Hybrid owners are a funny bunch....

themyst · 12-01-2009, 10:45 PM

After picking up our Insight I pay more attention to the other hybrids on the road and noticed, some drive annoyingly slow regardless of highway or local, others floor it stop light to stop light. Granted, many car owners do this, but the parity amongst defensive and aggressive drivers is so extreme among hybrid owners.

For example, you'd be hard-pressed to find a BMW owner who drives slow/defensive.

On a side note, I got 46.6 MPG today 90% highway at 70 MPH average over a 23 mile trip. I imagine it will only get better!

red1dr · 12-02-2009, 10:35 AM

I think what you are seeing is the difference between people who drive hybrids without thought, as if they were conventional cars. And people who try to drive hybrids as they are designed to be driven. Hybrids represent a new kind of performance, mpg, rather than the "old" performance yardsticks of acceleration and speed. Lots of people don't "get" that yet.

To me the most remarkable thing about hybrid drivers is how many of them think they can speed and still get remarkable gas mileage. As if somehow the laws of physics are suspended for hybrids.

The second most remarkable thing is how many hybrid drivers think that the reduced mpg's they get while speeding are impressive: there are posts like this all the time on the Insight-I forum. Best analogy I can come up with is someone with a hot Corvette saying that they can go 0-60 in 10.0 using only first gear. It would be more interesting to know what it would do driven "normally" (i.e., shifting). "Normally" for hybrids would be within posted speed limits, with reasonable other efforts to drive economically.

corey415 · 12-02-2009, 02:21 PM

I notice that the drivers of the hybrids with carpool stickers tend to have the lead foot. That's probably the main reason why they bought hybrids at the time (mainly prii mixed in with a few HCH and I1's).

red1dr · 12-02-2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corey415

I notice that the drivers of the hybrids with carpool stickers tend to have the lead foot. That's probably the main reason why they bought hybrids at the time (mainly prii mixed in with a few HCH and I1's).

My niece in her HCH is one of those.