During grad school I was well known for not having a car and going
everywhere by bike. I did
eventually get an old Acura Integra (which was a nice little car), but I was
never a car person until we got our new 2004 Toyota Prius hybrid gas/electric
car last year. To say that
I’m crazy about this car would be an understatement. In addition to getting an amazing
48 MPG over the entire last year (and over 50 MPG in the summer), this car is
amazingly smooth and quiet and easy to drive! No wonder the earned a ton of awards
(including Motortrend Car of the Year, North American COTY, European COTY, etc,
etc) and there is a waiting list of several months for the Prius. The waiting time should become shorter
this year since they doubled production for the US to 100,000.
The Prius uses regular gasoline and gets all of its energy through a small
gasoline engine. The great gas
mileage comes in part from capturing most of your braking energy and storing it
in a battery. It also shuts off the
engine completely while going downhill, braking, and being stopped. An electric motor propels the Prius at
low speeds, which is great in traffic jams and fun in parking lots. Going up the Colorado mountains is no
problem at all, since it can use the engine and motor together – I’d
say it does just as well in the mountains as my old Aucra. Some of the many other cool
features include keyless entry, starting the car by pushing a button, the
variable transmission (which makes it so smooth) and the neat MPG/energy flow
display. And for me the best part
is that it’s a hatchback, and I can fit an entire bike in the back
without even taking a wheel off.
If you read this and buy your next new car without at least test driving a
hybrid, you’d be a FOOL, especially in Colorado where hybrids cost about
~$3000 less because of a huge tax credit.
Other hybrid options:
Honda’s “mild” hybrid system isn’t as good as Toyota’s,
but they are still good cars. Honda
makes the Civic, Accord (faster than a regular Accord), and Insight (very high
MPG two-seater). Toyota is coming
out with the Highlander and a Lexus SUV this year (if you must have an SUV,
please get a fuel efficient one), and a Camry for 2006. Ford’s Escape SUV is a bit cheaper
and smaller and has a similar “full” hybrid system as Toyota. Don’t even bother with the
GM’s so-called “micro hybrid” trucks – they’ve
gotten bad reviews and are NOT hybrids since the electric motor isn’t
used to drive the truck. There are
no hybrid minivans yet, so the best you can do is the new Honda Odessey which
shuts down half of its cylinders when the power isn’t needed.
In my opinion, buying a hybrid (even a Japanese one) is one of the most
patriotic things you can do, since it reduces our dependence on foreign oil and
foreign oil wars. Although you
won’t really make that much of a difference, at least you’ll feel
good and have fun driving a hybrid.
Plus the smooth ride really does reduce your stress level while driving!