Hybrid Cars

[Linford]

I hired a Smart car with the stop/start feature in Mallorca a couple of years ago. It was hateful with the system engaged, and I would expect it to have a seriously detremental effect on top end engine wear over time.

I dissengaged the system after about 10 miles.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I had a Prius as a company car for a year. 48,000 miles, 44 mpg (motorway & urban)

I would have thought the foot parking brake and the "running silent" would be disconcerting for new drivers, especially if they have to sit their test in a different car.

Being niche by having an automatic is one thing, but occupying a niche within a niche may be limiting your market imo. As a parent, I'd tell my lad to learn to drive in a normal car, experiment later.

 

[jackm]

Have been using automatic and manual cars for over 4 years as an instructor , and the auto does about 4 hours for the manuals 1.Don't worry about there being a market for autos. The market tends not to be 17 year olds though!

The Auris hybrid has a traditional handbrake so that's no problem, although the d-brake is a acceptable on test these days.

Finally, people take their test in the car they learn in, the car isn't provided by the examiners .

 

[Drago]

I had a Prius as a company car for a year. 48,000 miles, 44 mpg (motorway & urban).

That about what Woman was getting, but when she bought the 3008 she diesel she was bettering that by 10MPG overall without trying. When trying we could squeeze that just beyond 70mpg.

Due to this positive experience were we're considering the then forthcoming 3008 Hybrid 4, but she lost the sight in one eye due to MS so i put her in a Discovery now for the height driving position.

We got 4 or 5 Hybrid 4s at work as fleet card for long journeys and visits and I'm not impressed. It's hard to equal the MPG that our full diseasel used to give, you lose a chunk of boot which is one of the 3008s main selling points, andcthe transition between different modes is very jerky. They've taken a great car and made it mediocre.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Have been using automatic and manual cars for over 4 years as an instructor , and the auto does about 4 hours for the manuals 1

Finally, people take their test in the car they learn in, the car isn't provided by the examiners .

Good points from someone with more relevant experience than me.

you lose a chunk of boot which is one of the 3008s main selling points,

The Prius has the batteries at the back too. I was rear-ended in a low speed collision at an Edinburgh roundabout. What looked like superficial damage on the outside ended up as a £3500 bill to replace the batteries (on the other guy's insurance though).

 

[Norm]

I had a Prius as a company car for a year. 48,000 miles, 44 mpg (motorway & urban).

That highlights my issue with the current crop of hybrids - I get the same fuel consumption with my 2.7l Mercedes estate, which has 7 seats and 125 year old diseasel engine technology.

The issues with the Auris were manifold, I'm afraid. Other than the sheer discomfort of using the bizarrely un-ergonomical handbrake and the cup-holder positioned so that you couldn't get in or out of the car without knocking it, I'm delighted that I've been able to erase the rest from my memory.

I do remember, though, that a friend asked me what was so wrong with it and I'd got to over two dozen points before she cried enough - and that was without moving from the driver's seat.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I think hybrids *can* get good mpg, but you have to really, really make the effort. When used by normal drivers in a mix of driving situations they're just another car.

I've had company cars for the last ten years and do between 45-50,000 miles a year. I've had - Vectra, Avensis, Primera, Octavia, Astra, Prius and the current i40 (with various others for short periods). All of them were diesels apart from the Prius and all of them gave 42-45mpg, be they 1.7, 1.9, 2.0 or 2.2l.

IMHO, hybrids in their current incarnation are a marketing con.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Sting's got a Prius, nuff said...

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/toyota-urged-to-leave-stings-prius-alone-201002052443

 

[smokeysmoo]

I wouldn't buy a hybrid as they are simply not necessary IMO, and the ones I've seen haven't got anywhere near the quoted mpg figures. I know nothing does what the manufacturer states due the condition in which they achieve them, but hybrids are a mile away compared to conventional engined cars when driven by the average Joe.

A modern diesel with stop/start will return better mpg than a hybrid, will be cheaper to maintain and easier to sell on.