Monday, April 2, 2012

Tuesday Tip: The Most Bang For Your Buck Out of a Hybrid


You're in the market for a new car, but not sure whether you should make the investment and switch to a hybrid vehicle or not. Ever found yourself in this position? It's no surprise that the price of gas has been skyrocketing (after all, a plethora of factors are at play- rising demand in India and China, tension in Iran, and the transition from winter to spring and summer, which requires a change of fuel. Not surprisingly, this "summer fuel" blend is always more expensive, because it is supposedly better for the environment! NPR even has a pretty interesting article on "the real reason gas is $4")
This is why many people are beginning to turn to hybrids in order to be able to drive their car longer before having to fill back up.

With competition among car makers, the idea of "going green" has started to well, become more green, as far as money savings goes. So when I caught wind of this Cars.com article on the "most affordable hybrids", I was excited to see Toyota topping the list for best subcompact hybrid (Prius C), best midsize hybrid (Prius), family sedan (Camry), and midsize SUV (Highlander Hybrid).
The Prius C has been incredibly popular since it launched, and for good reason. It's the only hybrid on the market that gets 53 miles per gallon with a base sticker price of under $20k! Even if the ads for it are a bit quirky...I'll admit, the first time I saw them, I thought to myself, "Wait...what?"
See the "Game of Life" spot below for yourself and tell me what you think!



As for the full Cars.com list of most affordable hybrids, they include the following:


SUBCOMPACT:  2012 Toyota Prius C – MSRP:  $18,950; 53mpg city / 46mpg highway
Prius C


COMPACT:  2012 Honda Insight – MSRP $18,350; 41mpg city / 44mpg highway
Honda Insight

MIDSIZE: 2012 Toyota Prius – MSRP $24,000; 51mpg city / 48mpg highway


Toyota Prius

FAMILY SEDAN: 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid – MSRP $25,900; 43mpg city / 39mpg highway
Toyota Camry Hybrid


COMPACT CROSSOVER: 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid – MSRP $30,570; 34mpg city / 31mpg highway

Ford Escape Hybrid


MIDSIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: 2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid – MSRP $38,540; 28mpg city / 28mpg highway
Toyota Highlander Hybrid

FULLSIZE SUV/CROSSOVER: 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid – MSRP: $51,970; 20mpg city / 23mpg highway
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

PICKUP TRUCK: 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid – MSRP $39,640; 20mpg city / 23mpg highway
Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid

LUXURY SUV:  2012 Lexus RX 450h – MSRP: $45,235; 32mpg city / 28mpg
Lexus 450h


LUXURY CAR:  2012 Infiniti M35h – MSRP: $53,700; 27mpg city / 32mpg highway
Infiniti M35H



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