I go the opposite way - Haddonfield to Absecon. I used to have a Cadillac CTS which got 21 mpg. I made up a spreadsheet and figured I would average 43 mpg and save about $280 per month in fuel cost (based on $3/gal fuel at the time). Because my mpg is higher than estimated, and gas prices have climbed I am saving about $455 per month. Instead of filling the tank 3 times a week at $60 a fill-up, I visit the gas station once a week and it costs $34.

When you do your math don't forget to add the tax credit to your Hybrid savings. Also, I've learned that it helps to buy from large dealerships for 2 reasons. The obvious is that they have a decent selection in inventory, and the second is that since they make so many sales they can push a great interest rate with the finance company. Smaller dealerships don't have as much leverage.

Good luck.

 

Actually, at higher speeds the aerodynamic differences of the HCH versus regular civic are very noticeable. The HCH (@ 0.27 CoD) has a 0.05-0.07 CoD advantage over the regular civic due to its extra aero treatments. The higher the speeds the more glaring these differences become.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Hmmm.... they look the same to me, so I am supprised... I am not doubting you but I am curious where the differences are.

 

The body is essentially the same except for the additional aero treatments the HCH received. These include underbody panels, lighweight & low CoD OEM rims, rear lip spoiler to disrupt the airflow at the tail, enhanced engine airflow, and other in-wheel-well aero treatments.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Go figure, I thought the spoiler & wheels were decorative only, kind of like the air vents on the side of the Focus....Learn something new everyday around here I tell ya

 

if you can keep your speed closer to 60, you will see a much better fuel economy number. the wind resistance really does a number on you, no matter what kind of car you drive. 70 will add the equivalent of about .50 per gallon to your costs. it could be worth quite a bit to slow down.

 

My brother refuses to slow down, i don't think i will be able to slow down to much either.. 75 to 80 mph will be the average speed on the expressway for us, i'm just being realistic for us.

 

I used to think that 75-80mph was the average speed for our interstates until I slowed down to 60. You might find that there are a lot more drivers at that speed than you realize, and more importantly, that fast drivers (usually) won't shoot at you for driving a little slower as long as you are in the right lane.

Once gas breaks the $5/g barrier, I think you will see people (on average) slowing down a lot more...

 

Try the car, the real time mileage display becomes addictive in that you really want to see it go up, if that means you have to slow down, well, that is what you do....there was an article in the paper today about how real time energy displays are causing people to use less energy.... I would include a link but the Spokesmanreview will not allow links unless you pay them $7.00 a month. It was a national story so you might want to look it up in your local paper.