Things to think about

A hybrid you could actually catch me in:
the Honda CRZ

So my dad has already sold his Prius in favor of a nice red Honda CRZ hybrid (6-speed manual...it's a fun little car actually), but I still wanted to show him my research and see what he said about it. He listened quite politely and seemed quite impressed. But then he sorta chuckled and threw a major curveball in my case: he reminded me that he bought a used Prius.

Well shucks...there goes my whole financial argument...

This is one of the few cases where buying a hybrid actually makes great sense. As more and more people buy new cars and flip the old ones onto Ebay or Craigslist, prices drop and buying a used hybrid becomes about as cheap as a regular gas-only vehicle. And because hybrids have continually shown that they can outlive expectations, a hybrid with over 100,000 miles on it isn't a scary thing to consider buying. If you're worried about it, feel free to get the battery tested by a dealership or independent battery professional, but chances are that you'll get just as much use out of it as the last owner did and not see any problems.

Hybrids that I would totally drive

It might be worth mentioning that not all hybrids rely on batteries, and not all are built to attract the wallets of the average consumer. Porsche Motorsport uses a mechanical flywheel-based hybrid system in one of its 911 race cars. It also has seen significant performance improvements as a result of its use. Not only does it improve cornering capabilities by powering the front wheels independently of the rear axle, it also showed a 25% fuel economy boost in its first run at the iconic Nurburgring. Shaun Bailey of Road and Track got the chance to drive the car in Portugal and it's safe to say that, like most of those who have followed the success of the car, he definitely approves of this particular hybrid.

Porsche's 911 GT3R hybrid uses a spinning flywheel to
store and release energy to drive the front wheels

Porsche should be also officially rolling out it's 918 hybrid this year. It's what mere mortals call a true supercar. Coupled with a 580hp v8, the two lithium-ion-powered electric motors boost total output to a whopping 795 horsepower. Flying from 0-60 in under 3 seconds and capable of doing 93 mph in pure electric mode, the car is the pinnacle of hybrid technology. It even managed to throw down a 7 minute and 14 second time on the Nurburgring.

But wait, you say, there are lots of supercars that have stats like that. And you're right! But those supercars don't claim an estimated 78.4 miles per gallon....

It's really quite impressive what Porsche's engineers have managed to accomplish with this car. Chris Harris of Edmunds.com did a really good review of it after an early test ride in the car, if you're interested.

As with the decades-ahead-of-its-time 1980s 959, the 918 will be the victim of countless skeptics who were quite happy without all the new technology. Also like the 959 however, Porsche is not content to leave well enough alone and is going all-out to develop some seriously powerful hybrid technology that will almost certainly trickle down from supercars to sports cars and soccer mom minivans in the not too distant future.

Let's hope so...I would love to pick up my kids from a track meet in 20 years in my hybrid SUV and go down to the drag strip to show up some clown in a twin turbo Supra. Those guys talk too much smack anyway.

Anyway that's about all I have to say about hybrids for the moment. Thanks for sticking with me through my rambling, and feel free to ask questions or leave a comment if you're mad at me for leaving something out. I promise not to throw a wrench at you if you disagree with something!