Hybrid Power Lust

[den]

Last night I'd just settled down to a Johnny Walker & Dry to watch a DVD, when there was a knock on the door. It was my mate David. "You want to go for a drive?" he asked. He only asks this when he has another car.

He won't tell me how, but he has Connections. Every time we Go For A Drive I ask the same question: "How is it you get these cars given to you, and how do I?" Last month he arrived in a brand new Mercedes C class diesel. AU$250,000, 2 tons in weight, growly. Went like the clappers and handled like a dream. It had everything you could possibly want in a car, and then it had extras. And extra extras.

Last night I opened the door and was surprised to see David there, grinning like a maniac. "Did you walk here?" I asked because I hadn't heard a car pull in.

"No. Want to go for a drive?"

Sitting in my driveway was a brand new Lexus GS450h hybrid. 0-100kph in under 6 seconds (I know, I tried it.) 47mpg (38mpUSg) Instead of a tacho it had a dial measuring output in kilowatts. I stamped my foot and the dial went to 250KW. That's about 300hp. The car had extras and extras on the extras. The satnav even had a button to turn off the voice. Separate A/C zones for driver and passengers. It ran on batteries up to 50kph before the motor kicked in, with a theoretical battery distance of 270km. Boy did it go! And the comfort, and handling... oh boy. And heaps of GEEK things! If I can't buy a Veyron I'll buy one of these instead, because it makes Rev-head Den, Geek Den and Conservationist Den happy. Broke Den wasn't too happy with the AU$130,000 price tag but the other three are telling him to Sit Down And Shut Up, but he is insistant.

Wow, what a car. My second choice after the Veyron, certainly.

Comments

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

Meh. You could build your own for far far less.

I'm goign to convert Zippy (my 89 Accord hatchback) to lead-acid electric. Someday. :)

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

Every bloke deserves a friend like that:D.
You're lucky!

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

Hee!

The first time ame_chan drove my Honda Hybrid and the motor shut off when we came to a stop, she looked at me in abject horror and declared, "I think I broke your car!"

I'm so used to the motor turning off like that, I forgot to tell her about it.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

heh.

It's a bit freaky driving without hearing the engine or feeling the vibration, especially at very low speeds. But I could get used to it real fast.

[mortonfox.livejournal.com]

I've been using a hybrid vehicle for nearly two years now, although it's not nearly as fancy as that one.

[cynicaloptimist.livejournal.com]

I'm seriously contemplaing getting one of these. The price tag is scary though

[dragonpearl.livejournal.com]

price tag is scary and so will be insurance on it. I quoted a Prius versus a Yaris and for the yaris the insurance was about 50 bucks cheaper a month for only 10 less MPG. 50 mpg prius vs 40 mpg Yaris

[cynicaloptimist.livejournal.com]

Yes, but a Prius is at least another size of car up. A Yaris is a supermini, a Prius a family hatchback. I'd expect the insurance to be more.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

And the Lexus is another size up again.

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

If I'm not being overly nosy, where do you live?

Because where I live -- in California in the US -- my rates went down when I got my Hybrid. And California is notorious for having some of the priciest insurance in the US.

[dragonpearl.livejournal.com]

Colorado. Allstate claimed it was higher due to the newness of the engine.

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

Insurance here in the States is usually higher for hybrids, due to the higher cost of repairing crash damage (due to all the high-tech "stuff" on-board).

As long as the car is covered under warranty, service costs are often lower than a comparable gas-only vehicle. Once the extended hybrid components warranty has expired, however---hang on to your shorts, because replacement battery packs start (depending on model and brand) at around $3,000USD, plus labor to install them.

We won't even talk about repairing the hybrid components---because they're generally *not* repaired; they're replaced, regardless of what's wrong with them. Transmission for a Hybrid Ford Escape (mini-SUV): $5,200 USD *plus installation* (labor charge).

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I would love to work at a place that pays enough for me to seriously contemplate buying one. 8)

[(Anonymous)]

I just got a new job with an UK£8k pay rise :)

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I'll be checking Google Earth to see what sort of car you replace the Mondeo with. 8)

Seriously, take a Lexus hybrid for a test run if you can. You won't be disappointed. (And they have lots of room.)

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

So are the Lexus hybrid models available in Oz actually constructed for fuel efficiency? Most of the large and/or "luxury" ones we have available here are hybrids for the sake of a power boost on top of the standard engine. Because, apparently, with an energy crisis looming and already straining our pocketbooks, what the US car market really needs is More Power.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

You lose the advantage of hybrid fuel efficiency when you stamp on the peddle and do 0-100 in 6 seconds. But around town and just cruising on the highway this one does 47mpg.

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

So significantly better than the standard model and still not as good as cramped little lightweight hybrid sedan things. Fair enough.

Being small and rarely in need of a large vehicle and incapable of parking them besides, I really just wanted an Insight but couldn't afford it when my old car died. You make me have car lust.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I have three car lusts: Hi-tech, hybrids, and high performance. The Lexus satisfies all of these.