Car Shopping: Hybrids
The car search continues. As previously stated, I’m in the hunt to replace my trusty 1987 Toyota Tercel.
The socially responsible green part of me is completely intrigued by the new gas-electric hybrid vehicles, particularly those by Toyota and Honda. By combining a gas and electric motor, these cars are more efficient, quieter, produce fewer harmful emissions, and use less gas. The engineering is particularly fascinating as the car’s gas engine and physical forces such as braking are channelled into the charging system for the electric motor’s batteries.
But claims of unreal gas mileage performance have given way to real-world tests. See, the biggest appeal of hybrid cars is the gas savings. Claims of 40, 50, or even 60 miles per gallon have been tossed around in recent months. But even that is not enough as the potential savings doesn’t even justify the premium in price that has cars such as Honda’s Civic Hybrid selling for several thousand dollars more than a comparably-equipped gasoline Civic. What is worse, is Several recent articles have put these cars to real-world tests showing that maybe they make even less financial sense than was previously thought.
I’m as green as the next guy and certainly want to do my part, but gas-electric hybrids aren’t cutting it for me just yet. Not only do they require the buyer to make many trade-offs in terms of option packages (the Prius’ very interesting bluetooth support notwithstanding), power, and overall appeal. They cost more and are in such demand right now that you can’t go see one or test drive one at a local dealership with many dealers reporting multi-month waiting lists to pay MSRP or more for a car sight-unseen that may not be all they claim in the first place.
I am will be truly happy when cars are less harmful and rely less on fossil fuels, but 2004 does not appear to be the year that happens.
I have been test-driving other vehicles like a madman, I hope to update soon.