Buying new car Hybrid vs Gas

[Nage Waza]

There are a few other hybrid threads that are pretty old, so I am starting a new one.

I have been looking at buying a new car since about May. Of course I would love a big pickup truck or SUV, but we already have a mini van (Honda) so a smaller car would be better. There are two adults, two kids (both in infant/toddler seats) and a dog. I am certainly not a 'car' person, but the sound system is very important.

I have owned four different Subarus, but am willing to expand to different cars, and am willing to go hybrid, pure electric or diesel.

The cars I am leaning towards are the new Acura RDX, the Lexus ES300 H, IS250 AWD and even the CT 200H, and am also interested in the Audi Allroad or A3 diesel or the Prius. The new Subaru Outback is probably the best of the bunch, but I am biased towards Subarus. I really like the Allroad interior.

Believe it or not, the difference between the hybrid cars and the biggest guzzler on my list works out to less than $1,500 annually in fuel costs.

Has anyone here transitioned to a hybrid? Do they drive reasonably well that I won't miss the power of a gas engine? How many KMs are you getting before fueling up again?

What is the hybrid like in the dead of winter? My Subarus ate up the snow, my current Honda (accord) makes me drive like a granny with the slightest amount of snow.

[Fobby]

I drive a ct200h, and a lot of people asked if the extra cost in hybrid offsets the cost of using less gasoline. If that's the primary objective of getting a hybrid, then you should not consider the hybrid at all. I get about 5-5.2L / 100km. Highway and winter is around 5.5L / 100km

In terms of power, it really depends on what you are coming from. If you are coming from a v6 mini van, the power will be lacking since you are moving to a smaller vehicle. If you are moving from a honda civic or equivalent, the power output is fairly similar.

It uses more gas in the winter time because the gasoline needs to run to generate heat for the cabin. Other then that, it drives no different then any front wheel drive cars.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

There are a few other hybrid threads that are pretty old, so I am starting a new one.

I have been looking at buying a new car since about May. Of course I would love a big pickup truck or SUV, but we already have a mini van (Honda) so a smaller car would be better. There are two adults, two kids (both in infant/toddler seats) and a dog. I am certainly not a 'car' person, but the sound system is very important.

I have owned four different Subarus, but am willing to expand to different cars, and am willing to go hybrid, pure electric or diesel.

The cars I am leaning towards are the new Acura RDX, the Lexus ES300 H, IS250 AWD and even the CT 200H, and am also interested in the Audi Allroad or A3 diesel or the Prius. The new Subaru Outback is probably the best of the bunch, but I am biased towards Subarus. I really like the Allroad interior.

Believe it or not, the difference between the hybrid cars and the biggest guzzler on my list works out to less than $1,500 annually in fuel costs.

Has anyone here transitioned to a hybrid? Do they drive reasonably well that I won't miss the power of a gas engine? How many KMs are you getting before fueling up again?

What is the hybrid like in the dead of winter? My Subarus ate up the snow, my current Honda (accord) makes me drive like a granny with the slightest amount of snow.

You answered your own question, you don't drive enough to make the hybrid worth it.

Sounds like you need a nice crossover, room for the 2 kids and the dog in the back. May I suggest a ford edge, 650 city k's on a 60 litre tank,goes threw snow better than my old 4x4 pickup and all the bells and whistles you can imagine.

Spoiler!

[ricosuave]

I watched a documentary on the creation of the new Kia Optima, and was impressed with it, and the fact that they offer a hybrid for a lot less money than others, to seriously consider buying one, or at least going for a test drive.

I've also got a couple of TDIs and do love them. Currently they have bigger injectors and are chipped, so we gain extra on the power, but still maintain great fuel economy.

[PIMking]

Diesel

[opendoor]

Definitely consider a TDI (VW or Audi) if you want excellent mileage. Depending on your driving habits, you can get pretty similar results to a hybrid (4.8-5L/100km or 48-50MPG on the highway is normal for me in my Jetta).

[Fobby]

I still think for day to day city driving, a hybrid would yield much better mileage then a diesel vehicle. For highway, diesel if more superior. Depends on your driving style and commute.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by Fobby

I drive a ct200h, and a lot of people asked if the extra cost in hybrid offsets the cost of using less gasoline. If that's the primary objective of getting a hybrid, then you should not consider the hybrid at all. I get about 5-5.2L / 100km. Highway and winter is around 5.5L / 100km

In terms of power, it really depends on what you are coming from. If you are coming from a v6 mini van, the power will be lacking since you are moving to a smaller vehicle. If you are moving from a honda civic or equivalent, the power output is fairly similar.

It uses more gas in the winter time because the gasoline needs to run to generate heat for the cabin. Other then that, it drives no different then any front wheel drive cars.

My current car is fairly fast, I am willing to give that up for mileage.

I found the usb connection was placed in a real odd place, have you found any problems? My ipod currently sits in my trunk, out of site.

Any idea if a car seat will fit in the back? I would probably only ever have my son in the back without a passenger in front, so I can pull the seat up.

How was handling in the snow, did you put on winters?

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by T@T

You answered your own question, you don't drive enough to make the hybrid worth it.

Sounds like you need a nice crossover, room for the 2 kids and the dog in the back. May I suggest a ford edge, 650 city k's on a 60 litre tank,goes threw snow better than my old 4x4 pickup and all the bells and whistles

That looks pretty good, but might be a bit too much car. For some reason I really want something smaller because we already have the van.

[Fobby]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

My current car is fairly fast, I am willing to give that up for mileage.

I found the usb connection was placed in a real odd place, have you found any problems? My ipod currently sits in my trunk, out of site.

Any idea if a car seat will fit in the back? I would probably only ever have my son in the back without a passenger in front, so I can pull the seat up.

How was handling in the snow, did you put on winters?

The usb is in an odd place indeed... I use a smallish micro usb stick for all my music. But i have to admit that the toyota system is not the best. Microsoft Sync is the best I have ever used. That little hole in front holds the phone/ipod perfectly though.

There'a actually plenty of room in the back. I have no doubt that a car seat would fit. We fit 5 adults in the back with no problem, and power is still decent when we switch to sport mode.

Handling in the snow is good. I did put on winter tires because i have always been a believer. I like the cvt transmission so that I can use the brake on the engine to slow down vs using the brake all the time.

Almost everyone comments on how quiet the car is when driving in the city. Another thing I liked about the ct200h is that there's no gasoline equivalent. So I don't really know how much more I paid for the hybrid option unlike the civics and the altimas.. lol.. It's a unique little car on the road for sure.

[Nage Waza]

The CT200h is really really nice looking...that is my dilemma, I am stuck on about six different cars. Which dealership did you get your car from? Was there much wiggle room?

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Fobby

I still think for day to day city driving, a hybrid would yield much better mileage then a diesel vehicle. For highway, diesel if more superior. Depends on your driving style and commute.

My soon to be Father in law just bought a brand new TDI sportwagen and he is getting 38MPG in the city and he doesn't know how to accelerate like hes not John Force.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by PIMking

My soon to be Father in law just bought a brand new TDI sportwagen and he is getting 38MPG in the city and he doesn't know how to accelerate like hes not John Force.

What does he think of the car? I haven't really put much thought into VW yet, but I am seriously considering the Audi A3 TDI.

I just checked out vw.ca, there is no sportwagen...is this a US only model?

[PIMking]

It's just a Jetta wagon from all I can tell, this is a guy who has had nothing but Volvo's and this is his first car that he purchased new. He loves the car and is actually talking about having me trade my 09 Versa off and her '12 civic on two new ones

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by PIMking

It's just a Jetta wagon from all I can tell, this is a guy who has had nothing but Volvo's and this is his first car that he purchased new. He loves the car and is actually talking about having me trade my 09 Versa off and her '12 civic on two new ones

I can't seem to find anything on the car in Canada, it might just be a US model.

[Fobby]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

The CT200h is really really nice looking...that is my dilemma, I am stuck on about six different cars. Which dealership did you get your car from? Was there much wiggle room?

I got it at the Lexus of Calgary. I ordered it before the car came out... So there's some room, but not a whole lot consider Lexus of Calgary is the only lexus dealer in town.

But the service, is by far, the best. I have had honda, mazda, nissan, and now lexus.. The service department is great. You obviously pay for it, but you don't feel so ripped off after the fact.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I can't seem to find anything on the car in Canada, it might just be a US model.

It's called the Golf wagon in Canada. They're identical to the US Jetta Sportwagens but with a few more trim options IIRC. TDIs start at $27K.

[3 Justin 3]

If you're buying new for the love of god stay away from Germans (unless you're leasing). The reliability issues are nothing short of terrible these days. Mercedes is the best of the bunch, but rather pricey. I love Audi's and VW's myself, but would never consider buying a brand new one.

Get the Subaru.

[AR_Six]

Edge isn't a bad suggestion. Crossovers make a lot of sense in Calgary - I drive an RX350 and find the balance between size and economy to be pretty ideal, but I don't have kids. The Highlander is also pretty solid on fuel economy for its size, even the non-hybrid version.

The cars I am leaning towards are the new Acura RDX, the Lexus ES300 H, IS250 AWD and even the CT 200H, and am also interested in the Audi Allroad or A3 diesel or the Prius. The new Subaru Outback is probably the best of the bunch, but I am biased towards Subarus. I really like the Allroad interior.

Subaru is an inherently practical vehicle. It is the quintessence of utilitarian in my view. If that's what you want you can't do better. Of the cars on your list (that I've driven recently), that RDX is for me the most fun. Make sure you compare the current year model (if you're looking at buying new) to a SHAWD version from 2009 or so because it has changed and the comparison may be instructive to you in terms of what you want your car to feel like. Was for me.

As I say I can vouch for Lexus, it works for me, but it's very different from the Acura experience in my view - purely comfort oriented, far in excess of any "sport" or "performance" feel. That said I haven't driven an IS in a while, and it's possible that it's a totally different beast.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Also...may I suggest the CX-5?

If you are patient they may also have a diesel version in the works...