Geez, Bob, could you have picked a more deserving target? Scott is writing for Detroit News, an area that still hasn't adapted to the change of shifting economies of vehicle manufacturing. Scott Burgess must be walking a tightrope, trying to be relevant while not offending a readership that harbors a resentment to foreign imports.

 

I couldn't agree more. I live in the foothills to the south of Seattle, and even in this hilly communite that I have, I have never failed to get at least 41 mpg since I got the car. That's well above the highway EPA estimate FE and over the lifetime (so far) of the vehicle!

I have this pet theory that the hybrids (all of them) reward smoothness and planning more that comventional cars do in 'normal' driving. I know that if I drive my wife's Subaru using precisely the same technique (insofar as practicle) as in the TCH, and over the same course, I cannot acheive anthing near the same mileage even though the powerplant sizes and vehicle weights are very close. The tradeoff, I think, is that when we use the full extent of the power at our command in a hybrid, then FE suffers somewhat and operating cost goes up to be the same as a conventianal car, or maybe even a little higher.