Hybrid V's diesel

[Draigflag]

I found this interesting report where hybrids wefe compared to diesels. Some of this might be obvious to a lot of people, but basically they found that diesels offer better average economy overall, however hybrids are more suited to urban driving. Obviously hybrids are cleaner too, so its considered more ethical to use a hybrid around town to keep emission levels down.

The report is here:

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/...-environments/

[trollbait]

The main points are probably obvious to those following the diesel v. hybrid debate, and what is best for an individual is depends on their daily drive. It is disappointing that the study only used, or presented in the article, Toyota hybrids though.

Ford and Toyota hybrids have the city greater than highway ratings, but other hybrids have the usual highway greater split of traditional cars. I would like to have seen some of those tested. Even better would be to see a comparison of the Jettas, Civics, and Accords. Those are the only models I can think of with gasoline, diesel, and hybrid models available.

I would like to know what, "In contrast, by doubling the average rate of acceleration, the MPG falls by more for hybrids - especially diesel hybrids,' exactly means. I'm not disputing the findings, I just want to know the details beyond average rate.

The A/C results in the linked article are a bit of a red herring. Hybrids can suffer a larger percentage drop in fuel economy with the air on, but they probably still have a better total fuel economy, which is what people care about.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I wish someone out there would make a full hybrid turbo diesel. Get the best of both. Audi is close with auto stop on their TDI's, but there is no full hybrid TDI available in the North American market.

[Draigflag]

Yea I find it strange too how most hybrids are mated to a small not especialy efficient gas engine, you'd think with fuel saving being a priority, using a small diesel engine thats already good fuel would be a good place to start. Could be because diesel engines are heavy, require a turbo and additional cooling in most cases too, so weight/space may be an issue.

[Draigflag]

I also think they need to change the rating tests here in the UK, not least beacsue most people get less than the cars are rated for, but ive noticed the figures for hybrids can be misleading too. With most of the hybrids tested, the city/highway figures are almost identical besides 2 or 3 MPG's so I think the tests need to be adapted for hybrids. It is rumoured in 2017 the government lab tests will change here to give more accurate "real life" figures.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Here in the US, the diesels are rated well under their capability, and the hybrids tend to be rated so high the average driver may not reach the rated figures. The problems with the ratings of the hybrids have been addressed, but I think the diesels are still underrated.

[Draigflag]

I guess every car/engine configuration is different. What they should do is drive the car say 500 miles with a mix of city/highway, open roads/heavy traffic and take an average. I found a garage offering a 24 hour test drive a few years back. It was a great oppurtunity to test the economy, I took the car for a 340 mile drive as there was no mileage limit, its a shame more garages don't do that.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I think that may be part of the problem. They don't drive the car. Its put on a treadmill in a laboratory.

[Charon]

And that is the reason I want to see the mileage as reported by the likes of Consumers Union. They use real-world data for part of their testing. It may not be as repeatable as results from a lab, but I think it is probably closer to what everyday drivers will achieve. As far as I know none of the "official" tests include any full-power acceleration tests, but especially in cars with small engines real drivers often need all the power available to keep up in traffic.

[Draigflag]

I guess that's one of the main priorities of fuelly, thousands of drivers driving millions of miles, overall it gives people a much clearer picture of what they can really expect out of their cars. I'm not sure about the "using all the power" statement though, I don't know anyone that uses full throttle here, but then again there are no highways or traffic lights here so the need to get back up to speed quickly simply isn't there. That's why I hate it when people compare 0-60 times too, the times quoted are the quickest possible, but how many people actually drive to the red line each and every time the accelerate up to 60? Very few.