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Old 09-29-2006, 12:23 PM
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wcmack wcmack is offline
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Real Name: Bill Mack
Location: Northwestern NJ
Hybrids: 2007 Camry Hybrid
Posts: 75
Default Re: An Idiot @ WomanMotorist.com

Quote:
I am a bit put off by some hybrid owners and their smugness that goes with being a hybrid owner. "I drive a hybrid"... whooptee freaking doo.
I can see your point on this. Internet communities that focus on one topic or product, like this one, will attract people with a variety of enthusiasm for the subject, some of whom can seem a little over the top in their commitment to, or fascination with, it. I consider myself kind of middle-road on enthusiasm. But I must confess, when I'm driving, I sometimes wonder whether people notice that I am driving a hybrid. So I guess I am guilty of wanting to feel special, if not smug.

Quote:
Let's compare apple to apple, you went from a gas-guzzler (perhaps and SUV?) to a camry hybrid. My point is that had you gone with a regular camry, you still would notice an improvement over your gas-guzzler.
Also true. My old X-5 had a 4.4 litre V-8 and 16-18 MPG. So I certainly could have purchased many nice gas-engine cars that would have met my requirements for personal transportation and got better gas mileage. In fact, I looked at the Acura TL, the Audi A-4, the Hyundai Azera and the Camry SE, as well as the Camry Hybrid.

Quote:
My disappoint in hybrids is that compared to THEIR non-hybrid counterparts, they are not that impressive. In that regard, it's a bit of a gimmic...As for you doing better, you can't but you bought into the hype of a hybrid... is all I'm pointing out.
I think we may just have to agree to disagree on this point. It seems you feel that hybrid technology is not a real step forward, but rather a sales ploy to get people to buy more cars at perhaps higher prices. I and everyone else (including you apparently) got taken in when we chose a hybrid.

I just don't agree. As I said earlier, IMHO hybrid technology is a good and serious evolution beyond the ICE technology that has sustained the auto industry for over 100 years. And I feel good about being a relatively early adopter of that technology. Should I be smug about it? Of course not. Should I feel duped? No, I can't see it.

I hope and expect that the auto industry will continue to develop and incorporate new propulsion technologies in my lifetime that will make my current FE look incredibly feeble. If I can, I will drive vehicles that include those technologies as well. Call me gullible or smug if you want. But that's what I'm gonna do...

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Bill
2007 Magnetic Gray TCH/Nav/Ash Leather
2002 Blue BMW K1200RS
2000 Champagne BMW K1200LT