This may be old news, but I just saw it today for the first time:

The Most Green for Your Green: Best and Worst Hybrid Cars

By JAMIE PAIGE DEATON

http://autos.aol.com/article/green/_...18164609990001

 

So if the TCH does not have the highest gas mileage in its class, which car does? I didn't see it in their list. Or is the class "best hybrid cars under $30,000"? That's lame.

 

The Prius is also considered a 'mid-size' by EPA reckoning. Thus the disconnect.

 

interesting, well I guess its midsize.

 

The THC is a great car, but its not as good a deal as this article suggests. The most comparable car is the V4 Camry XLE, and the MSRP on these cars is nearly identical. However, this does not mean you will pay the same price for either car. For the hybrid you will probably have to pay very close to MSRP while for the XLE, you can probably get several thousands off MSPR because these cars are not moving nearly as fast as the hybrids and your average Toyota dealer likely has many such cars on the lot but has to special order the hybrid.

Also, if you do not want your car fully loaded, many dealerships are only selling the hybrids fully loaded these days. They only get so many cars to sell and they want each car to be maximum profit. So if you want a hybrid you may be stuck buying extras that you were not interested in.

 

There have been many discussions in other threads as to what is the closest available match for a TCH in a non-hybrid version. I would say it's more comparable to a V6 than the 4-cyl because of the added power available from the electric motor, but everyone has a different outlook.

I do agree with your statement about typical equipment on stock units. When I went looking for my car (in March) the dealer had several that were loaded up with options, and only a couple that were "stripped". To get the color my wife wanted would have cost us an additional $2-3K since the red ones all had leather, NAV, etc., whereas the only one without any of the extras was black, which was my preference anyway.

 

I agree about the close to V6 power.

I drive my TCH like a maniac (compared to folks here) up mountain roads daily and it performs more like a V6 then a 4 cylinder.

Try it sometime. I mean ACCLERATE up a hill (not quit peddle to the metal. but close) and experience the torque.

BTW, I still get 30MPG.

I love this car!