Hybrid Car Buying Tips
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( www.TFLcar.com ) The 2012 Toyota Prius V is first new member of the Prius family and just like the very first Prius the V has a hybrid drive that gets great gas mileage. But unlike the original Prius the new V has grown up and gotten all family friendly with more room and more versatility to haul you, your family and all of your stuff.
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Hybrid Car Buying Tips
Know Your Hybrid MPG
Make sure your hybrid is going to reward you at the pump. Just because a car is slapped with a hybrid label it does not necessarily mean it is fuel efficient. Many hybrid cars only receive 26 mpg or less in the city. That is considerably less than the most fuel efficient hybrids which get better than 40 mpg. If you factor in the rising price of gas, over time the difference could add up to thousands of dollars.
Most Fuel Efficient Hybrid Cars:
2010 Toyota Prius – 51/48 2010 Ford Fusion – 41/36 2010 Mercury Milan – 41/36 2009 Honda Civic – 40/45 2010 Honda Insight – 40/43
*city/highway
Choose a Hybrid with Low Emissions
Other than helping the environment choosing a lower emissions hybrid is an important consideration because it determines how much of a Federal and State tax credit you can claim. Usually the lower the emission standard the higher the credit will be. But buyer’s be aware, the Federal government discontinues the tax credit for hybrids who’s manufacturer has surpassed 60,000 in total hybrid sales. The Prius is a prime example of this phase out. Because Toyota has surpassed the 60,000 mark the Prius no longer qualifies for the Federal credit.
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Make sure to ask the dealer which emission standard the hybrid car you are thinking about purchasing qualifies as and whether or not it is still eligible for the Federal incentive. While you are at it ask them how much of an incentive the State is offering as each State’s hybrid tax credit varies.
List of hybrid cars that qualify for the hybrid tax credit.
Consider Battery Reliability
Choose a car whose battery is proven reliable and has a long standing warranty period. A hot topic amongst hybrid owners and enthusiasts alike is the reliability and replacement cost of the battery used to power hybrid vehicles. Replacing a hybrid battery is very expensive, around ,000 depending on the car, however they are made to last the lifetime of the vehicle and most manufacturers offer an 8 to 10 year warranty.
Alert: Unlike conventional car batteries a hybrid battery cannot be jumped. So if the battery dies you are forced to replace it.
Test Drive for Performance
Common complaints associated with popular hybrid cars is they lack in performance. A hybrid that gets great fuel mileage is probably not going to win any races or feel like they handle corners on rails. These vehicles are built for efficiency not speed and most are equipped with 4 cylinder engines. There are exceptions, like the Lexus GS hybrid, but they get less than favorable gas mileage and the M.S.R.P.’s are usually quite-a-bit higher.
Article from articlesbase.com
@FutureMarine246 batteries can be 95% recycled
@yellowcow13 rarely ever made the list. Some of the categories don’t even have an american vehicle that can fulfill the requirements which is very very sad.
@yellowcow13 The most important factor for me is reliability comfort and fuel economy, Until, American brands can do this for me I won’t be buying from them for a long time. And if what you said was true than why is the Camry, Accord and Altima basically the winners of all comparisons. The Accord is the best V6 sedan of 2011 The Camry for 2010 (motortrend) The Altima is the best pick for family sedans for 2011 (CR) and CR even had to make an American top picks list because Americans cars
@yellowcow13 I think all three are great looking cars. The Toyota was not meant to be sporty which is why it is the most comfortable sedan on sale the Altima is the most sporty reason why it doesn’t get great mileage and the Honda is the most average of all of them. Toyota has been using shitty plastics in their cars in an effort to reduce price which I don’t like. I have not yet driven a CVT yet so I wouldn’t know.
@CrashJSTest Uh the Nissan is bland to look at, the VQ v6 gets poor MPG, and its a dated design. Not good.
Honda makes ugily and compicated cars and trucks and SUVs that are weak and get poor MPG.
Toyota makes low quality interiors with bland styling and bland driving abilitys.
Nissan makes unrefined V6 engines and is obssed with CVT trannys.
Its just people with dated views that think imports are best.
@yellowcow13 Fun to drive, quiet interior, styling, good ride quality, powerful engine, fuel economy… I think a good balance of that makes a car worthy of best in class. Out of 10 categories Domestic makes have 2 best in class vehicles.
@CrashJSTest Consumer Reports, the guys that say the Altima is the best family sedan while every other tester thinks the Nissan is the worst.
@yellowcow13 I can send you the link if you would like. Well, if you base reliability on the past than Toyota and Honda are easily the most reliable. If you base reliability on factual predicted reliability ratings then Toyota and Honda and Subaru are still on top. Consumer Reports.
@CrashJSTest wtf is interbrand. Never heard of them. Also we will have to see how reliable toyotas are in a few years. The quality of the new ones is poor at best
@yellowcow13 Oh, of course. Those batteries are filled with some crazy shit. I think 95% is recycled or is recyclable. And I didn’t do the test but Interbrand has Toyota as the most “green company( not just cars). Ford is at the 20th Position. And you don’t want to get into reliability with Toyota…..
@CrashJSTest You just cant avoid that getting the matrials for the batterys is dirty work. Also Ford seems just as green as toyota with Soy baised seat foam and plenty of high milage cars.
@yellowcow13 Yes, but the factories that produce the prius, and the batteries used in it are very efficient using solar power and wind power whenever possible. Toyota just won Interbrand’s most “green” company.
I think this one is a little more “down to Earth” lol. It doesn’t say hey, look at me I’m saving the world, it says hey, I’m driving a wagon… BTW I love wagons hate gas prices, and LOVE Toyota… so perfect car for me?
prius….. garbage
PRIUS.. lol
@arlingo THX bro
@yellowcow13 TopGear on the Prius /watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
@FutureMarine246 Landrover LR4 more eco efficent then the Prius due to acid rain from mining for the nickel in the batterys and then shipping shit all around the world.
prius = gay cock lover.
@yellowcow13 oh? and what did they say?
@FutureMarine246 top gear had a demo of what you just said
what an ugly appliance. boring, ugly, neutered
@TheVtieg6 The bad thing is that we don’t get any of them in the U.S. so I wouldn’t know.
Wish they would bring the 2.0Tdi and 3.0Tdi for the Audi Q5 and A4 sedans…..
@TheVtieg6 I wholeheartedly agree; I have been waiting with bated breath for eurospec the A6 tdi v6 or that tdi v6 Jag.
But, Toyota knows that hybrids are a niche market, just as sports cars are, that is why there is talk of spinning of the Prius off as a brand.