So..........When will Exxon Let me Buy This in the USA??

[FinanceDude]

Seems to me this would sell in the US like hotcakes:

[url]http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/06/0612_2.html [/url]

 

[FinallyRetired]

I'm not sure there's much Exxon can do about it, but Toyota might not want to compete with its own product in the US:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/0...2008-toyota-highlander-hybrid-now-with-ev-on/

 

[FinanceDude]

I'm not sure there's much Exxon can do about it, but Toyota might not want to compete with its own product in the US:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/0...2008-toyota-highlander-hybrid-now-with-ev-on/

Yeah, but that's an SUV, and it's too small for my needs.........a minivan had a LOT more room than a Highlander..........

 

[TromboneAl]

The estima gets 20 km/l = 47 MPG.

The Highlander gets "impressive" mileage of 31 city and 27 highway. I don't find that very impressive.

 

[FinallyRetired]

OIC
Used to be a time when Detroit would jump at this demand and the Japanese would follow. Now it's the other way around. BTW I drove my son's new hybrid Highlander the other day, it was my first experience with a hybrid and it took me a bit to realize that it was on even though I wasn't hearing anything. After driving it I wonder why the industry isn't all hybrid by now, and maybe that's where Exxon comes in.

 

[FinanceDude]

20 km/l = 47 MPG

I'm getting 20 mpg now, and that's the best I can do with a 50/50 mix of highway and city...........

At 47mpg, I'll get 2, and dump the Accord.........

0-60 in 10.3 versus 8.3 for the gas engine? Not a big deal...........

 

[FinanceDude]

The estima gets 20 km/l = 47 MPG.

The Highlander gets "impressive" mileage of 31 city and 27 highway. I don't find that very impressive.

And it's not very big...............

I can't go on vacation with two kids and all their junk in one of those............

 

[TromboneAl]

Concerning the Highlander...

"there is a switch on the dash allowing the driver to disable the internal combustion engine and run on battery only. Unfortunately, that battery is still a nickel metal hydride type, which results in a whopping battery only range of a whole mile! This really comes off as more of an advertising gimmick than anything truly useful. "

 

[FinanceDude]

Concerning the Highlander...

"there is a switch on the dash allowing the driver to disable the internal combustion engine and run on battery only. Unfortunately, that battery is still a nickel metal hydride type, which results in a whopping battery only range of a whole mile! This really comes off as more of an advertising gimmick than anything truly useful. "

So, I guess it's called the "Exxon Switch"..................

 

[Brat]

Your Toyota can be a generator when the power goes out: http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/mn/news/plugin040807.pdf

Or how about a Mercedes-Benz Smart ForTwo mini-car for $17,000 or less that gets 40+ mpg?
http://www.mercurynews.com/drive/ci_5711244

 

[farmerEd]

I used to get close to 50MPG highway miles on my '87 Honda CRX (2 seater).

It was a workhorse and I had a 130 mile roundtrip commute 4 days per week way back then.

Put 250,000 miles on it before it finally died...great little car; not sure why they stopped making it.

Though I am glad I was never in an accident in it.

 

[haha]

Concerning the Highlander...

"there is a switch on the dash allowing the driver to disable the internal combustion engine and run on battery only. Unfortunately, that battery is still a nickel metal hydride type, which results in a whopping battery only range of a whole mile! This really comes off as more of an advertising gimmick than anything truly useful. "

Maybe gangbangers will find it useful for silent driveby's?

Ha

 

[bpp]

I have been eyeing those for years. A bit on the expensive side (also true of the non-hybrid version of the Estima), though, so it will probably be hard to justify when the time comes to replace our current vehicle.

I have also wondered why they don't sell them in the US. Presumably they didn't think they would sell, though maybe they will reconsider now that the US market has started taking hybrids seriously. Actually, I'm kind of disappointed at the pace of "hybridization" in general -- I would have thought by now that almost all cars would be hybrids.

 

[Brat]

We had a VW diesel Dasher that got 50 mpg and ran on heating oil (back in the day when you could add fuel tax to your state income tax return). Great car, it transported the four of us and our daily stuff just fine. The kids hated it because it wasn't 'cool'. Almost cried when a * driver hit it and the insurance company said it was totaled.

 

[TromboneAl]

Some stuff on Plugin Hybrids.

Recent congressional testimony on this subject.

 

[Texas Proud]

Maybe it is because the car does not meet the US safety standards... there are a lot of the overseas cars that do not...

 

[Brat]

They will be on sale next year: www.smartusa.com

 

[laurence]

It's official mpg is ~40, isn't that what the honda civic regular gets? Diminishing returns really sets in at the low end.

 

[Texas Proud]

They will be on sale next year: www.smartusa.com

Don't know if you are referring to my post.... if so, I am to the OP not the smart...

And I wish smart would import their convertable... not the cabriolet, but their sports car... but I think they might have stop making it anywhere...

 

[saluki9]

Actually, I'm kind of disappointed at the pace of "hybridization" in general -- I would have thought by now that almost all cars would be hybrids.

Why? To date the hybrid technology has been anything but impressive. All the hybrid equipment does is add weight and cost. You could accomplish just about the same thing with smaller displacement engines but PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO DRIVE THEM.

 

[FinanceDude]

You could accomplish just about the same thing with smaller displacement engines but PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO DRIVE THEM.

Like guys with a Beemer and an S2000.............

Sorry..................

I have NO problems driving my 4 cylinder Accord...........just got 29.5 mpg on my last tankful with a 50/50 mix of city/highway driving..........

 

[TromboneAl]

38-47 MPG with our '02 Echo. It doesn't feel weak, but it does feel light. It blows around a bit in high wind, but it's really very nice to drive. The newer Echos and the Yaris' get lower MPGs.

 

[saluki9]

Like guys with a Beemer and an S2000.............

Sorry..................

I have NO problems driving my 4 cylinder Accord...........just got 29.5 mpg on my last tankful with a 50/50 mix of city/highway driving..........

Exactly! But hey, I did a 200 mile cruise in my S2000 last weekend and got 25mpg with the top down. I know a lot of much more boring cars that can't match that.

 

[Andre1969]

If I'm doing the math right, the Toyota Estima is about 187 inches long, and about 70 inches wide. That's kinda small for a minivan. Contrary to its name, the "mini" van ain't so mini anymore!

Madza makes some little thing called the Mazda5 or something like that, which is about that size range. I think it sells tolerably enough to keep them producing it, but a minivan that small is still a relatively niche-ish market.

Now if they started making hybrid versions of Odyssey/Sienna/Caravan-sized vehicles, I think that could be a winner.

 

[deserat]

Ahh the CRX - I did get 50mpg in that - was able to drive from Phx to LA on one tank - loved that car - my colleague called it a 'roller skate' - yes, an accident in it was almost certain death - kind of like one in a smart car - those were fairly popular in Europe when I was there - although only for short trips - great thing about them was the ability to park in *very* small places - if you've ever driven or tried to park in the cities of Europe, you'll understand just how handy that really is--------could see the value of a smart car in SFO or NYC or one of those metropolises that are largely vertical and not horizontal (Phx or LA comes to mind) -other than that, a novelty and impractical-----Deserat