A hybrid? You want to drive a hybrid? You want to save money at the fuel pump and do your bit to save the planet, too? So you're going to buy a hybrid?
Be careful.
Some hybrids do get excellent fuel economy and almost all of them are better for the planet than most comparably-sized, strictly gasoline-powered vehicles. Hybrids are better than diesels from a "green" perspective, too.
Yes, fuel economy is 25-40 per cent better with a diesel over the same sized gasoline vehicle, but even the cleanest diesel is 50 per cent dirtier than, say, a Toyota Prius ($27,600) - the poster child for hybrid driving. Diesels are not yet good for the planet, though the technology to make them so is possible and being developed.
The point is, most hybrids take you farther and use less fuel than their gas-only counterparts. In some cases they cost less, too.
According to a recent study by the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA), some hybrids will save you thousands of dollars after five years of driving. Others will cost you more to run than a conventionally powered vehicle.
The trick here is to shop wisely and run the numbers. If you don't, you might find that your favorite hybrid, dollar-for-dollar, does not make cents. The question you need to answer: Will you recoup the hybrid premium by buying much less fuel and benefiting from government subsidies?
If it were just a matter of calculating fuel costs, all this would be quite easy. But it's not. There are those provincial tax rebates and the outgoing federal ecoAuto subsidy scheme to consider. And together they can be worth up to $5,000 off the cost of a hybrid.
The type of driving you do also matters. Commuters who spend long hours on the highway are probably better off driving a small car with a gas engine. For well under $20,000 - under $15,000 if you shop carefully - it is easy to find a compact or subcompact car with superb real-world fuel economy.
The wild card in all this is that for many, many people buying a car is as more an ego-driven decision, less so a financial one. Hybrids have their own special appeal because they push the "green" button - they speak of environmental sensitivity. The genius of the Prius is that strangers see it as not just a commuter car, but an environmental statement.
That's why Toyota Motor Corp. has sold more than a million Prius hatchbacks and it's why the Prius remains the top-selling hybrid in the world with some 200,000 sold last year in North America alone.
Toyota had the smarts to make the Prius look far different from anything else in the Toyota lineup. In addition, the car is bullet-proof. Several quality studies show that the Prius just does not break, even after several years of driving.
Speaking of which, the driving experience inside the Prius is unique. The gear shifter is mounted on the dash, the speedometer is in the centre and there's a giant screen showing you how much fuel you're saving every second.
Unfortunately, the interior feels cheap and space is cramped. Toyota clearly cut corners on cabin materials to recoup some of the cost of that expensive power train. Actually, that's two power trains - one gasoline and the other electric with a full battery pack.
And like all hybrids, the Prius does not do its best work on the open highway. Hybrids really save you money in stop-and-go city commuting thanks to electric motors that do the work at low speeds and computer controls that turn off the gas engine entirely when the car is stopped in traffic or just purring along slowly as an electric car.
Constant stopping allows the onboard batteries to recharge. With the gas engine off, emissions are cut substantially.
Some hybrids also have the electric motor kick in with some power assist in highway driving. The Honda Civic hybrid (which uses a different system than Toyota) does this. This is also why the General Motors Corp. pair of hybrid SUVs - the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon - achieve good highway fuel economy numbers.
Performance-oriented hybrids such as the Lexus GS 450h and the discontinued Honda Accord hybrid are less fuel thrifty and unlikely to deliver a payoff at the pump. The instant snap of torque feels great when you goose the throttle, but using the electric motors for performance eliminates the fuel economy benefit.
Then we have these so-called "mild" hybrids. GM's Saturn Vue and Aura Green Line and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid deliver some fuel economy savings as a modest price premium. GM developed a belt-driven starter that allows the engine to shut off when the car is stopped. This improves fuel economy a bit in some circumstances, though performance is not brilliant.
The truth is, calling these vehicles "hybrids" seems misleading; they lack a true gas-electric power train. Another point to consider: a four-cylinder Malibu almost matches the hybrid Malibu's highway fuel economy (6.5 litres/100 km versus the Hybrid's 6.5) and its 9.6 litres/100 km in the city is nearly as good as the Hybrid's 8.5.
In a nutshell, two of the best hybrids for the money are the Honda Civic hybrid ($26,350) and the Toyota Camry hybrid ($32,000).
A hybrid Honda Civic would be almost $4,000 cheaper than the conventional Civic EX to operate over five years, assuming an average gas price of $1.40 per litre and 20,000 km per year of driving, says the BCAA study.
The midsize Camry, the most spacious and comfortable of the high fuel economy sedans, will save you more than $2,100 over five years and you will not need to compromise in any way.
For utility and good fuel economy, the Ford Escape hybrid and the Toyota Highlander stand out. The Highlander will save you nearly $2,800 over five years and the Escape will save you about $700.
Keep in mind, though, that the study looked at the 2008 Escape Hybrid. The redesigned 2009 Ford Escape hybrid has improved power and better fuel economy. It's comfortable inside and the reengineered transmission and brakes give this vehicle a much better feel on the road. The better choice is the '09 here.
Choice is the key word here. Indeed, while there are a dozen or so hybrids for sale, more are coming.
Honda has three hybrids in the works, including a hybrid Fit and a hybrid-only model yet to be named. Look for them in the new year. Toyota is on pace to bring hybrid versions of many more of its models to showrooms. Ford will unveil a Fusion hybrid next year, which will be the first two-mode hybrid car by an American carmaker. It's long over due.
This fall, GM will introduce a true Saturn Vue hybrid and a Silverado pickup hybrid is also in the works. Chrysler, which has rolled out the Aspen hybrid SUV in Canada, also plans to bring a Ram hybrid to market.
Make no mistake, each new hybrid is better than the last. Batteries are getting stronger and more durable, engines are better tuned for the job and engineers are creating more sophisticated electronic controls that integrate the dual power trains more smoothly. The engineers are also figuring out new ways to trim more weight, thus saving fuel, too.
Hybrids are here to stay, then.
