I know from my short time in this forum that the sweet spot for the HCH is around 60mph. I live in NC and most of my highway driving will be spent at 70mph and 75mph. What kind of gas mileage can I expect at this speed? Do you think the HCH 06 is the hybrid for me?

Thanks for your help!!

 

I don't understand the reasoning behind your question.
No hybrid is the "right hybrid" for 70 to 75 mph.
All hybrids will go that fast and all cars, hybrids or regular, will get worse MPG at those higher speeds.

A hybrid WILL give you better MPG than a regular car at any speed.

The 2006 HCH is an excellent car.

Sometimes I read that the Prius is better for the city and the HCH is better for the highway; I think that is hogwash.
MPG is sooooooo much more dependent on HOW you drive, than on which you drive.

You wrote that 60 MPH is the sweet spot.
If you mean the best MPG, I think the best MPG is closer to 45 MPH.
The faster you go that worse it gets.

As to what MPG to expect at 70 to 75 MPH, I can't say as I never go that fast.
But I'd say you may range from 35 to 50 MPG depending on your willingness to learn and apply the many tips and techniques for effecient driving and your driving conditions and weather.

This is MUCH better MPG than a non-hybrid.

 

I wondered the same thing, so I did some tests:

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ment.4678.html

 

Here is an entry in the database of someone that typicaly drives around 80mph.

https://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/.../car/1653.html

 

I drive mostly at 70-75 on my 80 mile freeway commute and my lifetime average over 11k miles is 44 mpg. I don't hypermile much unless I am experimenting with something, though I do use some conservation techniques.

I take it easy up hills and coast down long hills in neutral, or in gear if i need a charge, and I back off on the accellerator slightly after I reach speed to get that super efficient mode, while dropping speed slowly to 65 or 70 or so, then accellerate back to 75. Adds about 10% to my commute time versus setting the cruise control at 73 (which I do about a third of the time), but I get a little better mpg without cruise.

I have a 2004 HCH so you'll have to take this for what it's worth. Common impression is that the 06 should do better.

 

Honestly, with the way I normally drive, I only expect my HCH2 to net me 40mpg. That's still a 200% improvement over the 20mpg I currently get in my Element.

 

I've driven my new HCH just about 500 miles. It's not broken in. I haven't inflated the tires over the factory setting. When driving down the freeway at 70MPH with cruise control, on a flat stretch, I get about 43 MPG. Ambeint temperature about 50.

 

I usually get 39-43 mpg on the highway at 75-80 mph (my < 40 mpg tanks are due to city driving). The car seems to do better when it's warm (day) than cool (night), a difference of around 15-20 degrees.

That's without cruise-control. Also I take care to coast alot when slowing down to leave the highway, which definitely helps make up for all the gas lost from accelerating onto it.

 

I managed to get 37mpg once... 330 mile road trip, done in 4.5 hrs... including 2 tolls and a single 5 minute snack break. Never thought I would see a day where a hybrid would get less than 40mpg. Very disappointed.

 

Imagine how much more disappointing your MPG would have been if you were driving a non-hybrid car that way.

I never thought I would see the day when a hybrid DRIVER would get less than 40 MPG.

I'm very dissapointed.
But not in the car.