I know there are a ton of people here who love their hybrids - and thus think this article is unfair. But I can totally relate to it.

I believed the hype. I thought my Escape hybrid would be just like a regular Escape, only with much better gas mileage. I read review after review that GUSHED about how GREAT the hybrids were. The only drawback anyone ever talked about was how weird it was to have the engine shut off when you were at a stop light.

There was never a mention of having to radically alter your driving style.
There was never a mention of local topography and weather significantly hurting your MPG.
There was almost never a mention of the AC/defrost hurting your MPG.
The only quotes I've ever read were of people 100% happy with their purchase.

So if you want to read more articles about how great hybrids are, there are plenty of them out there. Personally, I LIKE the fact that someone actually wrote about the other side of the coin - about how hybrids don't always live up to their hype, and how some people are disappointed.

I think it's a good thing to print more realistic expectations.