I would like to purchase a hybrid and the one thing that concerns me is city driving MPG. Our driving behavior is 100% city driving. Trips are short 5 to 15 minutes in stop and go traffic and the car is always being started or stopped.

With this type of driving behavior would I actually get better MPG or a MPG killer?

Right now are 1998 honda accord (4 Cyl) averages 15 MPG, with this driving pattern.

That's a bad recipe for MPG, as you already know.
I think you'd STILL get better MPG in a hybrid. It has been suggested that that Prius is better suited for city driving. 100% city is not well-suited to any hybrid, IMO. But I'd try a test-run or two in a Prius to see.

Others (that know more ) will chime in.

Steve

STOP terrorism - Drive a HYBRID

Vehicles:
350 miles a week ------------ 2006 HCH II, Magnetic Pearl, w/NAVI (born on May 25, 2006)
350 miles a month ---------- 2003 Mazda Tribute ES-V6
350 miles a year (for now) - 1986 Mercedes 560SL

When I do that type of driving in my Mariner Hybrid, my Average MPG is in the low-mid twenties assuming I am not running AC. My normal routine involves a 3.5 mile trek across downtown Philly to drop my wife at work and my son at daycare. 15 minutes from a cold start. Then 15 minutes back across town. Then I go back into the house, get ready for work, and take a 5 minute trip to the office. Then there is usually another 5-10min trip to run errands or grab lunch, then 15 minutes back to daycare. Then 15-20 minutes home in rush hour traffic. In the 9 months we've had our MMH I have never once averaged below 22mpg for even part of a tank. While that is a far cry from the 33mpg the EPA tests list, its still 50% better than your civic despite being a 3,000lb AWD SUV. If I never drove a mile on the highway I would estimate my mileage would be about 26MPG overall, and about 24mpg in the dead of summer with AC usage and 24mpg during the coldest part of the winter with required heat usage.

I think the Prius is probably the best Hybrid for your driving patterns. Try to find a local company that rents Priuses and try one for a day. Either that or go to a local Whole Foods supermarket and wait in the parking lot. There is a 100% guarantee that there is at least 1 Prius parked in the lot. When the owner comes out ask him what he gets driving around town! Try posting over in the Prius section and ask the owners over there what kind of mileage you can expect given those conditions.

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 22,909
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


457 Gallons of gas saved
That's 9,150 lbs less CO2

My previous car was 1994 Honda Accord Wagon 4cyl and did a lot of short trips (less than 10 minutes).
Our records were 14 mpg in winter and 18 mpg in summer.
Now, I drive 2004 Prius with same patterrn, less than 10 minutes short trips.
My Prius recoed is 35 mpg in winter and 47 mpg in summer.
I'm happy about Prius.

Ken@Japan

Sorry I left off, that I'm looking for an SUV, since I have two bad hips, which makes it extremely difficult to get in and out of my current car and newer cars seem to be even lower to the ground. To bad Ford doesn't make the Five Hundred in a hybrid.

Right now my choices for a hybrids SUV are Ford, Mercury, Toyota, and Lexus. When reviewing the MPG database, most people seems to travel have highway miles and the few that had either 90, 95, 100 city behavior stated high teens, which is still better than what I'm getting now.

As others have suggested, the Prius is well suited to your driving. As I was reading your post, I was thinking that, depending on weather, you might expect MPG in the 30s to low 40s. Thanks to Ken for validating that.

Short trips will reduce your mileage of course, but you can minimize their impact by combining stops in one trip if feasible. Cold starts kill your mileage as much as anything. Keep the engine warm and mileage will improve.

Along those lines, assuming you get the Prius, consider adding an engine block heater, especially if you're in a colder climate.

EDIT: You posted your last post while I was composing this. The Highlander hybrid's propulsion system is similar to the Prius', so though the overall fuel economy is lower in the HiHy, I would guess the manner in which FE responds to various driving conditions and behaviors might be similar. But I'll defer to the HiHy owners; I have no experience with it.

Jim

Lifetime fuel mileage:

After learning how to hypermile:

Whatever hybrid you get do install an engine block heater. It will let you start the car warmer so you have better milage and reduced emissions for those short trips.

Wayne

One important factor in your fuel economy will be your climate. Where do you live and what are your winters/summers like?

Most of the reason we got an SUV was me. At 6'7" and with a bad back and a baby, getting myself and the carseat in and out of a sedan was a nightmare. The Mariner is perfect for me. We didn't go with the Highlander or Lexus b/c my knee didn't fit under the dash. I don't know if we would have chosen it over the MMH, but it got ruled out early. I do know that the Highlander gets slightly less MPG (about 2-3mpg) than the Escape/Mariner Hybrid. It is much larger (3 rows of seats and more cargo space), is more powerful, can tow more, and costs about $7,000 more. For some people it is the right vehicle, but for not me.

An engine block heater will depend on where you live and the climate. If you live in a warm climate it won't be necessary. Same can be said of AWD. The FWD Escape Hybrid gets about 2-3mpg better than the AWD....and I don't think the Mariner Hybrid is currently available with FWD only AWD so that may affect your decision.

I kept an eye on my engine and MPG this morning. From a COLD start the engine ran the first 15 minutes b/c we had the heat on (wife + child = heat on, I run without most times and use the heated seats as needed). Running the heat results in cooling the engine which keeps itself running then to stay warm - thats why heat = lower mileage. Once the cabin was warm and the wife got out, the heat went off...and the engine shut off. My MPG graph display during that first 15min was fluctuating in the mid-high teens. By the time we reached the daycare center, I was in the mid twenties. After dropping my son off and restarting for the trip home, the now-warm engine shut off at the first redlight and operated normally the rest of the way home in the mid twenties.

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 22,909
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


457 Gallons of gas saved
That's 9,150 lbs less CO2

Sounds like you need an pure electric truck:

http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com

Very impressive pure electric auto. If you live in CA , you might be able to get one of these bad boys in 2008. And if their plan is realized, a better chance to get one in 2009. I'm on their wating list...and saving money for a down payment.

EV efficiency is the best in 100% city driving (with regen braking). Temperature effects are not as bad on efficiency either (with the Alti battery).

If you drive <100mile/day and have a garage, this is the vehicle for you.

Buy an Acura RDX or Honda CRV. Both will do well in mpg with a ton of features that I haven't seen matched in any hybrid suv on the market.