Pat Bedard Blasts Hybrid Critics!

[RX400h]

Getting a bit tired of hearing the same old comments about hybrids, Pat Bedard, the well-known C&D writer and mechanical engineer wrote:

"You can write your check for 50 large, arrive home in a shiny black Ford F-250 Harley-Davidson Super Duty; its dubs bulging out the rear fenders like steroid-infused biceps, and no one on this staff will say, "Boy, you're never going to get your money's worth out of that thing."

Or maybe you ante up for the Rddie Bauer option on your Ford Expedition. You won't be scolded on these pages, told that you'll have to sit on those leather seats for an extra 50,000 miles to recoup your foolish outlay for Eddie.

But show a little enthusiasm for hybrids? We purse the puritan lips and say, "You know, the mileage is not that great. You'll have to drive it till it's as used as Willie Nelson to save gas enough to get your cost back."

The knock on hybrids takes two forms, both of which I hear often around the water cooler. First, they say it is not a real solution to energy consumption because the makers lose money on each one they sell; therefore, hybrids are unsustainable. Ford's hybrid machinery is similar to system Toyota uses in the Prius, which sold 53,308 units in the first half of 2005, putting it on track to top 100,000 in the U.S. over the year. That would make it solidly profitable according to the Ford yardstick (Profits of low-cost hybrids are realized at the 70,000 vehicle mark).

The other knock on hybrids is that they don't get the fuel economy promised by the EPA numbers. Oh, yes they do, if you drive them as the government drives them on the standard test. Of course, I drove my own routes at my own speeds during my week in a hybrid Lexus RX400h. About half was on freeways, sometimes at speeds above 80; at least 75 miles were in rain. I measured 25.3 mpg over 468 miles. Maybe that doesn't sound miraculous, but when we tested a conventional RX330 (C/D, July 2003), the C/D-observed fuel economy was 17 mpg.

In fact, neither Lexus matched its EPA rating in our hands. But the hybrid outperformed the conventional by 8 mpg.

....If most of your driving is urban slow-and-go, a hybrid will probably do well for you. If you commute on free-flowing interstates, forget hybrids. It's that simple."

Now I maintain that the majority of us working stiffs live in fairly dense cities and encounter traffic on a daily basis. Thus, driving a hybrid makes much more sense than many people realize. In fact, I was recently in Seattle, Washington and was ASTOUNDED at the massive traffic jams, seeming coming from all directions and at any time of the day - big city + high gas prices=ideal hybrid conditions.

[jerryray]

Very well stated. I travel to and from Manhattan NY in slow stop and go traffic, am getting 24.5-25.5 MPG, My RX330 got 15-17 tops.

I am satisfied with my purchase.

As the article stated if you drive on the freeways and don't incur much traffic, it would not be the vehicle for you.

AND you do have to drive differently.

Just keep thinking, when my foot is off the accelerator the motor is OFF...

:D

[LCB]

I still get irked when articles, such as Business Week recently, that state the price difference is over $11,000 for a RX400 over the RX330. Thats basically a base, stripped, no-thrills RX330 with no options compared to the RX400, which is fully loaded except for 3 options.

[rexmiami]

....If most of your driving is urban slow-and-go, a hybrid will probably do well for you. If you commute on free-flowing interstates, forget hybrids. It's that simple."

After 7500 miles on my 400h I have found just the opposite. Trips between Seattle and Portland are yielding 30 mpg. Driving mixed highway/city is yielding just under 27 mpg. I must note that when my mixed mpg drops below 27 mpg I believe it is because of numerous short trips where the engine is still warming up.

[RX400h]

RX330 owners have reported highway fuel mileage of close to 30, so if you are driving primarily on no-to-little traffic highway miles, buying a hybrid RX makes less sense. Its huge advantage over the RX330 comes when city/stop&go driving represents at least 50% of your driving. RX330s, as Pat Bedard states, tend to get 16-17 MPG under "city"-type conditions.

Still, as LCB mentioned, it's refreshing to hear counter-bashing by an automotive expert for a change!