Hybrid Car Update.

[KlatooBNikto]

My wife and I have been driving our new RX400h Hybrid vehicle for about six weeks now. We got rid of two gasoline powered cars to get this one.That alone saved us thousands of dollars in upfront money,insurance,maintenance etc.Because we work at closeby buildings in our city and most of our driving comes under combined city and highway driving,we thought this was a good solution for us.

We have so far put in about 1100 miles in the car.We have had two complete gas fillups of 15 gallons each. This works out to about 36 Miles per Gallon.We are extremely satisfied with the car's performance in gas usage, pollution and general acceleration and power. It is not a feeble powered car, has a 268 HP V6 engine coupled to two battery packs and two electric motors.A computer constantly monitors the best combination of battery/engine power for the car to operate on.That always brings the battery on at low speeds and the engine kicks in when you are over 35 miles per hour.

The creature comforts in this car are also outstanding.It has all the usual Lexus touches plus a few extra bells and whistles added such as
a GPS powered map,a TV rear view monitor and xenon lamps.

An excellent car,overall.

[spanone]

1. Had my Civic Hybrid for going on three years.

Love it. My mileage has actually gotten better with time. My computer is showing 48.9 mpg.

[KlatooBNikto]

2. This is clearly the way to go. My daughters also have hybrids and

they love their cars.

[Deja Q]

3. Will you buy me one?

:evilgrin:

If it's a Lexus, the upfront cost must be very high, never mind it's a hybrid. (don't drive in rural areas; if it breaks down the local dealer may not be able to repair it as those rural dealers can't afford to pay higher-end techs...)

Have you calculated average miles travelled by cost of gas to match how much you'd have to drive before the price difference is met? ~$50000 for a car when you'd have to drive ___ amount of miles could be quite a few... by then ther car will have worn out; those batteries have lifespans of ~6 years, or so I last had read.

That's the problem with peak oil. We're all locked into a mindset of supply and demand. Some economists, oddly, calculate long-term costs. And that's why peak oil will happen long before any viable alternative is found.

Amazing how everything seems to come back to money...

[KlatooBNikto]

4. The two individual cars we used to drive cost us more than the single

hybrid that we replaced them with. That alone made a significant difference to us.Even though it meant planning our day properly in advance and some minor inconveniences, we have learnt to adjust. Add to this the savings in insurance costs and maintenance and of course replacing the gasoline costs for two vehicles with one, made a lot of sense to us.

Your concern about breakdowns in rural areas would be valid if it wasn't for a Lexus service that provides such service within two hours anywhere in the U.S. by calling a 800 number.

As for the battery pack it is warranted for 8 years.It costs about $1500 to replace after that period expires.