Archives

Hello, all.

I'm Randy from Cincinnati. I'm not yet a hybrid owner, but I have plans to change that beginning this weekend, as I'll be on my way to my local Honda dealer to place an order for an HCHII. I plan to take delivery late December, when my current car goes off lease.

What's that current car, you ask? A 2003 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. Rated 19/25 (ugh). Used to use premium, switched to regular on the advice of the dealership after some clogged fuel systems. Lifetime mileage according to the onboard computer is 23.5. I've begun practicing some of the concepts here (namely Driving with Load and Driving without Brakes, as well as lowering my speed), and I've been able to boost my city mileage to about 27 or so when I concentrate. My suspicion is that it's harder to boost MPGs with a turbcharged engine, since it's often difficult to predict when that blower's going to spool up and knock your FE down. For those who wonder, I haven't messed with tire pressures yet, and since it's a lease I'm a little reluctant to modify anything outside of normal ranges.

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to taking delivery this winter and joining your ranks. I don't think I'll be shooting to join the 80+ MPG club (at least not at first), but I'll be happy that first time I fill up and see 50+. Coming from 23.5, that'll be something.

--RN

I'll be on my way to my local Honda dealer to place an order for an HCHII. I plan to take delivery late December, when my current car goes off lease.
Welcome!
Are you ordering an 06 or an 07? Love to hear if Honda changes anything. Either way, you're going to love it.

Hi HCHCIN:

___Welcome indeed and it sounds like you made a heck of choice! It is pretty incredible to take a non-hybrid to numbers the rest of the world cannot believe but it is a whole other matter to do far better in a hybrid and not have to throw the entire book at her when doing so!

___With what you have squeezed from the Audi so far, I can almost bet you will be a 55 + mpg type guy from the day you take her off the lot! In the summer anyway. The winter’s in Cincinnati can be just as wicked as in Chicago and sometimes the EPA is a bit tough to overcome when its 10 degrees and snowing hard ;)

___Welcome and Good Luck

___Wayne

Tarabell--

Dealer says I should be able to order an '07 (at '06 prices, but I haven't heard if Honda is raising them anyway). Around here current production dates on new orders are in the mid- to late-October range right now plus 30 days for the boat ride (does that count toward my FE?), so I think his assumption is correct. He hasn't been informed if any changes are being made, and I haven't read anything along those lines.

One question to throw out there, and I know it's a matter of taste: what's the general opinion of the blue interior? I have tan in my Audi and have vowed never to own another tan interior -- it looks filthy all the time. But pictures of the blue make it look a little, shall we say, patchwork, with black and ivory mixed in. I haven't been able to sit in a blue interior to confirm, though. I wish I could get the gray interior of the standard Civic. Any opinions out there? --RN

Wayne--

Thanks for the encouragement. As for "achieving" 27 MPG from the Audi, it helps that it's a heavy car (same outside dimensions as an HCH but 800 lbs heavier) and Cincinnati has a lot of hills. I can coast for a country mile in neutral.

Highway's another story. We don't do a ton of highway miles except to visit my wife's family in Minnesota, and we (read: she) tends to like to minimize the time we spend in the car. So, FE at 75-80 MPH is also about 27. Three-dollar gas in August hurt, I can tell you.

--RN

what's the general opinion of the blue interior? I have tan in my Audi and have vowed never to own another tan interior -- it looks filthy all the time. But pictures of the blue make it look a little, shall we say, patchwork, with black and ivory mixed in. I haven't been able to sit in a blue interior to confirm, though.
I chose the blue interior precisely because I also felt the ivory was just impractical, and I'm very happy with it. Yes the inside is basically blue on the seats, with a few other neutral-ish colors thrown in. A little strange but it's livable. I find the seats to be extremely comfortable. Here's a photo of the inside to give you an idea:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/624/si/interior