[Hammer_Fist]

The wife is looking to lease a new car within the next month so we're looking around for something that's fuel efficient. Out of all the Hybrids out there the only one that gets serious gas mileage is the Prius, and the prius is teh g a y.

The Ford Escape Hybrid gets 34 mpg city and 30 highway, which is a pretty decent jump from the non hybrid version of the Escape. Out of all the Hybrids the escape seems like the least g a y, and on the plus side it's an American car. As well, it has some pretty cool features like in dash navigation system, wet trunk, space for teh kids and whatnot.

So I'm wondering if any of you all own/drive hybrids, and what do you think of them? Is the extra sticker price worth the savings at the pump, or would we save money by just buying a small car? I've got a 07 F-150, so we're not worried at all about hauling stuff, but we would like a vehicle that can fit three kids.

Advice is appreciated.

[TGDIVA]

Leased a few.

Easily worth the price.

Esp. now.

[Richard Emling]

get the prius

[Hammer_Fist]

Originally Posted by Richard Emling

get the prius

I've told the woman that she should get a Prius, but she isn't having it. She doesn't want to buy a foreign car. Hell she doesn't want a car to begin with. She has driven one Jeep or another for her entire adult life. Right now she drives a Liberty, which isn't terrible on gas, we're just researching the options.

Also, Chrysler is offering the 2.99 a gallon deal where they reimburse you, or however it works, but you only pay 2.99 a gallon for gas no matter what the price is. So she is particularly interested in a dodge/chrysler/jeep or some shit. She kinda has her eye on a seabring.

[X The Dude X]

Girl I'm dating has the new Honda Accord hybrid. Not sure on the mph numbers, but it looks damn good and actually has so get up and go to it.

[walnut]

The new Tahoe was just voted "green car of the year"...

And it's a full size SUV.....Ahhhh the irony...

[gocubsgo]

We drive a new Camry hybrid. If we drive conservatively in the city we can get high 400's on a full tank. It drives smooth as hell too.

[gocubsgo]

my wife wants to trade it in for the Prius though, the Camry is a little big for the city

[DrBdan]

If you are looking simply for saving money most stuff that I've read says that it's more economical to buy a compact car (Yaris, Civic, Mazda3 etc) than a Prius because it takes a long time for the money saved on gas to make up the extra cost of a Prius because those small cars are already pretty efficient. If you're leasing then the difference in price might be less (obviously since you're not buying the car) so it might be more worthwhile. I think that one thing people don't realize is that the Prius is actually a pretty big car. Closer to a Camry than to a Yaris or Corolla (in terms of Toyotas).

As far as driving a Prius (sorry I haven't driven the others) it drives well in city and medium speed traffic and is very smooth. It's fine on the highway but you won't be flying by anyone in the left lane. I didn't really like the sightlines in it as the back window is awkward and kinda small and the blind spots are in a different place than in most other small cars that I've driven. I think that probably just takes getting used to. My parents just bought one and my Dad loves it while my Mom is on the fence.

[Hammer_Fist]

Originally Posted by DrBdan

If you are looking simply for saving money most stuff that I've read says that it's more economical to buy a compact car (Yaris, Civic, Mazda3 etc) than a Prius because it takes a long time for the money saved on gas to make up the extra cost of a Prius because those small cars are already pretty efficient. If you're leasing then the difference in price might be less (obviously since you're not buying the car) so it might be more worthwhile. I think that one thing people don't realize is that the Prius is actually a pretty big car. Closer to a Camry than to a Yaris or Corolla (in terms of Toyotas).

As far as driving a Prius (sorry I haven't driven the others) it drives well in city and medium speed traffic and is very smooth. It's fine on the highway but you won't be flying by anyone in the left lane. I didn't really like the sightlines in it as the back window is awkward and kinda small and the blind spots are in a different place than in most other small cars that I've driven. I think that probably just takes getting used to. My parents just bought one and my Dad loves it while my Mom is on the fence.

That's the dilemna. We'll definitely lease the car, so the fuel savings vs extra cost of a hybrid is our concern. Our fuel savings might not even be realized if the car costs several thousand dollars more than lets say a mazda 3. With a hybrid we might only be saving a few hundred dollars a year, but our lease payment on a cheaper car might make it cheaper to drive the Mazda 3.

The Escape Hybrid looks like it will be the expensive way to get the car we want, but sadly we'll probably be getting a fucking seabring.