I've been banging around the site for about a month now, so thought it was about time I wrote an introduction.

Picked up my '06 HCH on Feb. 7, Mag pearl w/o nav. Here are some of my comments/observations so far:

1) Had a tough time deciding between HCH and Prius. In the end, the price was a big factor, but the other thing is that I just could NOT get comfortable test driving the Prius for some reason. I kept wanting the seat to go back just ONE MORE CLICK, but it wasn't there. The steering wheel seemed too far away. When I got into the HCH, I felt comfortable. I really like the telescoping steering wheel. Greenhybrid's mileage database also showed me that there wasn't a big difference in real world gas mileage between the two cars, which made me feel better about the HCH. But I must admit that, having driven midwestern winters for many years, I really do wish anti-skid and traction control had been available for the HCH. Oh well, maybe next time...

2) My salesman knew less about the car than I did, which wasn't much at the time. But he was a nice guy, and the place I went was a "no hassle, no haggle" dealership and they really mean it. They had the car priced at $21,395 ($1,005 below MSRP). With the $2,150 I expect back from Uncle Sam, I felt good about what I spent. They had 4 on the lot, so I had some choice. They also threw in two free oil changes and a free wash at a full service carwash.

3) I love the car! I love reading GreenHybrid and applying the tips. I had trouble at first fighting my way through all the acronyms, but I'm getting the hang of it. My commute is 10 miles to work, so I don't expect fantastic mileage, but I think I'm doing okay so far. I can get it into and out of EV pretty easily after some practice. I don't go for the EV so much as I go for the VCM. It's great to see that meter peg at 100 and stay there!

4) I went to 42 psi on the tires after 165 miles, and noticed a BIG difference in the "bumpiness" of the ride. After awhile I may go back to 32 or so and see how it affects my numbers and how much difference it makes in the ride.

5) Cold weather really sucks! (gas, that is ) Sometimes I can't get autostop until over half way to work, or I get it for a short time only. So, I bit the bullet and installed a block heater and a heavy duty timer for the outlet. I just got it last week and have been experimenting, but my initial observation is that it's almost painful to drive those first few miles with the engine stone cold once you've experienced how much happier it is with that little bit of heat to help get it going. Sort of like me waking up at 6am from a dead sleep vs. waking up slowly at 7:30 on a Saturday with the sun shining!

6) Looking forward to learning more and practicing "the techniques". Thanks to all for the info I've gleaned so far, and thanks to Jason for a great site!

 

A whole day with no responses! I'm ashamed and saddened!

Anyway, congrats on the HCH, and welcome to GH, glad it's been useful for you. You'll find a lot of friendly HCH people who are rather eager to share info, so have fun, enjoy your new vehicle, and enjoy the warm when it comes to you!