Hybrids vs The High MPG Gassers

[Vfrmarc]

I read an article the other day about how the new high MPG gassers are taking sales away from Hybrids. Now I realize that not everybody will tolerate the quirky driving experience that is the Insight but as the owner of an Insight and a 2010 Fusion (non Hybrid) I can tell you that there is a 20 mpg different in the average mpg between the cars.

I have personally gotten 35mpg out of the Fusion on a long trip but can barely get it above 29 mpg for average driving while the Insight is consistently above 50.

I would think that most of the 40 mpg+ new cars are lucky to average 35 overall. I might just be me but when I drive the Insight I now unconsciously drive more conservatively as far as accel and decel and cruise speed. And I dread the drop in average MPG that occurs whenever my wife drives the Insight instead of me - it always returns with at least 2 mpg shaved off average and that's only if the tank is mostly empty otherwise its 4 mpg

[Zwolfe]

We got our Insight not long after some other family members got a KIA-something (I forget what it is, I've even rode around in it but was wishing I had the Insight's interior the whole time from the seat fabric to the dashboard).

They noted it got mid 30's or something. Which isn't bad. But that's a highway figure, not putting around town. Being as they live in BFE like I do, it will mostly see the Interstate or 55 MPH state routes whenever they want to go somewhere. So, in a way, it does make real sense.

But people who live around large metropolitan regions should really look beyond only the highway figure, IMO.

What's really notable is that cars in the 80's were getting 30's MPG. Safety features, this and that add up to the overall weight and improved engine technology has to be made to make up for the weight-gain. My old Accords in the 80's ALWAYS got about 34 MPG. Yup, even the carb'd ones.

[Eli]

Let's not forget about the 80s and 90s CRX and Civics that could easily get 50MPG on the highway.

But as Zwolfe says, it's not a fair comparison due to the increased safety standards and added creature comforts that are demanded in todays markets.

And I just realized this is in the 2nd generation forum, lol.

[MN Driver]

My uncle had a 1991 Honda CRX HF and he would talk about getting 60mpg tanks occassionally and regularly getting tanks in the 50s. The Metro XFI could get around 50 or so if driven carefully. My 95 Prizm got me low 40s with mild hypermiling but that was all before in-dash MPG gauges and Scan Guages could be used. A little monitoring would likely go a long way with older vehicles.

Sad to see that 40mpg highway is considered great when 2 decades ago it was fairly standard in a small 4 door car and nobody was really paying attention to gas mileage when gas was still around a dollar a gallon.

[Vfrmarc]

Originally Posted by MN Driver

My uncle had a 1991 Honda CRX HF and he would talk about getting 60mpg tanks occassionally and regularly getting tanks in the 50s. The Metro XFI could get around 50 or so if driven carefully.

Any average tank in the 50's is good especially for a gasser only. But my point is that only the Hybrids are consistently in the 50's now. Not the new gassers. And some of them are more expensive then the Insight to boot.

When I go to fill up my running average for a tank is in the 51-52 mpg range and that is with mixed driving - some highway, some urban and some sub-urban.

[circa1986]

I think it is true that you need to look at "real world" gas mileage numbers. My Insight regularly gets 40 mpg in mixed driving. Even though there are plenty of cars that can get close to that number for the highway, not many can even achieve 30 mpg in the city.

[Vfrmarc]

True Dat on the real world MPG. I fully recognize the rose colored glasses view of average mpg that the Insight presents. But almost every car I have owned that gave average mpg was the same way so it is all relative. My last tank when I took the actual miles / actual gas in was slightly above 49.

At those mpg numbers I can't quibble about a 2% difference since the numbers blow away 99% of all other cars. I just am getting a kick out of driving it and achieving the high numbers.

To put it in prespective another vehicle in our family is a 10 mpg diesel motorhome with an 80 gallon fuel tank. I have plotted my fuel consumption on that beast since I purchased it. The only way to know what is going on with it is to do a long term average as everytime you fill up you could there could be a 3-5 gallon variation on how full you are.

Each vehicle has its purpose.

[cheesie]

i heard my friends friend has scored 40 mpg on his new ford fiesta..... not hybrid and faster than my I2

kinda jelaous
im scoring 39 right now, cant really score more

[hessebauer]

Originally Posted by cheesie

i heard my friends friend has scored 40 mpg on his new ford fiesta..... not hybrid and faster than my I2

kinda jelaous
im scoring 39 right now, cant really score more

no problem with a light car....the difference between a Honda Fit and the heavier Fit Hybrid is roundabout 1 ltr. ...sometimes less.

but a prefer the I2 over any Fiesta in almost all aspects

[carniver]

Originally Posted by cheesie

i heard my friends friend has scored 40 mpg on his new ford fiesta..... not hybrid and faster than my I2

kinda jelaous
im scoring 39 right now, cant really score more

It's doable on highway. I just did a 50km trip (100km roundtrip) on mostly highway with A/C and achieved 4.8L/100km (~49mpg) average speed was 110km/h+