Hello,



I just purchased a 2006 MM hybrid, and I love it!



It is Vivid Red and I got the Audiophile Sound and Safety package.



I did not buy this vehicle to same money!



I bought it because



1. My daughter has asthma and our air quality is really bad in Cleveland. I understand that in Cleveland, that our car actually cleans the air (except CO2). (And yes it is like peeing on a forest fire, but it is the best I can personally do).

2. I work at the VA and see too many kids (18 to 25) missing body parts. (If you must start flaming about the war, please start a new post!)

3. Lake effect snow, blowing and drifting snow, unplowed streets, four to five inch slush (I actually had an exhaust system pulled off of my car by the snow).


4. I can't call off on snow days because my sick patients refuse to stop being sick .


5. The roads in North East Ohio are approximately equivalent to driving off road.

6. I am a techno Geek and proud of it (the kids who beat me up in school and now cooking my dinner, washing my car, and emptying my garbage cans) .

7. We needed a large car. I commute with my Wife and daughter to work (school for the kid).



8. I got a great deal. Ford X-plan, $1000.00 rebate, and 0% for 5 years.



I am surprised that I get 28 to 30mpg because I have to run the AC all of the time (See #1).



Well, that’s my list for what it is worth.



Why did you buy yours?



Rick

 

Rick,
I don't know about "cleaning" the air....unless it is REALLY bad in Cleveland. I will recommend that you install a cabin air filter. Ford does NOT include a filter even though there is a filter box. Do a search here to find the aftermarket filter options (<$10) that fit the stock location. You don't need to drop $40 on the Ford one.

 

I picked the MMH over the FEH for a couple of reasons..

• The MM has a bit more soft ride and is a bit more quieter than the FE. A good friend has both a MM and a FE and confirmed this for me before I bought.<
• I liked the interior of the MM over the FE.<
• I liked the color choices offered for the MMH over the FEH w/Prem. Well, I really wanted the orange/copper, but neither was available in that.<
• A MM is a bit more unusal, around here, than a FE.<

I got X-plan, too. But I could have used that on either the MMH or the FEH.

 

We bought the MMH over the FEH. The wife came from a Lincoln Navigator, so I needed whatever "comfort" I can get for a gas-eco vehicle.

We like MMH/FEH over Toyota because we needed SUV "utility" factor, and both the price and gas mileage are better than Lexus, and Highlander. Saturn Vue doesnt have the CVT -- that's me, I like new technology . 90% of our driving is in the city and wont require more power -- however, for long trip up and down CA, I am going to miss traveling over the grapevine (4000ft elevation) at 80mph -- that's ok. It'll be safer now

Why hybrid? 100mpg mods for Hybrid vehicles! PHEV. When battery technology catches up, I'm definitely doing this mod, and adding solar panels to our house.

When our other gas car stops running, I hope Toyota/Ford will have a PHEV production car by then.

 

Nothing wrong with PHEV and when the technology gets there its a great idea.

I do always chuckle a bit when I see an article that cites you can get >100mpg with a PHEV. Where does that number come from? Its bogus. In a normal car or a normal hybrid all energy comes from gasoline so MPG makes sense. Once you plug the thing in MPG doesn't many any sense at all anymore because the energy coming from the power lines isn't included.

Think about it what does 100MPG mean? If I drive a PHEV less than 50 miles I'll never need the gasoline at all... why not 10,000 MPG 1,000,000 MPG, make your number up completely its up to you!... its all just as accurate.

 

Maybe soon we will have a new rate to work with....miles per kwh? miles per dollar?

 

As "we" explore alternative fuels and power sources for cars, I think that $/mile or Miles/$ would be one of the better measurements.

 

I think it means that the mileage gauge/display is limited to two digits to the left of the decimal point. So, the "best" that can be displayed is like 99.99 miles/gal which writers round off to 100.

 

Heh heh...good answer WaltPA.

I'm completely with you there Teester. That's what they're using when referencing PHEV, so that's what I used. But yes, the better gauge is somehting like $/mile like WaltPA said. The PHEV prius that is on the road right now is 3-4cents/mile even at CA highest electrical rates in the nation. Compare that with 10c/mile for a car than can go 40mpg (at $3.50/gal, again, CA prices).

Of course, if I go less than 30miles/day and charge against my solar power credit, it would be 0 cents/mile!

By the way, for the Green in us, we also need C02emmission/mile numbers for the rating as well! PHEV would rack up great numbers here too!

 

What kind of battery does the PHEV vehicles use? Most of the information I have read has said Lithium Ion. The probably with Lithium Ion is their battery life. They average only about a 3 year life span, over which battery capacity depletes with age. This could be a major problem with use in cars. Another problem could be safety. Li-ion's have the possibility of exploding or bursting into flames (ie Dell laptop battery recall), especially when left charging once full. What happens if the vehicle is in an accident? These are questions that the manufacturers have to deal with before developing and selling a PHEV. Researchers and those building PHEV conversion kits don't have as much of a responsibility to pursue these questions as the manufacturers.