Is a hybrid right for my commute?

[Rmay635703]

Ya but ANY car suffers a mileage hit in the winter....

the RAV4 hybrid I linked to lost a massive amount of economy when it was low 60’s, that ain’t winter.


My manuals were barely noticeable winter to summer ,
my automatics could loose half
Same goes for PHEV, can loose half

big difference in seasonal variation going from a stick to something automatic, shocking even.

 

[TeamZero]

the RAV4 hybrid I linked to lost a massive amount of economy when it was low 60’s, that ain’t winter.


My manuals were barely noticeable winter to summer ,
my automatics could loose half
Same goes for PHEV, can loose half

big difference in seasonal variation going from a stick to something automatic, shocking even.

Be interesting to see what prius does then. Other 2 in sig are roughly 10L/100k in summer, 12L/100 on winter. Prius so far with 8k on it is 4.1L/100

 

[meep]

Bmw 328d?

they are $20k on Carmax (or were). The bodies and chassis in these hold up really well over time, it’s not a bad vehicle to spend some time in, and the diesel should return great highway mileage. Only catch is if you’re ok with the seats, which I wasn’t.

 

[supton]

I'm trying to think, I think in the worst of winter I did see my '99 automatic drop from 30mpg down to 26mpg, but we're talking 10F and colder. I think 20F and up and my highway commute didn't see much of a change. If RTO actually occurs this year I'll see if I take a hit on the current manual trans commuter.

[My old TDi didn't suffer in winter, it held its own. Heavy summer a/c usage and a "it's summer I'm out of here!" mentality to driving home after work did not help summer mpg. But I recorded my best ever mpg in winter, despite snow tires.]

I have to wonder if commute distance matters here. If you drive 5 miles to work then mpg could drop in half (for any vehicle) in really cold weather. Of course... whaddya care when a gallon of gas might last you a week in return? But if your commute is significantly longer than the time it takes to warm up, I'm wondering if the effect averages out.

 

[wpod]

My Jag gets 27MPG. That's good for an AWD "winter" car. But I'm carrying things like this (heavy aircraft support tooling or parts) on these long trips:
The 2nd week in Sept, I'm going to have to move it all back down to FL. Heck Monday's trip is going to be at least 500 pounds worth of boxes of paperwork, records and books, and some tooling. It's also common to carry 2 to 4 executive aircraft seats and an entire setup for a crew rest area (pilot's sleeping configuration) Just can't do that with a car.

One of our seats:

That seat is for this:

I have to ask ,,what does that seat cost?

 

[wpod]

Do the numbers and don't rationalize of the assumed MPGs. Comfort is really important and a Camry sized cars are fairly comfortable.

 

[Warlord]

It’s rarely worth the trouble financially but there’s something to be said for the psychology of driving a more efficient vehicle. In trucks I have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I’m being wasteful when I’m just commuting and refuelling day is a real downer. I’m just in a better mood when I’m racking up miles in something efficient.

 

[Rmay635703]

Fords Maverick hybrid has had some folks test the MPGs real world at double nickel speeds in warm weather

Returns a solid 40mpg,

might be worth a look for $21,xxx ish

 

[SJUMBA]

My old Cobalt XFE would seem to get 40mpg highway even at rather high speeds

I guess Toyota is now in the “inflatgate “ mode like Hyundai

Even still $250 of taxes buy at least 3000 miles of fuel not to mention that insurance is 25%+ higher on the hybrid

Not sure where you get that +25% higher insurance cost for a hybrid. I actully get a "hybrid" discount on my Accord with my AAA policy. An endorsment clearly deliniated on the policy.

 

[Rmay635703]

Not sure where you get that +25% higher insurance cost for a hybrid. I actully get a "hybrid" discount on my Accord with my AAA policy. An endorsment clearly deliniated on the policy.

Pretty easy when I have a bill for both a hybrid and a not hybrid car and one is sky high despite being valued lower than the “non-hybrid “

 

[ecotourist]

So I know the hybrids excel in city driving, but I'm wondering how one would do on my mainly highway commute.

Right now I'm driving a 2019 F150 crewcab with the 2.7l 2wd. I average 21 - 23 mpg per tank, anywhere from 480 to 520 miles. I love the truck for the interior room, but I never really use it for truck things. I have filled it up with mulch a couple of times but that's about the extent of it. My wife drives a suburban and I would have access to my father in laws f250 if I do need to do truck things. Since the used truck market it my area is crazy I think now would be the time to dump it before the bottom falls out again. Already got one offer $1000 less than I paid for it 2 years and 55k miles ago.

So I'm looking at either a Camry or an Accord hybrids. Don't want anything smaller than that. So here's what my commute looks like... 15 miles of back roads @ 60mph till I get to the interstate, then 40 miles on interstate @ 70 mph, then I exit the interstate and drive 10 miles of city streets @ 55 mph. So that's 120 miles one way. The last 10 miles is the only time I ever run into any type of traffic or streetlights. Cruise control is on 98% of the time. Due to the times I'm traveling to and from work I hardly ever run into any traffic.

I think if I could at least get 45 mpg per tank it would be worth it. Or do you think a regular 4 cyl Camry could consistently get 40 mpg out of a tank?

I haven't finished reading the whole string yet but the obvious question is "Why not a full EV?" To maximize cost savings you'd probably want a used one. There are supposedly additional savings on maintenance - we'll see.

I start every morning with a "full tank" and a theoretical range of 423 km (probably an actual range of 350 km = 220 miles). That commute sounds ideal for an EV.

And by the way Tesla is said to lose hardly any range over a practical use cycle (say 10 years and 200,000 miles).

Leafs are said to lose a lot of range - so an otherwise perfect used Leaf that's really down on range might be a very cheap purchase - if you're able to replace the battery with a newer one from a wreck. Batteries from the newer models have much longer ranges. Just don't count on getting one from Nissan. If you're interested in a Leaf do some reading on the battery swap. It's not a simple bolt out, bolt in swap. You can also buy a supplementary battery that you bolt into the trunk, so lots of options.

 

[gathermewool]

Pretty easy when I have a bill for both a hybrid and a not hybrid car and one is sky high despite being valued lower than the “non-hybrid “

Which cars are you comparing? I think it’s more accurate to compare the same exact model and trim, one hybrid and one not.

Ie, the value difference might not tell the whole story.

 

[ecotourist]

.... the obvious question is "Why not a full EV?" ....

..... I start every morning with a "full tank" and a theoretical range of 423 km (probably an actual range of 350 km = 220 miles).

Car and Driver got an actual 230 miles highway range on a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. The urban range will be a bit longer.

They say that their stated range is for the 2021 model (which has the longest range) but then show a photo of an earlier year, so who knows.

In any case your commute is well within the range of the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, even if you were to limit the maximum charge to 90% (for maximum battery life).

PS And for what it's worth it does exceptionally well with the "Moose test" so it should be really good for back roads and interstate driving.

 

[Job]

If you have some money, at the end the money spent on gas is going to mean anything to the heirs. On the other hand if you have cheap electricity at home and the means to buy an EV, why not. On the other hand driving a gas car right now is thoughtless. Drive, put gas in, drive some more. The car isn’t the focus, life is. I notice this a lot and I enjoy being a tech watcher using electric. Then that wears off and I enjoy not thinking about my car, but life. So it is a very personal decision based on personal factors. Have a gas and have an EV. My insurance is cheaper having two cars over one car.

 

[Job]

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[ecotourist]

Duplicate

 

[IndyIan]

It’s rarely worth the trouble financially but there’s something to be said for the psychology of driving a more efficient vehicle. In trucks I have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I’m being wasteful when I’m just commuting and refuelling day is a real downer. I’m just in a better mood when I’m racking up miles in something efficient.

Yeah I borrowed my Dad's old pickup for a few errands and it was up around $20/100km in gas! The Focus and the Outback is about $7-8-9 /100km so I like that better and don't mind going to drive somewhere fairly far for biking, skiing, etc... The PHEV's are intriguing though and for the next new vehicle we'll take a good look.

 

[twelve]

So almost a year later, I finally went ahead and got a hybrid. Picked up a certified used Camry LE with only 5k miles on it. I was going to order a SE to get the color I wanted, but I ended up liking the way this one drove and couldn't see spending the extra money for the SE. The hub caps don't bother me as much as I thought they would. I was really surprised how much pep it has when you put your foot down. It also rides very smooth and is very quiet. I can't feel or hear the ICE turning on or off while driving. And so far I'm averaging 52 mpg on my commute to work. Hopefully she serves me well for years to come.

 

[IveBeenRued]

So almost a year later, I finally went ahead and got a hybrid. Picked up a certified used Camry LE with only 5k miles on it. I was going to order a SE to get the color I wanted, but I ended up liking the way this one drove and couldn't see spending the extra money for the SE. The hub caps don't bother me as much as I thought they would. I was really surprised how much pep it has when you put your foot down. It also rides very smooth and is very quiet. I can't feel or hear the ICE turning on or off while driving. And so far I'm averaging 52 mpg on my commute to work. Hopefully she serves me well for years to come.

Thanks for being a good OP and closing the loop. Enjoy the new to you car!

 

[doublebase]

So almost a year later, I finally went ahead and got a hybrid. Picked up a certified used Camry LE with only 5k miles on it. I was going to order a SE to get the color I wanted, but I ended up liking the way this one drove and couldn't see spending the extra money for the SE. The hub caps don't bother me as much as I thought they would. I was really surprised how much pep it has when you put your foot down. It also rides very smooth and is very quiet. I can't feel or hear the ICE turning on or off while driving. And so far I'm averaging 52 mpg on my commute to work. Hopefully she serves me well for years to come.

I went back and read you original post to see how big your commute is (120 miles one way), are you still doing that commute? That’s around 1,100 miles a week, give or take!

Edit — I went back and did the math, it’s 120 a day, probably 25,000 a year. Still a good amount of commuting though.

Keep us updated on how your Camry performs and handles those miles. Congratulations on your new car. Best of luck with it!