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Old 24 Mar 2015, 11:37 (Ref:3518944)   #19
JacobP
Racer
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 495
JacobP should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
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Originally Posted by Richard Casto View Post

1. A case can be made that "current" hybrid technology in road cars may NOT save you money in the long term.
Yes, you can make this case if you setup a nice strawman argument, like comparing the savings resulting from driving a $50K hybrid Lexus or Infiniti versus driving a $20K Toyota Corolla. However, personally I have done a few back of napkin calculations involving Toyota Prius, arguably the best bang for buck hybrid car out there, and based on the USA car prices, yes you can break even and even save some money if you compare buying a new Prius vs a similarly equipped Honda Accord after you drive 80,000 miles or so. In the USA, where commute distances can be long, some people can cover 80,000 miles in 3-4 years, so a Prius could make sense for them, although personally I'd still opt for a USDM Accord, because it's a bigger, classier, more refined car. Of course, my own argument in favor of Prius will fall apart if you drive say 10,000 miles a year or less or if you realize you could just buy a Corolla.. If you drive under 10,000 miles a year, a Prius makes no sense whatsoever at the current gas prices in the USA. Also, if you're so stingy, why not just drive a Yaris?

Anyways, in my opinion, Prius is not too far away from beating a Corolla in the cost-to-benefits department. If MSRPs of ALL trims of Prius were 2-3grand cheaper, then Prius would beat even Corolla in the cost-to-benefit department, which is really impressive. Prius is basically almost there. Prius is an econobox, but it's a much nicer car than Corolla. For one, the drivetrain has brilliant performance in the throttle response department up to the speed of 50mph or so, which makes Prius a nice zippy suburban commuter car, and the turn circle is quiet small making it easy to park the car in tight spaces.

You also have to recall the government regulations. Just like the European public policy had pushed people to buy more diesel cars, so does the American EPA strategy push people to buy more and more hybrid cars. In a few years, a consumer will have no choice but have to cross shop between a hybrid and non-hybrid car because of EPA corporate fleet fuel economy standards.

Last edited by JacobP; 24 Mar 2015 at 11:46.
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