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-Your Auto Glass Could Cost You
$0
-
-Up To
$100
Off Your Deductible-
click here for more information
Hybrid Cars - All the Hype (continued)
Fuel efficiency is king for hybrid cars. According to fueleconomy.gov, Honda Insight gets the top two ratings
for fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. The manual transmission version gets 61 mpg city and 68 mpg
highway. The automatic transmission version drops considerably to 52 mpg city and 56 mpg highway.
Toyota Prius ends up third in the gas mileage at 52 mpg city and 45 mpg highway for their automatic,
the only way it is available. The next four slots are cornered by Volkswagon's diesels - not hybrids - that
get 42 mpg city and 49 mpg highway. These VW gas sippers are the Jetta, Jetta wagon, Golf and new Beetle.
Innovation has its price. I liken today's hybrid to my first year car rule - never buy a car in its
first year of production. Why? Simple. Because the car is untested, significant problems crop up the first year
that can be solved in later models. It is better to let Consumer Reports and your neighbor find out about a
factory recall than you.
The hybrid is just an extension of a first year car, but in a bigger way. Notice that there is no
standardization of the drive train system. That means that next year's drive train could easily be radically
different. There are only two current competitors. Ford and GM are already scheduled to enter the hybrid market.
What will they think of better and different?
Hard to Find Hybrid Parts May Cost You Thousands in the Long Run
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