Posts Tagged Hybrid

The Latest Hybrid Cars

Hybrid vehicles have become more popular in the past few years, as drivers are constantly trying to find ways to save on gas costs. Pump prices have rocketed especially after the Iraq war in 2003, as the flow of oil supplies was disrupted. Ever since that year, gas remains expensive and continues to rise due to market turbulence, high demand and conflicts in the Middle East.
Is 2007 the year to jump on the bandwagon for hybrid vehicles? Consider that using hybrid technology will be more expensive compared to purchasing a standard vehicle. Some of the top vehicle makers have already released an impressive line of hybrid vehicles 2007 that will likely make car buyers scamper to showrooms similar to bored wives going to a mall sale.
The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Updated for 2007, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a 4-door sedan that can carry 5 passengers. This hybrid vehicle is powered by a standard I4, 2.4-liter hybrid engine boasting of 192-horspeower. This hybrid vehicle achieves 43-mpg in city driving and 37-mpg on highway drives. The Camry has automatic transmission and overdrive is standard.
Initial Impressions
The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid has been lauded for its impressive interior and consumption. However, many users have complained that consumption struggles to achieve as what is advertised by the company. Some even say that this vehicle only achieves 34mpg maximum.
Toyota has pulled out all the stops for this hybrid vehicle but it comes with a price, and expensive at that. Sold at an average of $29,000 in showrooms across the US. This vehicle is a nice option for those that do not want to scrimp on luxury but save on gas.
2007 Ford Escape Hybrid
A hit vehicle in 2006 that just got better for 2007. The 2007 Ford Escape is a 4-door sport-utility vehicle that can carry a maximum of five passengers. This hybrid vehicle comes in two trims, the 4WD and FWD.
This SUV hybrid is powered by a I4, 2.3-liter, 155-horsepower engine. Can achieve 36-mpg in city driving and 31-mpg in highway driving. Both trims come with transmission is variable speed automatic.
Initial impressions
A favorite among vehicle critics, the 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid for its Interior Space, Fuel Economy, GPS, and Comfort. Fuel Economy is outstanding and most consumers supposedly achieve 35 mpg, which is just below the advertised 36 mpg. However, attaining this type of performance will rely on the skills and behavior of the driver. 2007 might be the year Ford reclaims its dominance in the SUV market with the new Ford Escape.
2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
Looking to extend its great run in 2006, Mercury has updated the Mariner Hybrid for 2007. This vehicle only comes in one trim, the 4WD. This hybrid vehicle is powered by an I4, 2.3-liter, 133-horsepower hybrid engine. This vehicle can achieve 33-mpg in city driving and 29-mpg if cruising on the highway.
2007 Lexus GS 450h
All-new for 2007, the Lexus GS 450h is the hybrid that will propel the company in the new year. This hybrid vehicle is a 4-door luxury sedan and comes only in one trim, the Sedan.
The 450h is powered by a standard V6, 3.5-liter, V6, 339-horsepower hybrid engine. This hybrid vehicle can achieve 28-mpg in city driving and 28-mpg when cruising on the highway.
Initial impressions
The 2007 Lexus GS 450h has been lauded for having the best interiors around. Gas mileage is supposedly revolutionary and performance is comparable to the BMW M3.

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New Lexus Hybrid Suv

Playing in advance, Lexus presented the next generation of the RX Suv at Los Angeles car show that will arrive to the market in June 2009. Changing the design of the headlights and the muzzle, with much more imposing grille and bumper.The rear is more squared and cornered then the previous model, but the shape of the trapezoidal headlights helps make the line more slender. There are some changes that even more evident: the inclination of the pavilion and new lines of side windows make the RX 450h a cleaner version.There are more news under the hood: the heat propeller, a 3.5 petrol V6 now develops 295 hourse powers, that make it 27 more than the previous model. Among the innovations there are also two energy recovery systems that act on the start & stop and the exhaust recirculation. The non-hybrid version, the RX 350, has the same V6, paired with a sequential six-speed transmission. The first data on consumption of 450h speak of an average of 14.8 kilometers per liter with CO2 emissions equal to 192 g / km.

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How To Compare Hybrid Cars

Sure, hybrid cars are hot nowadays. And sure, this is not only a fad that would lose its appeal later on, because of the technology, gas mileage, and overall environmental concerns that it simultaneously tries to resolve. So before you rush to your dealer, try researching on the different hybrid cars available in the market today. At the very least, compare hybrid cars using several factors. We can start with some of the hybrid cars models currently available and are worth comparing. There is the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, the Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Honda Accord Hybrid. These are the four major hybrid cars available at dealers in your place today. Your choice is also much improved with the availability of the Ford Escape Hybrid. This was the first hybrid SUV available. But you also have a choice with Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Highlander and the Mariner Hybrid. First consideration is the mileage Vehicles sold in the United States to day, on the average, gets a combined highway and city EPA fuel usage estimate of some 20.4 miles per gallon (mpg). All hybrid cars, hard as you compare, have EPA number well above than what specified earlier. Honda Insight was particularly manufactured to obtain the best mileage, making it the undisputed leader in terms of gas mileage. The traditional manual transmission hybrids have EPA estimates of 60 mpg in the city and 66 mpg on the highway. The automatic version on the other hand has transmission rated slightly lower at 57 city/56 highway. The second best choice is the newest version of the Prius at 60 city/51 highway. It can be seen that the city estimate is higher than the highway estimate due to this hybrid car’s capacity to operate on battery power alone at low speeds. The 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid was available with a manual transmission that was rated at 46 city/51 highway; the automatic at 48 city/47 highway. Hybrid sedan is rated at 25 city/28 highway. Compared with other hybrid cars, SUV’s, like GS450h, get the lowest gas mileage of the hybrid vehicles. The Ford Escape on he other hand is rated at 36 city/31 highway. This is much better than a non-hybrid Escape that is only rated at 22 city/25 highway. Size does matter Another point to consider if must compare hybrid cars is the size. With earlier models, hybrid cars only came in two sizes. First is the small sized vehicle. The second is the much smaller one. But hybrid manufacturers are learning to respond with the consumer’s specific needs. And because these manufacturers somehow know that the consumers had learned how to compare hybrid cars, all of them are putting some improvements. But let’s go back to the size consideration. When considering size of a particular hybrid car number of passengers and typical loads you may be transporting. The Honda Civic Hybrid is a compact sedan. It has five seats and has a general is outside look comparable to that of non-hybrid Civic. The interior is the same size, although the trunk of this hybrid is slightly smaller to accommodate the battery. For 2006 edition, it was redesigned, and now has a more slender and sporty overall look. The Prius 2000-2003 models have 5 passenger compact capacity, and was redesigned in 2004 and evolved into a mid-size category car. This comparatively larger edition includes a versatile hatch back. The Price For price, below is a means to compare currently available hybrid cars. It’s not a clear-cut pricing table, but at least you have an idea. > 2006 Toyota Prius, $21,2745 > 2006 Honda Insight, $19,330 manual transmission; $21,530 for automatic > 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, $21,850 > 2007 Lexus GS 450h, $54,900 > 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid, $25,900 > 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid, $30,140 For SUV: > 2006 Ford Escape hybrid begins at $27,515 for the two-wheel drive version and $28,595 for four-wheel drive. > Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid SUV (summer 2006) $23,995. > 2006 Lexus RX400h $49,060. > 2006 Mariner Hybrid $29,840 > 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid $33,030 for the two-wheel drive; $34,430 for four-wheel drive. The Look The last consideration is the appearance. You can choose a hybrid car that looks like the other available models, or you may want to be totally different. Anyway, this one of the few reasons why hybrids are hot today and was able to penetrate the American market successfully within a short period of time.

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