quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Toyota is the pack leader in terms of hybrid technology.

I don't know for sure, but I would be willing to bet that Toyota has sold more hybrid vehicles than all other manufacturers combined. They seem to have it down pat.

My wife just loves her 2019 RAV4 Hybrid. Size is right for her, 99% of the time she is the only occupant. I occasionally ride with her. I don't think that there have ever been more than two occupants, both in front.

That would be an interesting stat to see. With their fleet sales, I think it's even possible the Prius itself outsells all the other hybrids combined.

Old boss of mine ended up with a RAV4 Hybrid and he loved it. He probably puts on 40K miles a year so definitely worth it for him.

There's even a specialist in Tampa who deals mostly with the Prius.

A hybrid might / might not be the best choice, depending on your driving pattern.

My wife has the ideal profile for a hybrid. Her commute is in heavy stop-and-go traffic during the hours that most people are traveling between home and work, so she probably spends as much time waiting at traffic lights, as she does actually moving. That's where a hybrid really shines. She is getting around 40 mpg with this type of driving.

On the highway, it's no big trick for the modern gas engines to compete with the hybrid.

The Honda hybrid uses the electric motors like a diesel/electric locomotive below highway speeds, then it will couple in the engine direct drive with no transmission, just direct to the axles.

The Toyota uses one of its electric motors on a planetary assembly in concert with the engine as a continuously variable transmission, big sturdy gears. Much superior to the Honda.

if this helps,,

I had a coworker that was looking for an older Prius,
he said you could get a kit for the batteries, as in when the dealer wants to replace the entire assembly, you could use this kit to replace the dead cells, much much cheaper,

he moved on to another business about that same time, so not sure if he found what he was looking for or not,