There's a NYT writer doing a piece for Newsweek who wants to talk to people who've either switched from a Honda Hybrid to a Toyota Hybrid, or are going to go Toyota next time.

more info: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007...s.php#comments

Personally, I responded and am ready to tell her all about how far superior HSD is to IMA for the driving I'm doing here in LA, but how in suburban areas my manual transmission HCH I might actually be superior to the Prius.

 

Yes, but doesn't the press like easy answers, simple comparisons, etc?? They wouldn't want anything that complicated. :-)
I personally think there is room in the market for even a few more hybrids.

--des

 

Agreed. I don't think the comparison will deal with the system architecture of the cars.

I think that the comparison will come down to Honda and Toyota making different market decisions about what consumers want most in a hybrid midsize - power or economy.

Honda clearly wants maximum power for it's midsize alt-solution - hence the abandonment of the hybrid in favor of a '09 or '10 diesel (which should also give better economy than the HAH, and who knows, maybe the current TCH as well?)

Toyota seems to favor economy over power in its alt-cars - when they extend it to the rest of the line (trucks, larger SUVs, etc.), I expect they'll make different decisions based on the expected use of the vehicle. Just like Honda did - they just took a drubbing in the market on the HAH to make it happen.

It's sort of like the Airbus A380/Boeing 787 battle - Airbus gives you a bazillion passengers per enormous plane, Boeing gives you a smaller, cheaper, more efficient plane that lets you fly more frequent long distance flights. Looks good for Boeing right now, but the market won't have spoken for years to come.

But back to Des's point - it's true - the media want something simple, or something complicated they can dumb down for us unsophistimicated types. Perhaps they'll find a way to say "Nobody's switching - the hybrid is a failure!"

 

Or even worse, switching to a Diesel.... I DON'T have anything against Diesels, so PLEASE don't flame me. I'm just pointing out that this could be easily manipulated by the media to dismiss the Hybrids as a temporary fad.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a commercial for Toyota in the same section as the news article...

If she's looking for such specifics, it certainly turns on my "biased and paid-for-by-a-corporation" alarm.

 

Also, the NYT/Newsweek is a bit suspicious.

Newsweek is owned by The Washington Post.

 

Yeah, the whole thing sounds cherry-picked. I look forward to seeing the article -- I hope I'm wrong.

 

Likely they will get someone random that is going to say: "expect to get my results".

A fair article would state Honda's IMA system is different from the HSD system used by Toyota, Nissan, and Ford - each system has it's strengths and weaknesses. A Prius will deliver superior fuel economy in urban stop-and-go, traffic, but a Civic or Insight will get better mpg than a Prius steadily cruising on the highway.

The writer can accurately and simply say something to that effect, then go on to state engineers have trade-offs designing any system

• Honda has a simpler system
• Toyota has a system that can go EV, therefore has PHEV capability
• Honda has more efficient ICE engines
• Toyota has devoted more resources to both market and produce hybrids
• Honda's IMA system would be significantly improved if it had a robust EV mode
• Toyota's HSD system would be significantly improved if it's highway mpg was improved

I've driven both and you will get better results than anything else currently on the road.