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Hybrid savings: Winners and losers
Consumer Reports crunches the numbers on hybrid vehicles that pay back the fastest and some that don’t make dollar sense.
In its October issue, Consumer Reports magazine looks at the overall financial benefit of 12 different hybrid vehicles. The analysis takes into account initial outlays compared with similar non-hybrid vehicles, as well as fuel, insurance, maintenance and deprecation costs.
The Saturn Vue Green Line comes out on top when looking at five-year total cost savings, according to Consumer Reports.
The top choices:
Saturn Vue Green Line
Cost: $26,920
Fuel economy (CR test): 28 mpg
Total 5-year savings: $4,550
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Cost: $28,460
Fuel economy (CR test): 34 mpg
Total 5-year savings: $4,250
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Cost: $55,585
Fuel economy (CR test): 19 mpg
Total 5-year savings: $3,700
for the other nine vehicles …
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I have grown to be more than a little skeptical of Consumer Reports when it comes to testing cars. They have a history of exaggeration in trying to make a big new story (to quote the judge in the Isuzu Trooper lawsuit, CR showed a “reckless disregard for the truth”).
In this October 2008 comparison, they found that the Lexus GS450h (a car they happen to recommend — oddly enough) cost more money than it saved. Yet they compared the 2007 $55,000 340 horsepower 3.5L Lexus GS450h with a 2006 $45,000 245 horsepower 3.0L GS300.
The 450h goes from 0-60 1.5 seconds faster and traps 11mph more in the 1/4 mile. When comparing sports sedans, those times are an eternity. Oh, and did I mention that the GS300 hasn’t been made in 2 years? That’s right, CR not only compared a car in an entirely different price/performance bracket, but they compared to a model you can no longer buy.
What would have been a better comparison? The 2008 340 horsepower GS450h with the 2008 342 horsepower GS460. The hybrid version costs $2800 more, but gets 22% better mileage (5mpg — rather than 3mpg better when compared to the GS300).
For those who subscribe to CR — for more fun check out the predicted reliability of the Lexus GS-series. The previous two years, based on owner surveys, have straight red circles (best). But the predicted reliability is a 1/2 black circle (poor).
So stick to washing machines consumer reports.
Not sure if this picture will work — but CR’s predicted reliability is a real riot:
Guess not. You can click here: http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8800/crys0.jpg