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Why I don't own a hybrid car

By Jim Motavalli

Posted Thu Feb 5, 2009 3:19pm PST

Related topics: Hybrids, Cars, Buying a fuel-efficient car

More from Driving Directions blog

It may surprise some people that I don't own a hybrid car. After all, I wrote a book on this technology, and have been touting it since at least 1999.

I think the Toyota Prius is the best bargain on the market today, and the public increasingly seems to agree. Before the decade is out, hybrid technology will be commonplace across the spectrum, from tiny compacts to huge SUVs.

(Speaking of the latter, General Motors is debuting the hybrid version of its full-sized Tahoe, with limited availability this fall. Environmentalists are finding it hard to love, even with up to 40 percent better fuel economy on the highway, because it's just so big. Even with hybrid drive, expect 20 mpg.)

Although I often drive test cars, which can be just about anything, the car my family and I actually bought for our own use is a 2007 Honda Fit. The Fit is still below the radar for many Americans. ("A Honda what?") But for $13,850 it's the little car that could. Fuel economy is 33 mpg in town, 38 on the highway, though those numbers are likely to go down somewhat with the Environmental Protection Agency's new rating system. By California's stringent standards, it's a low-emission vehicle (LEV).

honda

Honda's Fit with daughter Maya. The new car arrives! (Jim Motavalli photo)

The Fit's rear seat offers amazing amounts of room, and it folds up in four separate ways, including flat to the floor. Even though it's much smaller than a Civic, I've helped people move with it.

The Fit may or may not be for you, but the point is that there's nothing magical about the word "hybrid." In the end, it's about fuel economy and emissions.

I was asked recently by Forbes online if I could recommend any luxury hybrid vehicles, and I was hard-pressed to offer a glowing assessment. The Lexus RX-400h and GS 450h use plenty of fossil fuel, even with hybrid drive. Will the Rocky Mountain Institute's Amory Lovins be driving the new Cadillac Escalade hybrid, due out in 2009? Unlikely, since Lovins' concept of the "hypercar" is ultralight, and the Escalade is huge and thirsty no matter what you do to it.

cadillac escalade

Are green-minded consumers really waiting for a hybrid version of the Cadillac Escalade?

With automotive green scores, it's the numbers that count. Take a look, there's the Fit at number four in the ratings, just above the Ford Escape Hybrid.

Jim Motavalli is a senior writer at E/The Environmental Magazine, a regular contributor to the New York Times, and author most recently of Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery.

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Posted by Lindsey V Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:30pm PST
So why didn't you buy a Prius considering it's much more fuel efficient than your Fit?
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Posted by oldernicerguy Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:46pm PST
He touts how inexpensive the Hondaq Fit is..yet many dealers only carry Fit models loaded with options that list for over $16,000. There are a lot more cars available at that price.
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Posted by Nina Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:47pm PST
I have to tell you that perhaps you should look into the Toyota Highlander Hybrid (2009 model)-it is getting better gas mileage than I expected. We are routinely getting over 25 mpg combined & just about made 30 (29.8) on a long trip. Making the decision to buy a larger SUV was not easy (never believed in big SUVs i.e. larger than Honda CRV), but with elderly parents (hard for them to get in & out of many smaller hybrids & vans), the need the haul stuff we sell at auctions/trading shows, we required a larger "hauler"-very pleased with our decision.
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Posted by Mike Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:05pm PST
Actually the Fit is the NINTH greenest vehicle, not fourth. The list you're linking to is simply a list of greenER choices for various vehicle types. Click the link further up on the page for the real story. Once again reminding us to NOT believe everything we read in so-called "news" articles.
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Posted by Shirley Callis Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:13pm PST
I own a 2009 VW Jetta TDI... I love it!
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Posted by gobatgo Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:17pm PST
Here are some facts about the Prius 1. It Takes more combined energy to produce a Prius than a Hummer H2 2. the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles. 3.The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid. 4.The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it. 5.When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis. So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.
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Posted by Liam06 Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:22pm PST
like any of us can afford it
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Posted by Leila Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:36pm PST
I didn't get from this article if this Fit is hybrid or not- seriously, I just assume it is not. I own a Toyota Echo - have to tell - perfect car, have had it for 6 years and I know it's a long time but I always have the hardest time even thinking about getting a different car. Echo is NOT A hybrid, and it is 40miles/gallon on freeway - it can run on almost an empty tank for the whole day (which I've done often), low maintenance (opposed to expensive hybrid's replacement details). I don't buy in the whole hybrid concept, not unless those cars become really affordable
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Posted by patricia Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:22pm PST
Viola - my thoughts exactly! I also own a Toyota Echo, the 2000 model, and have had the same experience. 40+ mpg / low maintenance / quite roomy for a small car / a nice design (I love the central display) / and with good tires, a fine Winter car (and I live in very snowy areas). It also has very high mileage expectancy and was priced perfectly. In these volitile economic and environmental times, I'm surprised it hasn't been put back on the market. I wish it would!!!
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Posted by Moi Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:47pm PST
I DISAGREE ON THAT COMPLETELY!!!!!! Now, you will probably have expected something more mature from an adult, but, then again, I'm not even NEAR adulthood, so if you find this rude, I'm sorry, but I think that Hybrids, especially the Toyota Prius, are completely dependable. I may not be allowed to drive yet, but my dad's Prius is very roomy, fuel efficient, and, is a comfortable car for a family of 3-5. Please consider!!!!!!!!
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Posted by fdmey Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:56pm PST
I drive a 2005 Cadillac Deville. If I keep my speed below 65mph on long trips ( 200 miles or more on the Interstates ) I actually get 30 mpg on regular gasoline. Around home , in traffic, my Caddy gives me about 23 mpg. Get rid of your lead foot and don't be the first away from the light and you might be amazed at the money you can save.
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Posted by scott Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:14pm PST
i guess alot of people don't know how the math is done sometimes. I think for myself that if i am going to spend 20,000 on a car i am getting a prius. Alot of people want to buy under 15,000 leaveing little options as well as really good cars. that 13,000 fit after all was said and done i am sure came out to 15-17 thousand. I got a toyota echo with 35 mpg on average. sticker was around the same as a fit. Now i was looking for something around 10,000 due to my money situation. Back to the math part of the issue, If i buy my cheap car and save 10,000 in gas because i didn't buy the prius then I am still saveing money. Well yes but you need that money first before you can say you saved it. What i call fuzzy math. I would buy a prius now or soon as soon as i get 10 years out of my car or so. But i will be saveing money in gas that i buy not money i didn't spend because i wanted a cheaper car. The fact is you didn't save anything if you went out looking to spend 20,000 on a car in the first place. You just bought something else that eats gas. And hydrogen kits work but unless you have a carborator don't bother. I only get about 5 mpg more when i use it. Wait till some guy tells everybody how he messed with the on board cpu of a car to get 100 mpg. the gas companies are not the only one's to blame the big 3 screwed everyone over for a long time as well look up the honda rabbit got about 100 mpg anyway that didn't last long.
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Posted by Tom Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:20pm PST
Check out the replacement cost of the battery system... It may cost more than the value of the car.
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Posted by doug Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:27pm PST
Vehix carried this story a month ago. It made more sense.
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Posted by blakkstar110 Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:18pm PST
If you really want an inexpensive "green" car, go find a 1996-1999 Saturn SL2. You'll drop $3-4000 tops, get around 36 MPG and actually have a decent sized 4-door sedan. The 15 grand you'll save by not buying a smaller hybrid will buy you gas, maintanance, and insurance for the life of the car, and probably a vacation or two as well.
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