Good point. I was reading one of the threads in the FEH hybrid section, and the poster was saying going downhill on a mountain was a very unpleasant experience.
I hadn't thought about it before, with the CVT...when you shift into S or L (or whatever lower gears are called in your particular car) what exactly does it do? If it doesn't "downshift" like a conventional automatic, what exactly does it do? A change in rpms?

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

You might try using:

http://www.fueleconomy.com/

Look at the highway mileage of the various cars. For example:

25/36 - Honda Civic automatic
40/45 - Honda Civic Hybrid (automatic)
48/45 - Prius (automatic)

You might drop by the magazine rack and pickup the Consumer Reports 2008 car evaluation. However, you might also look at some of the larger hybrids. The Toyota Camry Hybrid is a nice 'boat.' There is something to be said for comfort when spending over an hour each way in a car. If you expect to deal with a lot of foul weather the Ford Escape Hybrid is also a very nice ride and recently upgraded.

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.

In the HCH when shifting into S bumps up the RPM's in the engine (with your foot off the accelerator, it's still not using any gas), and also increases the resistance from the electrical component (which means more charging for your batteries). I've never gone into L because that forces an extrememly low gear ratio, only suitable for 15 miles per hour or below. While I agree that S may not hold as well as a classic transmission--auto or manual--it still allows some control in that regard, especially at highway speeds. As I've mentioned before, I've had occasion to drive some of the canyons around my home, and have not had a problem.

I also find it quite fun to drive the HCH on twisty mountain roads. But I grew up near the mountains, so I am quite comfortable with them, to begin with.

Check around, you might be able to rent a hybrid and give your prospective route a 'test drive.' Heck, you can probably arrange an overnight 'rental' from a dealer to test the route.

You have options beyond just opinions.

GOOD LUCK!
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.

Dude!

You gotta read this TCH review of meeting snow in NY. Now that is the kind of snow driving I could enjoy.

Bob Wilson

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/154417-post9.html

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.

In cars using the Toyota system, there is no transmission in the traditional sense, and no gears to shift (in most vehicles). When in "D" there is no engine braking, but there is regenerative braking which charges the battery and mimics the engine braking one gets with an automatic transmission in "D". The brake pedal increases the regenerative braking as long as the battery isn't fully charged and speed isn't near zero, or uses the conventional friction brakes otherwise. In "B" engine braking is enabled -- the system spins the ICE (consuming no fuel) to absorb energy. This will save the friction brakes if the battery is fully charged.

The effect of "B" is much like shifting to "L" in a conventional automatic, however it feels weird and can be disconcerting because the engine response is opposite of what one would expect -- pressing the accelerator will cause the ICE to slow down until the point where no engine braking is applied then speed up when pressed further. Unlike "L", "B" has no effect when under power. You can drive all the time, at all speeds, in "B", but this will increase fuel consumption because there will be far less energy recovery.

Thanks, I always wondered what the "B" was in the Toyotas.

My Honda has the S and the L, which I haven't used much, but I want to get an idea when they can be used to some advantage.
In my old car, an Oldsmobile with overdrive, there was D, 2, and 1. I used to use the 2 or the 1 in situations like snow, especially going uphill. The wheels would spin more slowly, allowing me to navigate through those kind of situations even with all-season tires.
I haven't had the same conditions to deal with yet, but wondered whether S or L might help. I did get dedicated snow tires, which have helped a lot with the (not very deep) snow we've gotten so far.
It's more difficult to understand how these CVTs work.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

To get traction you need to limit the power to the wheels. CVT is the most elegant transmission for this. Shifting to lower gears forces the engine to stay in a higher power range, which is not what you want in slippery conditions.

On a related note, AWD helps you go. It doesn't help you stop.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid -> sparkle grey pearl

Slightly off topic here, my mother had a 1963 DAF, which was a very small car with what I believe was the first CVT transmission. It had a front engine and rear transmission consisting of two variable ratio V Belts, one for each wheel, providing the differential action. Even with front engine and rear drive this was the most nimble car in the snow I've ever driven (note that I've never had an AWD or 4WD vehicle, though). To be back on topic with the "B" gear, it had only three positions in the transmission lever (forward, neutral, reverse) and a knob on the dash for engine braking!

The DAF was also renown for its performance in reverse driving races. Forward and Reverse were symmetrical so the car was capable of going over 60mph in reverse!

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...94/index4.html

The author of that post was going down a "real" mountain offroad!

This said, I own a Mercury Mariner Hybrid, and it is the best car I have ever driven in the snow. It will plow snow out of the way if the snow is higher than the bumper.