Posted on 01/16/2013 12:19:58 PM PST by Zakeet
"Accelerate" is is probably the wrong word to use for a 1.4 liter engine, ripping its guts out as it tries to move the weight of all those batteries up to highway speed. Lumbering up to freeway speed might be a closer fit. It would probably take everything that both the gas engine and electric motor combined can do to get it on a highway without getting run over. Good luck if your 35 miles of electricity is already used up.
GM can’t help themselves . . .When I clicked on the video, it opened with a commercial for a Nissan Sentra.
Bonus: Twitter ALERT: U.S. Treasury hires JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup to sell GM shares.
I will be first in line to not buy one.
Sadly, there isn't much 'best' in any of these cars.
Hybrids are 20-25K more $$$ than comparable gas vehicles, far heavier, breakdown more often and few buyers ever recoup the initial cost excess. Most estimates put savings from a hybrid at a barely over 2K - after 10 years - if that isn't eaten up from the much higher system maintenance cost.
My bet, hybrids and the gasoline engine will both be history - after hydrogen and methane fueled vehicles become the norm. Right now hybrids are good at one thing only - higher costs and greater headaches.
Oh, and watch out too for the danger of metal hydride batteries - they've caused serious burns and death in bad accidents.
No need for charging stations these days - in today’s hybrids the gas engine charges the battery when it gets low. But, that turns into higher costs for gasoline, and lower gas mileage than claimed by the manufacturers.
Didn’t say anything about the smoothness. Actually electric motors are much smoother than gas engines and they develope peak torque almost immediately. The car has the acceration of a subcompact that’s all i was saying. All in all though a real nice car. I may get one.
“If I were in the market for a car like this, I would go for the Prius. As it stands, I will stay with my Jetta Sportwagen TDI.”
Apractical way of looking at it for sure.
Hybrid = Toyota/Lexus
Diesel = VW/Audi
Notice the American brands offer nothing at all for a diesel passenger vehicle?
In Europe today, over 50% of new passenger vehicles sold are diesels.
Too bad our own makers are writing off another future market segment.
A golf cart would be a cheaper alternative in the warmer climes.
A golf cart would be a cheaper alternative in the warmer climes.
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