Hybrid Vehicles

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mxs said:
It might not work for you, it makes perfect sense for me and my scenario. What's so wrong to plug it in for short time to get a cheap or free commute home anyway? Doesn't sound gimmicky to me.
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You're really going to drive to a charge station, hop out and plug the car in, wait for it to charge and then drive home to save $1? I can't find the actual charge time required but given the fairly common knowledge that charge rate drops off a cliff once you are more than ~80%, likely you are looking at a something like 5 minutes for 28 km of range. It may work for a couple people, but that seems like a huge waste of time to me, I'd rather be a buck poorer and home with the family.
 
GreyGhost said:
You're really going to drive to a charge station, hop out and plug the car in, wait for it to charge and then drive home to save $1? I can't find the actual charge time required but given the fairly common knowledge that charge rate drops off a cliff once you are more than ~80%, likely you are looking at a something like 5 minutes for 28 km of range. It may work for a couple people, but that seems like a huge waste of time to me, I'd rather be a buck poorer and home with the family.
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Lunch breaks ... have to take them anyway. Hate sitting in the office. Charging station is minutes from me. For the manufacturer it's peanuts to add the DCFC plug and wiring to the junction box unit. The car is better to have it than not to have it.
 
SunnY S said:
the beauty is, 3 years from now, the equinox resale will drop like a rock. The MDX will retain its value and you can sell it and still make a hefty return when you are done with it.

Pay more now, but a lot less later.
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Hahahahahaha!

With 200,000 km on the clock, either one of them is just another old car.

Finance the MDX over 72 months if you can get 0% financing or close to it, and it's over $1000 per month plus taxes!

For a high-mileage driver - I'll use my own numbers - 40,000 km per year is 3333 per month, for something that uses 10 litres per 100 km and $1.20 per litre the fuel will cost $400 per month. The ENTIRE fuel cost. Even if that fancy Honda's hybrid system saved the ENTIRE fuel cost the economics STILL don't work!

I know nakkers will take a good hard-nosed look at the economics and isn't looking for driveway bragging rights. (That's the only reason for the MDX hybrid's existence that I can tell - the economics don't work.)

I've already been down this road and it's why I don't buy expensive cars as daily drivers. Resale value is meaningless if you drive vehicles long enough so that they can only be sold for a small fraction of what they were bought for. FWIW I bought a Jetta TDI new, put 430,000 km on it, and sold it for about 10% of its original price. Whether it had been worth 5% or 15% of its original price was meaningless. I drive a cheap car now, I've already billed more in customer-pay mileage in a year and a half than the car's price tag ...
 
Brian P said:
Hahahahahaha!

..
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the point is, nobody wants to buy a diesel today, let alone 3 years from now when everybody will be giving you the stink eye. translation, it will be worth peanuts.


the MDX is a premium model for sure, notorious Honda build quality, Hybrid, so you will still be good 3 years from now, still a desirable model 3 years from now. great resale value 3 years from now, guaranteed seller. etc.



I know which one I'd rather be "stuck" with 3 years from now.
 
SunnY S said:
the point is, nobody wants to buy a diesel today, let alone 3 years from now when everybody will be giving you the stink eye. translation, it will be worth peanuts.


the MDX is a premium model for sure, notorious Honda build quality, Hybrid, so you will still be good 3 years from now, still a desirable model 3 years from now. great resale value 3 years from now, guaranteed seller. etc.



I know which one I'd rather be "stuck" with 3 years from now.
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A 2013 Golf TDI cost has depreciated from ~30K to ~16K. A 2013 MDX has depreciated from ~55K to ~30K. A 2013 Equinox has gone from ~32K to ~15K. No matter how you slice it, due to the high initial price, it will always cost thousands a year more for the MDX.

The fact that hybrid MDX wasn't available in 2013 makes the numbers even worse. It's price will drop much faster as people buying used aren't going to cover the 15K premium that Acura put on that drivetrain.
 
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Equinox diesel is a huge step BACKWARDS

If you like 0 to 60 times in 15 minutes. Great!

It also handles poorer and brakes longer than its gas equivalent brothers. It's also louder.

What an example of poor engineering.

Stick to the gas version.
 
Brian P said:
A number of former VW TDI owners who have gone through the VW buyback program, have bought an Equinox diesel to replace it.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=484908
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Thanks for that Brian.

I don’t mind Diesel at all. The high seating height is appealing the wife.

Good size SUV.

I’ve had a few GM vehicles in my time.


Don’t know if the Diesel is assembled in Ingersol or not but, I do like to try and support local economy.

Might take a look at them this weekend.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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... and where did *that* come from?

No, the 1.6 diesel Equinox is not a rocketship, that's not what people buy these for. C&D reports about 10.6 seconds to 60 mph. While the jaded auto journalists now call that "glacial", it's perfectly acceptable for how most people actually drive in real world traffic. If it isn't acceptable to YOU then buy something else.

"Handles poorer" and "brakes longer"? Huh? The weight difference between the gas and diesel engines in these is insignificant. I know for a fact that the only difference in the front subframe between the gas and diesel Equinox is the engine mount brackets ... a customer of mine builds them.
 
nakkers said:
Thanks for that Brian.

I don’t mind Diesel at all. The high seating height is appealing the the wife.

Good size SUV.

I’ve had a few GM vehicles in my time.


Don’t know if the Diesel is assembled in Ingersol or not but, I do like to try and support local economy.

Might take a look at them this weekend.
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It is assembled in Ingersoll.

D2UC kept us busy (tooling/automation) a couple of years ago. Lots and lots of parts are made locally.
 
Brian P said:
... and where did *that* come from?

.

"Handles poorer" and "brakes longer"? Huh?
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"Braking numbers are similarly underwhelming. With a 182-foot stop from 70 mph, the diesel Equinox takes a full 15 feet longer than the 2.0-liter Equinox’s 167 feet and 21 feet more than the pretty impressive 161-foot braking distance posted by the 1.5-liter Equinox"

although they say it handles and takes bumps ok, "middling 0.77 g of lateral grip would indicate. Indeed, the 0.85- and 0.86-g lateral-acceleration marks posted by the Equinox’s 2.0- and 1.5-liter gasoline brethren"

"The difference with the diesel is that you are using all of the accelerator travel most of the time, whereas the gasoline engine can be operated with a bit more finesse."




all the above, just reeks of piss poor GM engineering..


honestly, just get a CR-V. far superior vehicle, faster, gets excellent gas mileage, handles better, brakes better, way more fun to drive.
 
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Brian P said:
... and where did *that* come from?

No, the 1.6 diesel Equinox is not a rocketship, that's not what people buy these for. C&D reports about 10.6 seconds to 60 mph. While the jaded auto journalists now call that "glacial", it's perfectly acceptable for how most people actually drive in real world traffic. If it isn't acceptable to YOU then buy something else.

"Handles poorer" and "brakes longer"? Huh? The weight difference between the gas and diesel engines in these is insignificant. I know for a fact that the only difference in the front subframe between the gas and diesel Equinox is the engine mount brackets ... a customer of mine builds them.
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And now you understand why I ignore him now, his "facts" and logic are out in some other stratosphere anymore, changing solely to fit his argument, or his love for all things Honda, full stop. To suggest spending $40,000 more on a vehicle to "save in depreciation" is so ridiculously asinine it makes me chuckle - anyone who has the faintest grasp of the math involved in the payments, interest, and eventual deprecation numbers between a $35K vehicle and a $75K vehicle should be able to prove that to themselves in short order.

This was the status quo through 100 pages of the EV thread, I see no difference happening here.

Nakkers, I trust you're more then capable of doing the math and will make an educated decision accordingly. Let it be based on the facts and not the silliness here. From what I can see you are having no issue in that regard. Buy whatever makes sense for you, and fits your needs and requirements.

Let us know what you think of the Equinox Diesel - I'd be interested to hear, for sure.
 
PrivatePilot said:
. Let it be based on the facts and not the silliness here..
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just the "facts" posted by journalists with mega experience testing different vehicles, and with test equipment worth more than your Volt.

see post 52
 
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Well, I can research the web but, that’s why I ask the question to riders here. You get a mixed bag but, there are some folks that share their knowledge and experience.

I don’t mind Honda actually. Think the newest generation CRV looks better than the previous.

When you drive a Mazda5 for a 130,000 kms, I have a very good understanding of slow acceleration.

If I need speed, I know where to find it.

I’m looking for utility, function and low cost. There are some brands I’ll avoid. But, I’ll consider many. I don’t need to have status or only one specific brand to impress the neighbours.

I like the performance of Diesel and I know following regular maintenance schedules helps avoid some issues.

I know that side tracks the thread too.

I was in Montreal and saw many PHEV and electric cars. Leaf and Pacifica are plenty around up there in the cold. Plugged in along streets downtown. Seems like they can manage to yank out a cord and plug it in during the cold and poor weather.

Am I expecting too much? Fuel efficiency, cargo versatility, affordable, flexible.

Hybrids are very much on the radar.

Thanks for the input everyone. And I will indeed update with my findings.

It’s looking more and more that I’ll be buying something and making the change in employer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
SunnY S said:
just the "facts" posted by journalists with mega experience testing different vehicles, and with test equipment worth more than your Volt.
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The 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Vega. Oops. That's not the only stinker they've called Car of the Year, either.

There's little correlation between journalist opinions of a vehicle and what people actually buy.

This year's Motor Trend Car of the Year is the Alfa Romeo Giulia. I doubt if many people will buy it.
 
Motortrend thought the Aztec was pretty cool as well. :lmao:
 
Brian P said:
The 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year was the Chevrolet Vega. Oops. That's not the only stinker they've called Car of the Year, either.

There's little correlation between journalist opinions of a vehicle and what people actually buy.

This year's Motor Trend Car of the Year is the Alfa Romeo Giulia. I doubt if many people will buy it.
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LOL, don't forget, in 1991 they named the atrocious Chevy Caprice Classic as MT COTY.... LOL. the big ugly boat that was the butt of every joke from other auto mag rags. thanks for the memories.

Those were the days!
 
nakkers said:
Well, I can research the web but, that’s why I ask the question to riders here. You get a mixed bag but, there are some folks that share their knowledge and experience.

I don’t mind Honda actually. Think the newest generation CRV looks better than the previous.

When you drive a Mazda5 for a 130,000 kms, I have a very good understanding of slow acceleration.

If I need speed, I know where to find it.

I’m looking for utility, function and low cost. There are some brands I’ll avoid. But, I’ll consider many. I don’t need to have status or only one specific brand to impress the neighbours.

I like the performance of Diesel and I know following regular maintenance schedules helps avoid some issues.

I know that side tracks the thread too.

I was in Montreal and saw many PHEV and electric cars. Leaf and Pacifica are plenty around up there in the cold. Plugged in along streets downtown. Seems like they can manage to yank out a cord and plug it in during the cold and poor weather.

Am I expecting too much? Fuel efficiency, cargo versatility, affordable, flexible.

Hybrids are very much on the radar.

Thanks for the input everyone. And I will indeed update with my findings.

It’s looking more and more that I’ll be buying something and making the change in employer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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All the best, at the end of the day, go out and test drive all the vehicles on your list, and buy whats best for YOU.


Keep us posted, and I promise I won't make fun of you, unless you buy a Volt. LOL.
 
Hey Nakkers, I'm showing 0.7L/100KM (336MPG) on my Volt right now.

It sucks, I tell ya. Worst car I ever owned.
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