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On the Road to the Future: Interviews with Happy Hybrid Owners

David and DiCaprio: $20,000. No extras.

Epstein: I paid $28,000 delivered -- including California license and taxes and leather seats installed locally. The only options on the car are the CD player and floor mats -- yes, I splurged and got both.

Wetstone: I paid about $20,000. It was a pretty easy purchase. The car I bought was on the lot, and we negotiated the price down some, which is I gather not common for hybrids.

In Maryland we get both federal and state tax deductions for the purchase, which means that even aside from the gasoline savings, the hybrid ends up being cheaper than the conventional Civic. It's like getting an extra electric engine for free, so I'm always a bit surprised when I see a brand new Civic that isn't a hybrid.

Editor's Note: Visit fueleconomy.gov to learn about federal tax incentives for clean-fuel vehicles. Many states offer tax deductions of their own.

NDRC: How does the car perform? What kind of mileage does it get on the highway? In the city? About how much do you spend on gas each week?

DiCaprio: Performance is great. It's a really fun car to drive -- it handles like a little sports car. It corners well, the steering is nice and tight and it accelerates really well, which is important for me because the acceleration ramp onto the Hollywood Freeway near my home is very short. I get about 55 mpg in the city. You could drive the car all day long and not use all the gas.

David: I was expecting better mileage. I get about 35 mpg in the city, a little more on the highway.

Huffington: The car rides like a dream. I love how quiet it is, especially after I stopped thinking I had stalled out every time I stopped at a light. I think it gets about 52 on the highway, and 42 in the city.

Epstein: The performance of the car is better than any I have owned in the last 20 years. I get about 52 on the highway, 42 in the city and 35 going up and down the hill to my home. I am spending about $7 per week for gas.

Wetstone: I'm getting about 40 in the city and 50 on the highway. Not as high as advertised in town, but I gather that's almost universal and 40 is still incredibly good. The highway mileage is amazing.

One of the things about this car is that it's so easy to track and get instantaneous feedback on mileage that it's possible to more or less obsess over it.

Editor's note: As with all cars, actual mileage performance is less than the rated fuel economy and will vary by driver depending on how the car is driven.

For instance, all cars get lower mileage when the engine is not fully warmed up, or if the car is used primarily for short trips (e.g., under three miles). Running the air conditioning or heater, fast acceleration, rapid stops, hills, and cold weather will also reduce mileage.