Hi,
A couple of clarifications?
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Originally Posted by Volkov
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.
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You are keeping the Yukon?
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Originally Posted by Volkov
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 separate 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.
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Is this just to replace the Beetle, more of a Civic or possibly Prius class vehicle?
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Originally Posted by Volkov
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 $$.
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Is this a replace the Yukon and Beetle decision?
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Originally Posted by Volkov
The parameters are as follows:
Driving is about 90% stop and go city driving with trips about 4.5 miles each way. Sometimes drop and return, other times, drop and wait.
The city is a bowl formed by the last ice age, so we drop about 500' into town from our home but rise 500' coming back.
Up here is gets cold. Today was the first time in 3 weeks that temperatures rose above freezing.
We will keep the new car in the garage. All cars come with block heaters installed up here.
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Sounds like a reasonable hybrid profile although the 4.5 miles is a little short. Double that distance really lets the hybrid architecture shine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volkov
My understanding so far is as follows. - City driving is the Hybrid's strong suit as is going down long hills.
- Cold, short trips and uphills reduce the effectiveness of the Hybrid. (These also have effects for an ICE. Is there a difference of scale?)
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You've pretty well got the basics.
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Originally Posted by Volkov
The bottom line here is whether or not we can expect the mileage gains the EPA ratings for the ICE VS HY suggest. We know we are unlikely to save money, but rather would like to see our carbon footprint reduced. If we are better off spending the $$ 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.
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I'm not sure I understand what vehicles are being replaced. If you are proposing to go from a two vehicle family to one, I'm not sure you would be happy with any replacement. If the Yukon can be retained as the 'trailer' vehicle for another couple of years, I would recommend looking at either the Highlander and/or the Ford Escape. Both come with all wheel drive and I know the Ford Escape has excellent performance characteristics in our climate. I don't know enough about the Highlander to do a head-to-head comparison but Toyota makes very fine vehicles. But given two adults and four growing kids, an Escape would be less bad than the Beetle but soon not meet your needs for family travel. Still, it would be very practical for one parent and 2-3 of the kids and 4 in a crunch.
Let me suggest looking at the problem as two sets of requirements:
- run around town vehicle - may not need to carry everyone but allow one parent to handle the kids on short trips
- everybody, vacation vehicle - carries everyone, the critters and trailer for getting away from town. May be used for Church or other, infrequent, whole family trips
The "everybody" vehicle does not have to be fuel efficient since its annual mileage will significantly decrease. A 'moving van', it just has to handle the infrequent, load everyone up trips.
The "city" vehicle needs to be optimized since it is likely to see the greatest use. As the kids grow up, they are less and less likely to see common destinations other than say church or school. Even school probably has alternative transportation solutions that might be considered.
Sorry I can't be much more help. The oldest of five brothers, we used an International Harvester Travelall in the 1960s filling all seats. Once, we even squeezed two families into the same vehicle (and I remember the oldest girl to this day.)
GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson