I have wanted a hybrid ever since it came to the US for all the reasons everyone should want the most fuel efficient mass produced car available. Finally, this year, my wife and I can afford and need a new car. Yesterday we visited a Honda and Toyota dealership to see if my wife's wheelchair fits inside a Prius', Camry hybrid's and HCH's trunk. Her wheelchair stays in the car, so it needs to be hidden from prying eyes. Surprisingly it didn't fit in any of them. The Prius was the closet fit by inches. Most surprising is the Camry's small trunk, because it's such a large car. The HCH's trunk is small and it didn't fit at all. Both of us were extremely disappointed.

We want the most fuel efficient car available and we need one soon. Does anyone have any suggestions about what we can do?

John

Check the Ford Escape hybrid. It is a very nice ride and ranks up there with the Prius and Camry as a sweet ride.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Unfortunately, my wife and I don't want to drive an SUV. Yesterday I checked out the trunk of an Altima hybrid and it's about the same size as the HCH trunk. As of now we're not going to get a hybrid.

Our plan is to hope. We hope our 95 Honda Civic will keep running until either Volkswagon puts out its fuel efficient diesel or someone comes out with a hybrid car with a large enough trunk. Gas mileage for regular 2008 cars is about the same as our 95 Civic.

john

The trunk on the Altima is the smallest of all passenger hybrid vehicles, sitting at a hair over 9 cubic feet of space.

The Camry and the HCH offer 10 cubic feet of trunk space. Considering the size of the Camry (mid-size), the HCH has a subjective space efficiency advantage here since it is a compact.

The Prius does come closest to addressing your needs, does it not?

It just occurred to me that the Civic Hybrid has a flat rear floor. This flat rear floor is an often neglected feature that allows for some pretty beefy items to be carried back there in a moment of need. The only negative is that the front seats may have to be adjusted forward for "thicker" items.

I know some folks with wheelchairs in your exact same situation that have managed to carry the folded wheel chair upright and behind the front seats. Of course this means that you can only carry at most one additional person in the rear seats.



Cheers;

MSantos

When there's a specific item that must be carried, the number of cubic feet isn't really relevant. Either the item fits, or it does not.

The behind the seats suggestion sounds like a good one, though.

truedelta.com
Vehicle reliability, fuel economy, and price comparison information

The Prius does come close but it is too narrow. Our Civic Coupe EX's trunk is not long enough but it is wide enough that we can slide the wheelchair in and then turn it slightly for the last few inches.

I'll have to look at the Civic hybrid again.

I hope the civic hybrid would suit your needs...

__________________________
My friends jeep tow bar and jeep wrangler parts needs to be replace.

We store the wheelchair in the car; therefore we can't keep it in the back seat. It'll be like an open invitation for thieves.

john

Are wheelchairs really a high-risk item? GPS, radar detectors, I understand, but not a wheelchair.

John. You could remove the rear seat bottom for added storage in most Hybrids. Have a cover or storage bag made for the wheel chair, that way it will be out of sight. Have you looked at other types of chairs more suitable for smaller Auto's? If there is a will there is a way? H