or maybe this is for the GX and not the GS?

Or are you referring to the GS400h? I thought they were carrying over the RX400h's powerplant? But that's only a 3.3L V6 hybrid (and one of the very rare cases where the name designation does not match the displacement. . .

I have no idea, since you seem to be in the know, maybe you can help me out?

hotbox05

yes sid it is the 4.0 truck block which supposedly will make it's way into the gs for sheets and giggles.

toyota's going nuts with this newfangled technology. lol

djct_watt

OMFG! The 3.5 is already a beast at 300hp. I can only imagine what they can do with 4.0L of displacement and an advanced head. I wonder why they're only limiting the V8 to 4.6L. . . this makes me think the rumors of the V10 are true (for applications other than the LF-A)

hotbox05

which v8 is 4.6? u mean their 4.7 block?