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104 Comments
- tonicboy, on 07/17/2009, -2/+35Wow, that CR-Z is HAWT. This is exactly what the hybrid industry needs - a sexy poster child to drive sales. A lot of people want to drive hybrids but aren't willing to sacrifice style. And why should they?
- CoreyHalliwell, on 07/17/2009, -4/+27Oh my GOD! He spelled "Crazy" with upper AND lower case letters! This must be crazy!
- wicketr, on 07/17/2009, -2/+21I just want to know how long these hybrid batteries last and how much does it cost to replace them. If I have to replace a $5000 set of batteries every 10 years on my car, is it worth it?
And what are the long term effects of these huge batteries on the environment?
To me, it would seem the Turbo Diesel route is better because those cars get 50-60 mpg and can be refueled just about anywhere and you don't have to replace multi-thousand dollar components in 10 years on average. - NiftyG, on 07/17/2009, -0/+18Batteries for a Prius last a lot longer than 100,000 miles. They cost about $2500 to replace with a new battery, less for a reconditioned one. Batteries are completely recyclable.
Turbo Diesels get great mileage on the freeway. Hybrids get great mileage in the city. Which one works for you depends on where you drive most. - cowsgonemadd3, on 07/17/2009, -4/+17My normal civic can get 36-37 or so MPG without a dumb battery and ugly rims.
- rival138, on 07/17/2009, -0/+9I bet the original CRX gets better gas mileage than this hybrid CRZ. Cool looking car though.
- johnwiz, on 07/17/2009, -0/+9isn't because the car is called CR-Z. Lame I admit, but he wasn't that crazy.
- exhale99, on 07/17/2009, -3/+11All these hybrids don't even get fantastic gas mileage. If I was going to drop big bucks on a brand new car that I wanted to be good on gas, I'd buy a VW diesel or something. Otherwise, I'd look for smaller mid-90s Jap cars that are already good on gas. A few years ago I picked up a 96 Nissan 200SX with the GA16DE in 5sp and I could easily get over 40mpg on the highway out of it. Plus, having only spent $2900 on it with 72k miles, I didn't have a car payment but I had a low-enough mileage car that was incredibly reliable. Something about that seems like a much better deal then having a car payment. But to each their own, I guess. I just wish some people would at least work out all of the math before just running out and spending more money in the long run. Unless you plan to keep one of those tin boxes for 20 years..
- steelersfan7roe, on 07/17/2009, -0/+8Honda's are the most reliable cars in the world.
- Lederhosed, on 07/17/2009, -1/+9ive been driving the original civic hybrid since it came out in 2003 and it's been fantastic- never had a problem and it gets around 40 mpg
- singebkdrft, on 07/17/2009, -1/+5Weight doesn't always mean safety. if the structure crumples and absorbs the energy you'll be OK.
Or I'll put it to you another way: Would you rather crash into a wall at 65mph in a 1960s era mid size car or a 2009/2010 mid size car?
PS: Very few cars in the 60s had crumple zones, it's gonna hurt... - samanathon, on 07/17/2009, -2/+6I know these pictures are of a concept vehicle but I hope Honda keeps some of it's "outrageous" style for the production model. Honda's have become so boring in the past couple of years...
- paperclipsNsoup, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4Actually you're wrong. An HX is a coup, its the same size as the Hybrid, but it has more trunk space and rated higher in crash tests than the newest Honda Civic EX. AND I won't have to change the 10k batteries in 10 years
Next time Google that ***** first - jdames1980, on 07/17/2009, -2/+6I feel like I've been taking crazy pills!!!
- wicketr, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4So if you average 10,000-15,000 miles a year they will last somewhere between 7-10 years? That doesn't seem all that well. Considering I average around 20,000 miles per year, it'd only last 5 years....ouch.
And I wonder what the degradation in battery power is in the waning years? My guess is the 100,000 mile mark is probably the half-life of the battery, so if you get 150 miles per charge on a fresh battery, you'll get 75miles in the 10th year.
The replacement cost isn't as bad as I figured however. - paperclipsNsoup, on 07/17/2009, -1/+5My $5k 99' HX Civic gets about 40-45 mpg, I've gotten up to 50mpg hypermiling, and about 35 driving like an *****.
No battery, and a hell of a lot lighter so I can make those quick corners without the wheels squeaking. - BottledViolence, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4They're popular for perception, not reality. Buying a used car with fair mileage is cheaper and more eco friendly than buying a new hybrid with very good mileage.
- SirBruce, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4Today's current hybrids are the same or even slightly worse than your old 90s subcompacts because they have more interior room and are made to better survive collisions. This was necessary because a lot of people wouldn't buy the little subcompacts, even with the better mileage.
The hybrids that'll be out 5-10 years from now will indeed get "fantastic gas mileage". - slyzxx, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3unless it can produce 500 hsp i`m not interested, you all can drive hybrids and what not i`ll keep driving my 72 chevelle
- magus_melchior, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3"Hybrids get great mileage in the city."
If the hybrid were designed like a Prius, and uses primarily electric at low speeds, then yes, it would get great mileage in the city. Honda's IMA does better on the highways than in cities and stop/go traffic. - magus_melchior, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3You're saying hybrids are jokes based on the fact that some car companies use the tech to increase performance rather than efficiency?
And yes, you can get sub-30 MPG in a hybrid if you drive as if it were a BMW. But for equivalent driving techniques, the Prius and Insight will crush your Jetta's mileage. - Thiscouldbeben, on 07/17/2009, -1/+4I'd give up my Subaru Impreza for the CR-Z, that looks awesome (and getting great gas mileage would be awesome, AWD is a gas hog)
- LaughingMan11, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3"Turbo Diesels get great mileage on the freeway. Hybrids get great mileage in the city. Which one works for you depends on where you drive most."
I want to speak up and say that that the misconception with Hybrids is that they get very poor mileage on the highway. I swear, half the people I talk to about hybrids have the impression that the Prius gets WORSE mileage than a conventional vehicle on the highway because people tell them that the batteries are dead weight.
The reality is, the mileage is very good on the highway too, but not as sizeable a delta as in city and local driving. The 2010 Prius gets 48 MPG on the highway. This is by far the highest highway rating of any car available today. This includes "simpler" hybrid systems like the Honda IMA which proport to be better on the highway, or the newest diesel vehicles as well.
In practice, in my 2005 Prius, I've been able to exceed the EPA rating racking up pure highway miles. For long highway trips, I average well into the mid 50 MPG. - shutaro, on 07/17/2009, -1/+4They're making cars that run on blood now?
- skinny01, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3After watching "Who Killed the Electric Car" it seems like companies didn't want to really sell the hybrids or electric cars, they only did it because at the time they were forced to. So they made them ugly and had ***** advertisements to dissuade people from buying them so they could "prove" that they weren't in demand. Unfortunately, it seems like the bad styling became the standard for these types where the companies want to differentiate them from regular cars.
- singebkdrft, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3I bet they either cheaped out on the parts or the parts aren't durable enough for the load. Look up the self machining gearbox problem on the MK3 Jetta/Golf...
- ileftfark, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Can't wait for the CR-Z to come out. Ever since they killed off the CRX (I had an '89 Si - my favorite car to date), Honda has sorely lacked a fun, sporty, high-mpg 2-seater. ***** you, Del Sol.
- mattb, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Agreed. We've had at least three, all with over 150,000 to 250,000 miles on them, and they run great.
- ZephyrNinety, on 07/17/2009, -1/+3Why don't they just make a hybrid that looks like a regular sports car? It'd look cool so people would buy it and it would get great mileage. No one wants to drive a computer mouse...
- MeLikeyTacos, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2That CRZ looks like the little spaceship I've always wanted. Dunno if it'd be worth trading my '06 Si for though...
- magus_melchior, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2If anything, Honda doesn't use the Toyota approach of designing one or two powertrains and dropping them into all their vehicles (that's not better or worse, just different). Basing this yet-to-be-even-tested model on the Insight's performance is questionable at best.
- 13373h4X0r, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2"Fresh Blood: Honda's hybrids are spreading like CRaZy"
The headline makes it sound like a virus epidemic!
Oh, noes!!! 28 days later the whole WORLD will be driving more fuel-efficient, less-polluting cars!
OUTBREAK OUTBREAK OUTBREAK ! ! ! - Solkre, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2When can I start to see reliable used hybrids for sale since I wont buy new cars?
- thegreatgazoo, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2I had a 2001 Insight, and between the more expensive maintenance ($60 oil changes for the 'special oil'), and Mercedes level prices for parts (for the most part everything was dealer only), you didn't save much money even getting 60 mpg. Fortunately, they are reliable cars, but when they do break you are pretty hosed. The dealer stripped out the oil drain plug and it was going to be a $600+ repair (and they weren't covering because that was 'normal wear and tear').
Now I have a 2004 and a 2007 Honda, and their quality has really gone down hill since the 90s. - OafBoaster, on 07/17/2009, -2/+4If the Insight is any indication these will be horrific to drive. And if any of these end up being a "sporty" hybrid, expect to have major manual transmission issues that will be ignored by Honda for a long time like in the S2000, RSX type S, TL 6 speed, TSX, Civic Si. I had 2 crap transmissions in my S2000 and Honda just scratches their head.
http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63 ... - geoken, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Except that extra torque will probably have a net gain of zero in terms of drivability due to all the extra weight.
- slantyeyed, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2do the honda hybrids still keep the gas engine running continuously even if running on the electric? that was one of the reasons why the prius was getting better gas mileage because the gas engine turns off while the electric is running.
- JB449, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Looks like an Audi to me.
- NiftyG, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Depends on how much of those 20,000 miles are in stop/go traffic vs freeway driving. A hybrid typically doesn't use the batteries when you're at freeway speeds. If you do a lot of freeway driving, your batteries will last a lot more miles.
Then again... if you do mostly freeway driving, a TDI might be a better fit. - magus_melchior, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2The problem with that idea is the battery pack. Honda's still using Ni-MH batteries which aren't as space-efficient as lithium batteries, so if they want to raise mileage by a significant percentage, they'll need a pretty big battery pack. You could try to fit the powertrain in an S2000, but then you'd lose half the trunk to the batteries.
- BionicPimp, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2what gets VW are the little electronic problems. Same with Audi. common problems are the gas gauges going out suddenly. The dashboards going out. Audis were known to have the windows roll down on their own...sometimes while turned off and parked! (that really sucks in rainy areas, which is unfortunate because audis sell well in those areas because of their 4 wheel drive)
Their engines and drive-trains however have been rock solid for a long time now. Most Audi/VW engines have been incremental improvements on engines designed in the 80's, which is a really good way to go if you want to improve reliability. - LaughingMan11, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2My lifetime average in my Prius is 48 MPG. This is not JUST on the highway, but every single mile I've driven divided by every single gallon of gas I've put in it. On highway trips, I can get 55+ MPG. On surface roads, I can get 60 to 70 MPG easily.
I think i get very fantastic gas mileage.
I get a very comfortable family sedan, a hatchback, and yes, I intend to keep this car for a very long time. - LaughingMan11, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2The reason why hybrids don't look like sports cars is because hybrids are designed to reduce drag. Sports cars, believe it or not, don't.
The Prius has among the lowest drag coefficients in cars ever produced at 0.25. That's lower than sports cars like the Corvette or Lamborginis. Now granted, sports cars are designed to generate downforce to keep them on the road, but the fact remains... form follows functions for fuel efficient cars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_drag_coeff ... - BottledViolence, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Probably when the batteries are about to go.
- Wargala, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Yes, my 1989 CRX got WAY better gas mileage then any hybrid now (48-50), until I dropped a B16A engine in it, then it went all the way down to 12 (fast as hell though)
- magus_melchior, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2They will (or should) stop the engine at a near or complete stop, and shut off the valves/injectors when decelerating, and even turn off some cylinders if full power isn't required (cruising).
But it can't drive the car on electric alone, and Honda hybrid design don't necessarily lend themselves to plug-in mods. That's a big disadvantage of the IMA system. On the other hand, it's much more simple (i.e. cheap) and compact compared to Toyota's HSD. - superrandomguy, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2how does digg feel about the amount of resources used and pollution generated by spent hybrid batteries?
- Fleagleman, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2To stop the spreading, take 2 walks, one bus pass, and one bike and call me in the morning.
- SweetDaddyD, on 07/17/2009, -1/+2Hmmm, give the customers what they want. Who would of ever thunk it?
Looks like more bail outs and bankruptcies for the "Big 3".
You would of think somewhere along their decline they would of woke up and looked around to see what the companies slaughtering them were doing, maybe even took note and did something about it.
I worked for a big 3 OEM for a few years out of school in quality control. That's when I started buying foreign cars. - DarkShroud, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1That's very subjective.
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