xcel
01-11-2007, 09:37 PM
Tarabell and her HCH-II named “Mudder” (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/my-ride/t-tarabells-mudder-3226.html).
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/Resize_of_Tarabell_s_2006_HCH-II.jpgTarabell - CleanMPG.com (www.CleanMPG.com) - Jan 11, 2007
Mudder is a racetrack term for a horse that likes to run in mud. After I drove my new car home in the rain from the dealer, my husband mentioned he once won a lot of money on a mudder, so that’s what I decided to name my HCH-II.
I decided on the HCH-II mainly for the California HOV sticker, the tax credit, and belief that gas prices in the long term are only headed upward. But I didn’t think the increased gas mileage of a hybrid would require any real effort on my part and planned to drive my usual way. Then I discovered the real fun of driving this car was in the effort. Now I rarely even use the HOV lane because the average speed is usually too high for me there—I prefer to stay around 50-55mph in the right hand lane. On a nice morning with the right traffic conditions I can glide a mile or so into small congestion pockets and drive a ~20 mile segment with 70+ mpg. Best tank to date has been 65mpg.
I haven’t done any improvements to this car since it’s already much smarter than I am. What’s really needed is to improve the driver. Still, I amaze myself that I own a tire gauge, and can open the hood and locate the fuse box. I never did any of these things with my previous cars. Why I’ve taken this much interest in a vehicle and learning how to drive it for maximum fuel efficiency at this time is probably a good question and my family attributes it to approaching menopause.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/cha55.png
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/Resize_of_Tarabell_s_2006_HCH-II.jpgTarabell - CleanMPG.com (www.CleanMPG.com) - Jan 11, 2007
Mudder is a racetrack term for a horse that likes to run in mud. After I drove my new car home in the rain from the dealer, my husband mentioned he once won a lot of money on a mudder, so that’s what I decided to name my HCH-II.
I decided on the HCH-II mainly for the California HOV sticker, the tax credit, and belief that gas prices in the long term are only headed upward. But I didn’t think the increased gas mileage of a hybrid would require any real effort on my part and planned to drive my usual way. Then I discovered the real fun of driving this car was in the effort. Now I rarely even use the HOV lane because the average speed is usually too high for me there—I prefer to stay around 50-55mph in the right hand lane. On a nice morning with the right traffic conditions I can glide a mile or so into small congestion pockets and drive a ~20 mile segment with 70+ mpg. Best tank to date has been 65mpg.
I haven’t done any improvements to this car since it’s already much smarter than I am. What’s really needed is to improve the driver. Still, I amaze myself that I own a tire gauge, and can open the hood and locate the fuse box. I never did any of these things with my previous cars. Why I’ve taken this much interest in a vehicle and learning how to drive it for maximum fuel efficiency at this time is probably a good question and my family attributes it to approaching menopause.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/cha55.png