omg.

I love this topic.

I don't drive a hybrid. nor do i really care to. The additional cost isn't worth it.

the environmental impact is higher than some other conventional types of cars.

The scion xB, for instance, has a lower environmental impact than any car that is built right now.

Now, in the arena of saving fuel. The hybrid thing is just some band aid to make people happy. this is not going to work on the long run, as the car is still polluting and using fuel.

Well, there is that too.

Most people tell me they want the hybrid to save money, but, they are willing to pay much more for the hybrid.

If those people really wanted to save the money, they should get a car like the Scion xA, that goes for 14,240 and gets 38 mpg on the highway.

whereas, the prius ranges from 26-29K and gets 50 mpg on the highway.

for that prius to save one money they would need to drive 120K miles or more to make up the "money savings".

I seriously doubt that you will spend 10K or more in fuel costs on the xA in 120K miles.

I am a big fan of the Camry Hybrid though and it is not so much about the fuel savings.

The Loaded Camry Hybrid costs less than the Camry Loaded XLE with nav and all that jazz. so, in that case, if you want a loaded ride with all the goodies for less money rock the Camry hybrid.

The highlander hybrid is pretty cool too because the gas mileage is better than most SUVs. but, the price is way higher than the gas version of the same. But, because it hasn't been doing to well, one can probably get into something like that for a pretty fair price.

But, I digress.

I would say Toyota is the way to go. The Toyota brand is the biggest seller in sacramento by far.
additionally, Their Hybrid synergy drive is top knotch in the field. The prius is a way better value with standard features and options compared to the honda car.

(and you can get one from me,.. please, pardon the shameless self plug)+

But, really, if you ever want to drive one, just let me know and I will hook that up for you without any of that silly sales person like pressure... ask Eric, he knows...

I'm considering an all electric car.  They sell one here in Santa Rosa where I live that goes 40 miles per hour which is quite fast for an all electric car.  That's fast enough for me to commute to work and back and do my everday errands in the city.  The best thing about this car is that it costs less than a penny per mile in electricity, no oil changes, and it's very easy to park in small tight parking spaces.

I am glad to see that someone is mentioning the "big picture" with respect to the manufacturing, operation, and later scrapping of the Hybrid automobiles. It is very clear that their "lifetime footprint" on the environment will be a lot higher than a modern, conventional engine car. I am not saying that their technology is not worth exploring, I am simply saying that if you want to buy a car to "save the environment", then a Hybrid is NOT the way to go.

Electric cars are not either.

Maybe things changed in the past 15 years, but it was about that long ago when Popular Mechanics magazine ran a story about electrics versus gas engined cars. They used computations based on taking 10,000gas powered autos off the road in an urban environment. The reality (and short story) is that replacing the 10,000 gas auto with 10,000 electrics actually generated more pollution. Huh? That's because a typical electrical powerplant would have to increase its output (and hence pollution levels) to the point that its pollutant levels would be greater than the 10,000 automobiles taken off the road.

Big picture......

I love the idea of the Hybrids but personally I think a lot of them look really ugle and I don't want to bother. But as more time passes more newer cars are becoming available and now style is starting to become more important in hybrids then jsut function.

I do not drive a hybrid, costs etc are one factor.   Tow capacity and looks have been another.  I personally do not care for the majority of the hybrids style.

The Tahoe is now offered in a hybrid this shows some true potential, first it doesn't look like I'm some walking contradiction vegan, hippy, trying to save the earth by building Styrofoam cars with big fat battery acid leaking land fill waste.

The fact is it would be nice to get away from our oil dependencies.  I just like most people care about the environment.  However, I do want to tow a boat, be able to carry all my kids to school, and not drive something easily squished by semi-truck drivers.

The promise of electric engines is similar to a train, immediate power.  This should actually help with towing, again as in a train.  I think the American car industry is on the right track.  I think the world car companies will come around. 

The small cars are very popular in other countries due to space and congestion.  Many of my friends from overseas are pretty impressed with freeways spanning 6 lanes that go from one side of our country to the other.