A few days ago I blogged about Wired‘s review of hybrid cars. I was hoping to hear from others to learn how Wired‘s reviews stacked up against the experience of actual hybrid car owners/drivers. Sadly, no comments.
However … … a little bird sent me a link to The New York Times op-ed piece titled “Me and My Hybrid.” In it, Oliver Sacks raves about his new Honda Accord hybrid:
Fuel cells and a hydrogen economy being still some way in the future, I recently traded in my Lexus 300 ES sedan for a six-cylinder Honda Accord hybrid. My new car performs as well or better than the previous one, but gives nearly double the mileage for a gallon of gas. Doing a rather average amount of driving in a year – 20,000 or 30,000 miles – I find that I am saving 500 to 1,000 gallons of gas. True, I had to pay a premium for the car (about $3,300 more than the equivalent gas-only model), and my trunk space is a bit reduced, to make room for the battery. But I will make up the extra cost in gas savings in a year or two, I have the convenience of filling my tank only every 500 miles and, more important, I can now drive while enjoying the feeling that I am being economical with fuel and adding half as many pollutants to the atmosphere.
Compare the above to Wired‘s assessment:
But for a few modest details, you’d have a hard time distinguishing this car from the standard Accord. To avoid the lackluster performance that plagues Honda’s other hybrid models, the company’s pumped up the Accord Hybrid with a full-size 3-liter V-6. Put the pedal to the metal and you’ll unleash 255 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque (the amount of power applied to the drivetrain, important in determining how fast a car can accelerate). That’s enough to launch the car from zero to 60 in 6.7 seconds, a full half-second faster than a conventional V-6 Accord. Still, in day-to-day driving, the Accord Hybrid promises 30 mpg around town and 37 on the highway – numbers typically found in a much smaller econobox.
While the gas mileage doesn’t seem to be that high, the Accord hybrid seems to come equipped with the features that may interest those previously wary about buying a hybrid.
Anyone else care to rant or rave about your hybrid driving experience? Are you pleased with your MPG? Why did you decide to purchase a hybrid? Has your purchased sparked interest with friends and family? Did you buy early and now wish you waited for one of the newer hybrids? Do any of you Gristmillers own/drive a hybrid? Or do you think hybrids are overly-hyped or a distraction and we’d should be focusing on hydrogen, biodiesel or giving up cars altogether? Speak to me.
