Hi, i am looking into buying a HCH, I will put about 40,000 miles on in a year.My driving will be mostly 2 lane state roads and med. to small towns, and small amounts of interstate driving.Just looking to talk with someone in the same boat, to see if i will benefit from a hybrid or go with a reg car with 40 mpg rating.

 

I can't directly answer that; it's a personal call. I will say that we purchased a HCH and live in the mountains of Colorado-a pass lies on each road out of town. I drove the six hours to Albuquerque and averaged 47 mpg. It also had been 500 miles between fillups. We're pleased with our car.

 

I'd say that depends on what you now have. I had a 2001 Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Liter and in my commute (60 miles a day) I was on the highway. So, a mix of stop and go and 55 mph. I got 16 mpg.

I now have a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid and for the last 12 months have averaged 31 mpg. While not as good mpg as smaller hybrids I do have capacity to carry far more cargo so for me it is a win.

 

Hybrids don't need special conditions to get great MPG.

A hybrid will get better MPG than a regular car in ALL conditions.

Any conditions that hurt the MPG of a hybrid will also hurt the MPG of a regular car too.

 

If the state roads are about 45-55mph speed limit and no stop lights for long streches the HCH I would be the best choice. If its 35mph limit a prius might be the optimum choice. If you can drive an hch at around 50mph without stop signs you can get around 60mph driving at a steady throtle. Using tricks and stuff you can get far beyond that depending on conditions. Go in to more detail about hills, traffic and speed limits and how much effort you want to put in and we will have a better idea to make a judgement for you.

 

Were you looking to buy new?

 

not sure found a 2005 hch with 10,000 miles

 

While this is true, in some situations a hybrid will be hurt disproportionately more than a standard car (though it will still provide better MPG in absolute terms). This is often the case when driving at very fast steady speeds, or driving on very long mountain drives (when battery capacity runs out and electric assist is no longer provided), as this will tend to push the smaller displacement gasoline engines in hybrids outside of their efficient "band" of RPMs. Normal vehicles tend to have oversized engines, so will tend to stay in their efficient RPM range at faster speeds but continually waste gas as slower speeds. Running at normal speeds but with lots of accessories on (air conditioning, fans, sound systems etc) can have the same effect as well. Although those same accesories would take the same amount of horsepower to run in either car, the difference in load would not have as pronounced of an effect on a car with a more oversized engine.

Hybrids are also hurt disproportionaly more during the "warm-up" period compared to normal cars as the electric system is only running at partial capacity until the batteries etc. reach optimal temperature, so they don't provide regenerative braking, engine start-stop etc. as a margial benefit for the first couple minutes of driving-- they're very much like driving a normal car until they get warmed up, which kills hybrid mileage for people who only have short trips.

However, for your drive, which is long (not a lot of "warm-up" time) on two-lane roads with speeds probably in the 45-55mph range most of the time you should actually see the greatest marginal benefit from having a hybrid compared to a non-hybrid, since those speeds and conditions are where all cars, especially hybrids with appropriately sized engines, tend to be most efficient.

 

I guess the simple answer is, YES, you will benefit with an HCH vs a standard Civic (I'm assuming that's what you're comparing it to at 40 mpg, or a Corolla), if you are looking for better gas mileage.

If, however, you are looking for a more cost effiicent vehicle over the life, you'll have to make some assumptions about your gas mileage for both, which is, I think, why you asked the question in the first place. I'd say take a look at the people in the COMPARE forum who get good gas mileage with around the same average trip distance you have. Figure that you should be able to get at least somewhere in the low to middle range of those numbers. Then figure what percentage better than the EPA ratings that mpg is. Let's use 10% better for the sake of argument - 56.1 mpg vs 51). Now apply that same 10% improvement to the 40 mpg car, assuming that your driving techniques will also allow you a 10% improvement (44 vs. 40).

Now get out your glass ball and guess at the average price of gas over the life of the car! That's a tough one. Figure out what your gas savings will be, and compare that to the cost differential. If you want, you can also factor in the time value of money. Do the math and see how it comes out.

Hope this made sense.

 

HFD,

Where in Central PA are you? I'm in York and can tell you that I get GREAT mileage on secondary roads in my 2006 HCH II. My question really focuses on how hilly the driving is? That's the thing that I've found in this area that will do the most to kill my mileage (although mostly at higher speeds than on secondary roads). The minor hills we have around here won't hurt the mileage in 30-50 mph driving but in the highway it isn't pretty!

For instance - I can drive from the east end of York to the west side of Lancaster on Route 462 (a few 30-35 mph small towns mixed with 45 mph speed limits between towns - perhaps 6 stoplights in the 18 mile trip). I have gotten as low as 45 when it was cold and rainy and as high as 64mpg on this trip (repeated trip to the inlaws!). Today I drove up Rt 441 (From Columbia to Marietta and further and then back to York. There is one BIG hill there - Chickie's rock - and I averaged 57mpg on the trip today.

I personally find that this is the area that the Civic Hybrid (2006) REALLY shines. I'm not that thrilled with the highway mileage (on I83 with hills I'm usually between 40 and 45MPG at 65mph between York and New Cumberland).

I can't speak for the HCH I you're looking at (2005) but in the 2006 it goes into what people refer to as EV mode (all electric - basically when it's coasting) at lower speeds (under 45 mph very easily) and during this time you drive without using any fuel at all. It really helps the mileage overall.

If you're anywhere my neck of the woods, send me a PM if you have any questions about specific mileage and locations.

Eric