'Best' hybrid cars?

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,295
Location
Lake District
I appreciate what they're trying to do with hybrid cars but they all sound so lack luster and slow (I know they're not built for speed) but why don't manufacturers make more of the motor assist and actually put a decent kwh motor?

I've always thought the CR-Z was a perfect candidate for this even before Mugen got their sweaty mits on it, yet Honda decided to make it decidedly pedestrian.

Is there anything on the horizon that fits the bill of innovative and fast?
 
BMW are doing it properly. The ActiveHybrid5 uses the 3 litre turbo petrol engine and does 0 to 60 in 5.9 and has more than 300bhp.
 
[TW]Fox;21319058 said:
BMW are doing it properly. The ActiveHybrid5 uses the 3 litre turbo petrol engine and does 0 to 60 in 5.9 and has more than 300bhp.
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It's not as economical or fast as the 535d though, making it absolutely pointless since it's £2.5k more expensive.
535AH / 535D

My money goes on the Fisker Karma. Or perhaps the soon-to-be-released Volvo V70 hybrid.
 
It's far from pointless. It manages to deliver a great blend of performance and economy without being a diesel. This is good for markets like the US, and people over here who like silence around town not dagadaga.
 
andrewdodd13 said:
It's not as economical or fast as the 535d though, making it absolutely pointless since it's £2.5k more expensive.
535AH / 535D

My money goes on the Fisker Karma. Or perhaps the soon-to-be-released Volvo V70 hybrid.
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In the states its not really the same discussion as UK diesel/petrol merits....

The fact it wont be like a tractor is enough of an attraction. £2.5k might well cover the additional feature content as the hybrids typically start at a higher trim level. Im not sure what the difference is but you haven't highlighted that either.
 
There was talk of a 1 Series Bimmer hybrid as well. I'm sitting here waiting so I can rape the RWD powertrain for a classic car :D
 
The i3 isnt a hybrid ;)

The i8 looks like it could be damn impressive, particularly with the use of carbon to reduce the vehicle mass.
 
PiKe said:
I appreciate what they're trying to do with hybrid cars but they all sound so lack luster and slow (I know they're not built for speed) but why don't manufacturers make more of the motor assist and actually put a decent kwh motor?
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Theres little incentive to up the motor significantly when you aren't plugging into the grid. Few squirts down a slip road onto the motorway to then have 5 miles of background charging to top the battery back up does nothing for cruising efficiency.

The CRZ sounds no worse than any other 4 pot manual, and the other transmission types sound no worse than their equivalent CVT type cars. My Insight has an amusing 3 cylinder warble aswell.

Of course one of the more interesting cars on the way would be the CX16 ;)

jaguar-cx16-12.jpg
 
Hybrid electric motors make plenty of sense for performance. I tend to think of them as potentially a turbocharger or supercharger boost alternative. They are not much more 'green' than turbocharging really (unless you have a plug-in variant and live somewhere that tends to generate less electricity from fossil fuels).

If I could change anything about my Insight Mk2 it would be replace the CVT transmission with manual. I drive a fair chunk of the time using the flappy paddles just because of personal preference. If it wasn't for rpm in 7th (paddles) being higher rpm at 70mph than CVT mode I'd use the manual mode all the time.
 
The CR-Z is a very nice car. However the hybrid part doesn't really add anything to the experience other than another point of failure.

Isn't particularly fast either.
 
NathWraith said:
The CR-Z is a very nice car. However the hybrid part doesn't really add anything to the experience other than another point of failure.

Isn't particularly fast either.
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Agreed on it being a nice car but its too small. If it didnt have the IMA assist it would be a much different experience! Stop/start in them are great aswell, worlds most powerful starter motor :p
 
NathWraith said:
The CR-Z is a very nice car. However the hybrid part doesn't really add anything to the experience other than another point of failure.

Isn't particularly fast either.
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Yes love the looks, would like a test drive in one.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
In the states its not really the same discussion as UK diesel/petrol merits....

The fact it wont be like a tractor is enough of an attraction. £2.5k might well cover the additional feature content as the hybrids typically start at a higher trim level. Im not sure what the difference is but you haven't highlighted that either.
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On terms of price I was comparing both at SE trim, that's the only one you can get the AH5 in that I can see (could be wrong on that though).

Is the 535d really dag-dag-dag? I know my diesel is, but with the latest 320d it's hardly even noticeable from the outside.
 
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