On Jun 2, 2004, at 7:26 PM, Michael Maskalans wrote:
>
>
> On Jun 2, 2004, at 16:46, Gabriel A. Couriel wrote:
>
>> the prius
>> lists at 61mpg city (wow!) but in real life, if more like 32-35
>
> More like 45-50 MPG from what I've been reading in the magazines. I
> think you've have to work extremely hard to get 30s out of a
> hybrid....
> --
> Mike Maskalans <http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/>
> 84 RamCharger 360 (parked) 98 Dakota CC 318 (Fixed!)
> mobile.612.618.4652 home.585.935.7129 fax.360.364.3930
>
>
They have been having fun with this on the VW TDI board. Not trying to
say go buy a VW but the bit about the mileage and the fact you can get
the same from a jetta tdi with a stick is making them laugh.
As we'll as the other big thing they don't tell you. Say you have a
hybrid and want to take a trip on the blue ridge parkway. We'll that
road at parts runs up and down the smoky mountains and can be a while
running up or down. The problem with hybrids is the up part. See when
you get going up a steep hill the gas engine kicks in, which is all
fine and good. The problem is that it isn't made for an extended trip
up a mountain road (half hour or more which is common on the blue
ridge). What happens is this, the gas engine kicks in to help the
electric one but after a while the electric one starts draining the
batteries faster then the gas one can recharge them because the
electric one is also trying to get up that mountain and using alot of
power to do it. What happens, the electric motor runs out of juice and
the gas engine, being a little dinky three cylinder to just help, can;t
move the vehicle and if you run it too long trying to keep going it
will start to overheat from too much stress.
Now we all know that there are not big mountain roads everywhere but
there are in alot of places and this has already been happening quite a
bit. Been a few postings in the different forums on the net. This gets
even better, they find out that a vehicle like the escape, which is an
suv not a little car, cannot haul that much of a load either. In fact
the escape doesn't have too much over a prius in the max load it can
haul. All those people that got it for the good mileage and being a
small suv to put things in find that you cant put much in there at all.
This is besides the cost of batteries when they need to be replaced and
the fact that you already paid more for it since it was a hybrid.
Hybrids so far work good as commuter cars and the escape will do goo in
that role but people get a vehicle like that (suv) to go places too and
the hybrid may actually not be the better choice. The jeep liberty
that's coming with the diesel would be a better choice. It doesn't get
quite the fuel mileage but it can carry more in it and has the ability
to tow which, I forgot the to mention, the escape hybrid cannot. Twenty
some mile a gallon in town and in the thirties on the highway is
nothing to sneeze at when compared to a normal suv or what the escape
hybrid cannot do.
I am saying I don't think hybrids have a future, i actually do, but
only when they get smart. I small diesel engine actually makes far more
sense for that type of use (torque alone not including it's own low
fuel sipping ability) but until they get to that I just don't think it
will be that great. Lexus is going to do it with the RX SUV but, again,
there are people who are going to be disappointed when they realize
that it cannot do what the normal RX can do simply due to the small
engine and they way the batteries need to be recharged.
Jeff Durling
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