Well, I've read many different threads which adress some of my own issues, but I'm not sure how the various factors relate and I am looking for some input from those with experience.
The big question is whether or not purchasing the Highlander Hybrid is the right choice. We own a "monster truck" - 3/4 ton Yukon XL as the family vehicle. With 4 kids under 10 and 2 dogs we need a decent amount of space and needed the towing capacity for a travel trailer. We live in Northern BC and our roads are basically ice covered for 5 months, making AWD more than an indulgence. We both work so we have seperate personal vehicles. We are now replacing my wife's VW Beetle which works for her but is useless for any kid transport as it has a fixed baby seat and only one other rear seat. We decided to get a 6-7 passenger vehicle which would replace almost all of the truck use in town so fuel efficiency was primary and the HiHy was the obvious choice in that regard, but having read the limitations, are not sure if our real world gains are worth the $$.
The parameters are as follows:
Driving is about 90% stop and go city driving with trips about 4.5 miles each way. Sometimes drop and return, other times, drop and wait.
The city is a bowl formed by the last ice age, so we drop about 500' into town from our home but rise 500' coming back.
Up here is gets cold. Today was the first time in 3 weeks that temperatures rose above freezing.
We will keep the new car in the garage. All cars come with block heaters installed up here.
My understanding so far is as follows. City driving is the Hybrid's strong suit as is going down long hills.
Cold, short trips and uphills reduce the effectiveness of the Hybrid. (These also have effects for an ICE. Is there a difference of scale?)
The bottom line here is whether or not we can expect the mileage gains the EPA ratings for the ICE VS HY suggest. We know we are unlikely to save money, but rather would like to see our carbon footprint reduced. If we are better off spending the $$ to install a solar hot water heating system for example, we may choose that. The advantage here is the fact that instead of 1-2 mpg gains seen with compacts, with bigger vehicles the gas savings take on a magnitude of scale. Here, the HY saves .022 gallons every mile over the ICE based on the EPA numbers. That makes it worthwhile to us. Question is, can we realistically expect those gains in our situation? Any and all comments or responses welcomed.