I've now seen, and learned enough, about the FEH/MMH that I will not be buying one, especially in light of the "stay the course" shown by the 2008 PR stuff.

IMMHO the new Suzuki SX4 is the PERFECT SUV platform for porting the Toyota hybrid synergy drive.

I'm waiting...

Meantime the SX4 with manual transaxle fits the bill as a MH TOAD.

 

Bye! But do not leave GreenHybrid entirely -- your Prius, and any vehicle (hybrid or no-) that you purchase can benefit from many of the discussions here regarding fuel efficient driving, maintenance tips, etc.

 

I'm in a similar situation as you, but I think for different reasons.

I needed a new vehicle in '05. Unfortunately, $$ wasn't there. So I bought a '06 Saturn Vue FWD manual. It's a great vehicle and gets good mileage. As such, I have time on my side in choosing and getting the vehicle I want.

While I like the Vue, it's not really the vehicle of my choice. It lacks 4WD. I don't need that at this particular moment in time in my day-to-day living as I currently live in California. However, I'm from New England and I have family in Chicago. I plan on returning to New England either late in '07 or early '08. I had a '97 4WD Ford Explorer Sport. 4WD drive helped me considerably in New England and Chicago winters (and on days with slick roads or heavy rain). I live on a hill in New England and without 4WD, it's a real struggle just to get home on an icy/snowy day! And I can't recall how many times 4WD helped me get out of snow!

But as I'm in CA now, I don't have any desperate need for 4WD just yet. Also, there are various creature comforts I'd like, one being a simple auxillary port for an iPod (or any other device). The '07 FEH doesn't have this and I'm not sure it can be installed.

After seeing all the little extras that may come with the '08 model, the slight redesign of the front of the vehicle, and the redesign of the interior with the slick blue lights and repositioning of the parking brake (while I like the parking brake in the middle console, FEH's console brake is awkward and bulky there - I actually think the old-fashioned extra pedal is the way to go for these vehicles), I decided to wait. Plus, this gives me a chance to see how my finances will be in '07. If I get a decent raise, I should be able to afford the new vehicle without issue. More importantly, I can build the exact vehicle I want - not force myself to get something off the lot for time's sake.

Therefore, I'll be getting an FEH soon, but not yet and not an '07 (unless something "magical" happens). And in the interim, I have an SUV that gets good mileage and is suitable for where I live. When I need to drive in snow, I'll rent a 4WD (as I'm doing now when I drive to Chicago, with my dogs, for the holidays).