It's rated 19/24 she must never use the gas pedal.

-Dave

Yes, but it's not a hybrid issue, and it's not a problem with this Lexus. People prioritize the importance of cars differently. Anyone can look at car and ask, "Why would anyone need a car that [fill in the blank]." Why would anyone need 330 hp? or go 150 miles per hour? or spend any more than $40,000? or jack the thing 3' off the ground? or put a 3" exhaust pipe on it so it sounds like a chain saw?

The debate on who needs what is seperate from the fact this particular car is a hybrid or not.

For me, if you compare this car with other $50,000 / 300+ hp cars, it's a favorable step to add the hybrid drivetrain as it will get better FE than it's counterparts. Within the class, it's a plus.

On an absolute scale across all vehicles, I'm mostly with Zimbop. Making an excessive car more excessive by adding a hybrid is "OK" in terms of expansion of the use of technology, but does little for the planet. But really it's a issue of mindset - that maybe it's OK to not drive a $50K/300hp performance car when a Camary hybrid might do the job just as nice. But, I suspect folks buying cars like that have the means and the desire for something premuim. At least they have a better, albeit far from ideal, choice to make.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

What debate? These things are all stupid. :-)

Stupid is is the eyes of the beholder..........what is stupid to you is desirable to someone else. I prefer a market driven economy rather than socialism. Enough said.

Everyone's free to desire what they like, but I am also free to think they're stupid for it. :-) Yes we have a free market system, but the market pushes an awful lot of idiotic stuff on us, and I don't have to like it. Paying extra money to make your car fart loudly is certainly on the "stupid" list in my book. Same for lifts, spoilers, stereos that wake up the neighborhood, and all that other silly car crap people waste money on. But yep, we're all free to buy it if we want. And as proof of it myself, we're also all free to be a curmudgeon a$$ too. ;-)

thanks goodness we live in a free country

Yes...and what a huge mess we are in.

We should go to Russia, they are in much less of a mess.

Actually they're probably freer to do whatever they want to whomever they want whenever they want even more than us...so it make's sense that they are in even bigger doo-doo.

Even the great Lord Rumsfeld said it..."Freedom can be messy...." ...of course...it depends on what "freedom to do __________" is.

Regardless...I do agree with Zimbop that it's absolutely pointless to offer hybrid technology in cars that can't even muster 30 MPG in this day and age.

Yes, I would hate to live in we have to pay for. Oh, wait [looks at tax bill] we do.

-Dave