Oh I think I gotcha. So if I buy a car that gets bad mileage but has a tank big enough that I make less stops at the gas station than my old car did, that's better than a smaller tank that requires the same amount of stops, but because of higher mpg, less gas pumped and therefore $$ spent. Now I see the purchaser's mentality, though when I purchased it wasn't my own.

Having said that, it would have been cooler had the HH used the 19 gallon tank of course, but the size of the tank is hardly where I placed the lion's share of the importance when we chose to get the HH. Heck, for me, it could have a 6 gallon tank and I'd be happy as long as I still see the mpg and the $$ savings. Just my 2 as well.

Rick

 

As I have posted here previously,I was getting 16.8 mpg in my 'Big Lumbering Tundra'
and to be honest I was quite 'happy' till we hit $3.00+ per gal and my 27+ gal fillups were averaging $80+ per tankful. As was posted here previously that resulted in a 53% increase in mpg. But was it worth the MSRP price paid for this vehicle ?

 

'it could have a 6 gallon tank and I'd be happy'
yet again, Your 'mentality' is reflected in your answer
so you would rather fillup every 156 miles during a wildly gyrating fuel cost environment ?

Lets get real....both the HH as well as the RX400h have MINIMAL improvements in mpg for MAXIMUM (i.e. MSRP) cost of ownership...

Just my 2 as well

 

Early adopters almost always pay a higher price. This is only slightly offset by the fact that we will get a slight tax break that will be less next year and gone the year after. Toyota will bring the price down on their hybrids as their volume goes up. Look at what has happened with the price of plasma and lcd hdtvs in the last year.

Toyota was not going for high mileage with the HH and 400H. They released a vehicle that would get the mileage of a four cylinder and have the power of a V8. They knew the public wouldn't pay +40k for a SUV with a four cylinder. I think my HH is overpowered and I would trade a bit of performance for better mpg. I would not say that it is in a "minimal" improvement over their non hybrid cousins.

I now have 4600 miles on my HH awd ltd and have learned how to get over 30 mpg

 

I have a Tundra as well and the wife has a Prius. Let me tell you her now $15 fill ups Vs my $65 have me upset too. However that said if you go to the Toyota HH site and use there savings calculator for 10K miles at 16 MPG and $3.25 per gallon the HH would only save me an additional $875-$1,000 per year in gas cost. The premium paid for the HH and what I'd loose on an 05 Tundra DC right now would take a life time to make up and not afford me with what I wanted from my personal vehicle. Have I tried the HH, yes, loved it but the $42K for the Limited had me asking what I was really getting for my money and the $52K for the RX400H is totally out of line. For $52K I'd rather buy a Mercedes.

 

I think "was it worth it" is totally in the eye of the consumer. If you're the type who would spend upwards of $40k or more for every car you own, like most BMW and Mercedes owners, spending *under* $40k for a HH *plus* its mpg is win-win. If you're a $22k pickup truck owner time after time, then jumping up in price to the HH hits hard and has you asking the "fixed cost up front vs. variable cost over time" question over and over.

A lot of people pay a lot of money to trick out their trucks with $3k+ rims and tires, audio systems, yet none of those options saves you money.

BTW, Bob259, $42K for the Limited you looked at? We got our Limited for $39,500. At that price vs. the 6 cylinder non-hybrid Limited, with my fiancee's driving and with gas prices fixed, I think we estimated her payoff would be in under 5 years. But of course everyone's mileage varies and gas prices are never fixed.

Rick

 

I believe Toyota's even announced plans to bring their Hybrid prices down.

I think Kristina (KPez019) would agree. When I drive her HH I'm awed by how much power it has, but I think she would readily trade some HP for MPG. The Escape Hybrid, however, just did not suit her needs.

30+ mpg on the awd?? That's great! Give us some tips please!

Rick

 

Wildly gyrating? It's not like they're going up or down by 100% everyday. At least not in my immediate vicinity. Week in and week out I might pay 60 cents more one fill-up, 20 cents less, etc. Then oops, I need to go to an Arco and their 45-cent surcharge for ATM use. Usually the cost of a fillup for me is within $1 total of almost anywhere else I would have normally gone in the area within the prior 7 or next 7 days. That's discluding the Katrina effect, of course.

A 6 gallon tank is an extreme exaggeration not to be taken literally, but to illustrate the point that if I'm going to decide *not* to buy a high mileage car and the straw that broke the camel's back was its tank capacity, then I was just looking for reasons not to buy in the first place. If the car is just outright too expensive, that's fine. But if it's in your budget, you're ready to sign the contract and you stop and say "whoa! Just a 17 gallon tank compared to 19?! That means I still fill up every 7 days! Forget it, I'm outta here!" Cutting off your nose to spite your face, IMO, in this "wildly gyrating" gas market.

Rick

 

I'm getting between 24-26 mpg with my Lexus Rx400h. ONLY if I buy premium gas. Nevertheless, I drive carpool every day, have 2 kids and 2 dogs and I'm emitting less toxins into the air. I have a luxury car that holds alot. I'm happy.

 

I have a 2005 FEH. Love it, but haven't gotten over 28.2 mpg. I may start using cruise control, maybe add some air to the tires. I'm at about 5K miles.

Any other pointers?