Can you play nice with anyone who disagree's with you? Or do you have to bait them every time?

 

Hi,
Hybrids have more capability than just saving fuel and reducing emissions, they are also much quieter and smoother. In a luxury vehicle, these are distinct assets because it improves the quality of ride.

I saw this with my Prius. I had to make two trips to Kansas, 750 miles each way, and covered each leg in 12-14 hours. It was easy because I wasn't being shaken and deafened by the engine and engine noise.

I've had a chance to sit in a Camry hybrid and if it does what I think it will do, we're looking at a car that I could drive until I absolutely felt sleepy yet arrive ready to do business. Compared to our gas only cars, these hybrids are smoother and quieter, a comfortable ride.

There are two more hybrids I'd like to see:

1) minivan hybrid - something with a lot of interior space and the quiet power of hybrid electric. These will rock!

2) hybrid pickup trucks - an S-10, F150, Silverado sized vehicle. These will really make a mark especially if the hybrid premium gets low enough that the fuel pay-off is measured in 3 years. These aren't BAS hybrids but ones that have an EV mode at loading dock speeds.

One last thing is reliabity. There was an old joke that compared computers from the 1970s to today's PCs and pointed out that if cars had made the same advances, they would get over 100 MPG and cost about $500. Computer controlled systems are mechanically simpler, lighter weight and in a network, self-diagnosing. This means simpler and few parts and even less skills needed to "swap parts." Given our engines don't work as hard as the gas equivalent vehicles and lack of vibration from the motors, we're really looking at a substantial improvement in reliability and service life.

Bob Wilson

 

Yes to your 1st question.

Just bury the hatchet.

I don't go after your every post.

 

I completely agree. I really think the hybrid drive train provides a lot of advantages. I have really enjoyed our HiHy. I really enjoy driving it for the exact reasons above.

I actually enjoy it better for long trips then our Maxima because of comfort.

I would love to see this as well. It would have been a tough choice for me had their been a hybrid Mini-Van option available when we were purchasing our Highlander. Bang for the buck Mini-Vans are tough to beat when it comes to cargo capacity. If they could get the Mileage up to the high to low 30's "Real World" it would tough not to be tempted to upgrade.

I think one of the best things that could happen for the technology is to get some of the main stream type vehicles (Accord, Camry) out there with some significant mileage on them. The only way the public is ever going to begin believing that maintance is a non-issue is if there becomes a proponderance of evidence in support of this fact. Even thought he Prius and Insight have been around a while, the general public still see's these as gimmic cars.

 

I agree about the minivan.

I'd rather pickup trucks be too expensive to own for the purpose of commuting, because they are a serious safety hazzard.

 

The Aveo isn't a bad car for the $$.I have seen AT Aveos advertised around here-NO-for $10,995. Its EPA numbers aren't great, but its real world numbers-for an AT Aveo are more or less the same as a Civic AT.
CR got 19-38 -33 for city Hy and 150 mile trip for the Aveo
Civic AT 18-43 -34.
The Civic is EPA rated at 30-40 waaaay better than the Aveo's numbers, but in real life they are a wash.
It is a not bad car for $11000.I think the cheapest Yaris is about $11000-$12000, but in real life the CS Toyota dealers never sell them for as little as $11000. I doubt that any Yaris has sold for under $13500 in this country(USA).The cheapest AT Civic probably sells for $14500 or so, if they still make the VP.
An AT Fit is about $15500-waaaaay more.
Now I would pay the extra $$ and get a Fit, but if you don't have the extra $$, them the Aveo is a pretty good choice.All the 2006's have side airbags(not curtains-just side), but that is more than can be said for the average Scion or Corolla(which sell for many thousands more).Thanks Charlie
PS-Boy, am I sorry I missed this thread!!
PPS- I'm not implying that the Aveo is equivalent to a Civic; it is a much smaller 151 vs 175 inches long,lighter 2500 vs 2800 lbs car.It is also not as refined. Still, for $11000-not bad.
Captain-40 mpg Hy from a 230 hp BMW? What sort of speed are we talking about?How did you measure the 40 mpg ,and which BMW was it?The little boxy BMWs for 25 years ago-2002's??-could get decent mpg, but they didn't make 230 hp,and the more recent BMW's(the ones we get in the USA) are generally pretty big.I can't think of any recent BMW that I would bet could get 40 mpg at 60 mph? Be a bit more specific-I'm curious.

 

Thank you Chilly, Captain and Delta for cooling off this thread.
Goes to show that we can agree and disagree in different areas without going overboard.

One thing that I noted was when someone mentioned the Insight was an unsafe car, I'll have to disagree. I know it was being grouped with other small cars in general, but I haven't personally heard of anyone getting hurt or killed in an Insight, but have heard plenty of injuries/deaths in larger vehicles.

Now I'm not saying subcompacts are safer than larger cars but that fact remains.

I'm not familiar with the Aveo but am really for any fuel efficient car. I'd bet the Aveo could be hypermiled to beat a comparable hybrid car, regarding some drivers. I just googled some Aveo photos. Looks vaguely like the Toyota Echo to me.
Looks like a nice car.
-Steve

 

Bingo! Public bickering is not allowed. If your disscussion is one-on-one and not for everyone's ears, use Private Messaging. This thread seems to have cooled off, if it flares back up again this thread will be closed and additional measures may be taken.

Our site has an "ignore" feature that can be used for members that get under your skin. Please use "ignore" if you find you just can not deal with another member in a calm manner.

Most of my posts on this site are just intended to be taken as if any member posted them and are only my opinion to be taken with a grain of salt if you wish. This warning is official. Knock it off, and keep it off. Do not start this bickering up again on some other thread. Go private or use "ignore".

 

Of course, the Aevo is so inexpensive that GM could add BAS to it and the car would still be affordable to the end user. I'd guess that BAS in a car that small would probably add more than 4-5 MPG also, since the battery and motor would be pushing a significantly smaller mass compared to the VUE.

 

Whoa tiger, all pickups aren't the same?

I'd buy the right hybrid pickup last year if one was made. I use and need my pickup for work and around the house all the time. Picked up three 55 gallon drums of glycol yesterday and averaged 33.4mpg for the day.

I agree that the lifted monster truckish vehicles are a safety hazzard but don't group us all together.

My truck can kick the Aveo's FE, but I suppose with a manual Aveo I could easily beat the EPA too.

I actually drove an automatic Aveo last year while my wife's Element was being repaired and was not impressed. Driving from Boulder to south Denver has many ups and downs. The automatic would switch from 5th converter locked to 5th unlocked to 4th to 3rd on every incline, and not smoothly or quietly, really terrible.