Originally Posted By: Paul56
. . .
It isn't the hybrid concept that I don't grasp... it is the thought process of the owner/driver that escapes me.
Driving in a spirited manner with a hybrid just seems to be wrong on so many levels...
OK now, let's put on our thinking caps, and unwash our brains some! In some ways, I really think that it was a mistake for Toyota to introduce the concept with the Prius, a car that is obviously intended to maximize fuel economy. This clearly got many people locked into that mindset.
On the other hand, let's not forget that most of the six present Toyota/Lex hybrids are NOT designed primarily to increase fuel economy. The Lexus LS flagship car uses its HSD system to simulate the performance of a V-12. The Lexus GS hybrid does the same thing, on a smaller scale, The Lexus RX (and it's platform cousin the Highlander) are designed to provide a compromise between fuel econ and boosted performance. The Camry is also a compromise model, but with more bias to fuel economy. The Prius is the "purest" of the bunch.
In many ways, the hybrid system is comparable to a turbocharger (though obviously totally different in execution). Both "intercept" energy that would have been wasted, and "re-use" it. The turbo converts energy from the exhaust and puts it back into the intake tract. The hybrids take the kinetic energy (car's motion) and convert to electricity the energy that normal cars throw away as heat in the brakes.
Most turbos are sold overtly as performance enhancers, but they could just as well be optimized to boost fuel economy (and to some extent were when they appeared back in the fuel crunches of the 70s-80s). EDIT: As in make the car with a much smaller displacement engine, tune it for economy, and rely upon the turbo for those few occasions when you really need power.
I actually find our hybrids fun to drive (more so the Camry). Electric motors deliver monster torque, and can do so right from zero rpms. In the Camry, you can have 200 ft-lbs of "electro-torque" (my term...) just as quickly as you can get the pedal to the floor, with the gas engine filling in as speed picks up.
So, exactly why should I not have my cake and eat it too? I love driving my Camry in a spirited fashion, and always averaging in the mid-30s.
Time to loosen up those blinders some!
. . .
It isn't the hybrid concept that I don't grasp... it is the thought process of the owner/driver that escapes me.
Driving in a spirited manner with a hybrid just seems to be wrong on so many levels...
OK now, let's put on our thinking caps, and unwash our brains some! In some ways, I really think that it was a mistake for Toyota to introduce the concept with the Prius, a car that is obviously intended to maximize fuel economy. This clearly got many people locked into that mindset.
On the other hand, let's not forget that most of the six present Toyota/Lex hybrids are NOT designed primarily to increase fuel economy. The Lexus LS flagship car uses its HSD system to simulate the performance of a V-12. The Lexus GS hybrid does the same thing, on a smaller scale, The Lexus RX (and it's platform cousin the Highlander) are designed to provide a compromise between fuel econ and boosted performance. The Camry is also a compromise model, but with more bias to fuel economy. The Prius is the "purest" of the bunch.
In many ways, the hybrid system is comparable to a turbocharger (though obviously totally different in execution). Both "intercept" energy that would have been wasted, and "re-use" it. The turbo converts energy from the exhaust and puts it back into the intake tract. The hybrids take the kinetic energy (car's motion) and convert to electricity the energy that normal cars throw away as heat in the brakes.
Most turbos are sold overtly as performance enhancers, but they could just as well be optimized to boost fuel economy (and to some extent were when they appeared back in the fuel crunches of the 70s-80s). EDIT: As in make the car with a much smaller displacement engine, tune it for economy, and rely upon the turbo for those few occasions when you really need power.
I actually find our hybrids fun to drive (more so the Camry). Electric motors deliver monster torque, and can do so right from zero rpms. In the Camry, you can have 200 ft-lbs of "electro-torque" (my term...) just as quickly as you can get the pedal to the floor, with the gas engine filling in as speed picks up.
So, exactly why should I not have my cake and eat it too? I love driving my Camry in a spirited fashion, and always averaging in the mid-30s.
Time to loosen up those blinders some!
