When you pull up at alight and you sit there for several minutes, and your car is off and everyone else is sitting there burning gas, it puts a smile on your face.
I rented a Hybrid last year. I was sitting at a light and a big dump truck came up behind me just before the light changed. It freaked me out until the engine kicked in. I thought I was going to be rear ended. After I got used to it, it was okay.
I know what you mean. It did take some time for me too.
When departing a stop, I like to use the battery as much as I can. Building speed is when the vehicle uses the most gas. I figure if I can get the car up to 25-30 MPH before the motor kicking in, I’ve saved a fair amount of gas.
The vehicle doesn’t jump off the line in battery mode, so I have to be careful how I’m impacting people behind me.
You’d be surprised how many times I go ahead and kick in the gas motor so as not to hinder the person behind me, only to look back and seem them trailing me by a long distance. I could have easily used my battery and not held them back.
You have to check the person behind you out, and act accordingly.
I live in the L. A. Southland Foothills. When I go up to see my parents it’s uphill most of the way. I pick the routes that have the best gradual inclines, and it makes a difference. When I come home, I coast for the better part of ten miles, using electric also. This car coasts better than any vehicle I’ve owned too.
Coming down on the (2) from La Crescenta towards Glendale, I can coast for over a mile and lose less than 3 MPH at freeway speeds. It is a decline, but I’ve tried that in our Mountaineer and it lost 5 MPH within a quarter of a mile, probably considerably less.