Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Pom
I've heard that the hybrid system dosn't run when you're going at highway speeds and at 110km/h the car is running on only the gas engine. I've also heard that the gas engine will be running when you turn the heater on because it draws too much energy. Living west of the city and driving in every day, it seems like a hybrid would not be a good choice for me because it'll only run the gas motor anyway. I know in a place like victoria where you live in the city and it rarely gets below 0'C it would be more practical but in my instance I chose to go with a Honda Civic that gets 50mpg.
Any thoughts?
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That's how the Prius technology works, but the previous version of the Honda Insight always used the gas motor (maybe the current version does too, but I'm not familiar with it). The better mileage isn't due to the electric; it's due to the car only having a 3 cylinder engine. The electric only acts to boost your car when you're trying to accelerate or go up a hill, since the 3 cylinder engine would make doing those things a challenge. If you're getting 50 mpg in a Civic, then it's probably not worth switching to an Insight, but I consistently get 60-65mpg on the highway with mine.