Metro New York Commute
 

Anyone commute into NYC on a regular basis? What is your real world MPG? I am thinking of buying one as a commuter car. Thanks.

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

I've had the unfortunate pleasure of driving into Brooklyn this past fall. Between getting robbed at bridge toll booths and cut off at every light it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. We didn't even hit any real traffic. All I can report is the trip meter went from 49 - 45 mpg once in the urban region. I'd hazard a guess driving there would be under 40 mpg around the city. And imagine the worse case: Cold, rainy, and stop and go traffic. Yuck, I image any hybrid would get terrible mileage in such a situation!

The terrain is pretty flat and traffic can get very stop and go. People are not very nice either if you try and keep a distance between you and the car in front. Very few chances for any gas friendly driving techniques.

On the plus side I would think the hybrid would be a safe city car. What young thug with 22 inch HUMMER rims on his mind is gonna steal a car based off economy instead of performance :D

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

I have driven in NY several times with my other vehicles and I can tell you that a CRV may be the better choice for you. The streets in NY are not in the best shape and the low riding Civic Hybrid will constantly hit the road...

There are parts in NY that have good roads, but when you hit a bad patch you will know.

You may also want to try a FEH or THH as they are both SUV based hybrids :)

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

I currently switch between a S2000 and an Acura TSX when I drive into NY. Having a low riding car is not a problem for me since I can get around fine with the S. I come from NJ and commute is about 40 miles highway and 5 miles stop and go into the tunnels and around midtown.

My lease is up on the S2000 soon and will be drving the TSX exclusively. However I am not to fond of the TSX, it has great handling but porky. It also does not get great FE either, average 23-24mpg from the commute ( I get 30+ on the highway but stop and go kills the MPG quickly), I get the same from the S. Given that I expect to drive into the city more often next year, that is the reason why I want a hybrid (if I have to drive a slow car, why not get the most fuel efficient one).

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

That seems like pretty good logic to me!

Honestly though, I'm not a huge fan of the HCH in stop and go traffic. When you're stopping, the engine will shut off at 7mph allowing you to coast (with the brake applied) until you hit 0. After you stop, if you let off the brake, the engine comes back on. If you hit 10mph again, it will easily go back into autostop next time you stop, but if you don't get going that fast, the car usually doesn't shut off again. I find this frustrating, but rarely drive in stop and go so it might not bother you at all.

Personally, I like the Aisin system (Escape, Prius, etc.) more in stop and go because you actually can stop and go without the ICE. I've been pretty amazed by our Mariner actually--it will go almost a mile in stop and go without the engine, even on hills. Once the battery is flat, it quickly charges again without a noticable regen hit on the mileage. However, if you're currently driving an S2000, the handling of either the Fords or Toyota would kill you.

Overall with the HCH, you would get great mileage on the 40 mile part of your commute and you would still get better mileage on the last 5 than 99% of normal cars because of the small engine. You could also swap shocks and tires for an Si which would make the handling pretty sweet.

I would suggest a test drive on the HCH and see how you like it in stop and go. Get it warmed up with a normal drive so that the auto stop will work and then find a parking lot to play around on. Just don't pay attention to the trip computer's mileage on the test drive because it will not be representative of what you will see once the car is broken in.

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

I agree with Kristian. IMA (Honda's hybrid system) does not work as well in stop and go traffic. I would look into the prius or a camry. A plug-in hybrid would be great for those conditions (if you have an extra $10K+ to pay for a conversion(the HCHII can't be converted)).

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

As much as I love Honda and their hybrids, for stop and go driving Toyota or Ford (or GM 2-Mode) hybrid systems are king.

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

Just a though: since you live in one of the five states where you can buy a Nissan Altima Hybrid, that might be worth considering. It also uses the Aisin eCVT and has licenced most of the hybrid goodies from Toyota. Most of the reviews point to the sportier handling as the key difference between the NAH and the Camry Hybrid.

Oh, wait, you live in NJ, not NY right? I don't think they sell them in NJ but you could always buy across the border...

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

Altima sounds interesting but @ 34mpg, it may not be worth switching. I wonder if I can convince the Honda dealer to give me a 24hr test drive or rent one first, that may be my best option.

Re: Metro New York Commute
 

My 52 mile commute from Long Island to NYC is almost always an off peak trip. I usually get between 45-55 mpg. When I do travel at peak times I use the HOV lane which hurts my mpg due to the fact that if you do not maintain at least 65mph you will usually have someone on your bumper.

I have never bottomed out on the NY Metro roads on my route as someone previously stated. I looked at the Prius but based on my travel times the HCH was the best choice.