Oil Consumption is Rising, Imports are Skyrocketing, and Our Vehicles Are to Blame

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

Epstein: Great. There's no evidence of any aging. It's just a very well built car.

Huffington: It's aging very gracefully -- even after a large tree branch broke and fell on top it while I was driving down the street!

NDRC: What do you like best and least about your car: Prius owners first.

David: Except for the fact I'm not getting the mileage I expected, I really love everything about it. It's the perfect car for city driving -- great pickup, great ride and maneuverability, a view that's very open.

There's lots of room in the front seat -- I love that there's no console -- and I like the dashboard and gearshift. It's definitely the most fun I've ever had driving a car.

Huffington: Best: I love watching my kids watch the panel that shows electricity being converted to gas. Least: The jealous looks I get from passersby.

Epstein: My favorite thing is the quiet. It's so peaceful to be in a car that makes no noise when you're stopped, and very little noise the rest of the time. I love the silence. Of course, I'm taking the super-low emissions and the gas mileage for granted.

DiCaprio: Least: using the air conditioning or heater really cuts into the car's efficiency. I'm sure that's the case with all cars, but with the Prius, the display panel lets you see exactly how much efficiency you're losing when you turn on the air or the heat.

Best: it's such an excellent car in so many ways -- just a much less intrusive way to drive. It's a truly affordable way to help contribute to reducing global warming emissions while having a car that's fun to drive and gets high mileage -- it's really the best of all worlds.

Schrenk: Our Civic Hybrid is terrific. It's fun trying to get the best mileage. It gives feedback, so it sort of becomes a game. When my husband drives it, the miles per gallon go down a little bit, probably because he's more heavy-footed! I complain that the mileage is 46.9! It's also very nimble to drive.

It bothers me, though, that it only says "hybrid" in very small letters on the back. They should make that more visible.

NDRC: How fast have you driven it?

David: 85

DiCaprio: 90

Epstein: 20 miles per hour faster than I should have.

Huffington: I'll take the Fifth on that, officer.

NDRC: Have you had your hybrid serviced yet? Where do you have it done? Any differences in servicing by comparison to "regular" cars?

Epstein: I've had it in but haven't spent anything on it. They even replaced all four tires for free. They noticed the original tires didn't wear evenly, so they replaced them.

I take it back to the dealer rather than a third party. They give you several years of various free service coupons.

Huffington: Yes, definitely after the tree branch encounter. It came back good as new.

Schrenk: I've taken it in to have the oil changed and that's it. They say I have to bring it to the dealer because they put in a special oil in for the hybrid.

But they gave me coupons for service, and they also washed it. I plan to keep taking it to the dealer because our local mechanic has never seen one before!