|
I know that AutoWeek is a
horsepower magazine and that many of their fans are the
American-made, period, type of crowd. Still, sometimes the
magazine is just plain silly.
I've noted in the past that any time a hybrid graces the
cover of their website,
it also includes some sort of negative caveat. Currently,
things are slightly different this time on the home page
of their website which includes a story about the Honda
Accord hybrid.
"At $1.50 a gallon for gas, few Americans seemed to
care about fuel economy, but how quickly apathy turns into
concern when prices reach $3 per gallon. Suddenly, the
word "hybrid" is on every lip. So the funny
thing is, actual owners of hybrids - those who responded
to our AutoFile survey on the Honda Accord Hybrid - seem
to defy any real monetary motivation in their purchase
decisions."
No, actually it isn't that funny. The funny thing is the
way that AutoWeek plays dumb.
There are different kinds of hybrids
vehicles. For example, Toyota hybrids, such as the Prius
and Highlander
hybrid, and Ford's hybrids, such as the Escape
hybrid, are quite different than either Honda or Lexus
hybrids.
Honda's hybrid technology increases fuel efficiency on the
highway, where as Ford and Toyota achieve their best
performance in the city. Ford and Toyota hybrids have the
ability to function on just electric power during
congestion and stop-and-go traffic, the same conditions
that make conventional vehicles - even Honda hybrids -
perform their worse. This is set to change with the
upcoming second generation Civic
hybrid, which will act more like Toyota and Ford
hybrids. Still, there is a vast difference between Toyota
and Honda hybrids.
The Accord hybrid, like the Lexus
RX400h hybrid, is a performance hybrid. Sure the Lexus
hybrid still offers excellent fuel efficiency in
congestion compared to the conventional version, but it
was not built for fuel efficiency, it was built for
performance.
Both the RX400h hybrid and the Accord hybrid are about a
second faster from 0 to 60 than their conventional
counterparts, yet they achieve this performance while also
achieving better fuel efficiency than their conventional
counterparts. Of course, the RX400h excels at urban
driving, while the Accord hybrid excels at highway
driving. Nonetheless, you don't buy either one of these
vehicles because you are on a budget trying to save money
on gas.
Thus, contrary to AutoWeek, classifying the owners of the
Accord hybrid with owners of the Prius hybrid, for
example, is just plain silly. They are not hybrid owners
from the same tree. So, why does AutoWeek do it? Is it
because Forum members of AutoWeek are offended that some
hybrid owners question their gas guzzling, so this article
makes hybrid owners seem confused and silly?
I don't have the answer, but I know that AutoWeek knows
fully well that comparing the Accord hybrid to the Prius
hybrid is about as effective as comparing apples to
oranges - they are fundamentally different. So, I can only
guess that this appeals to their core audience - the
hybrids just don't really makes sense audience.
Ultimately, there are different kinds of hybrids and
consumers buy for them for many different reasons.
Perhaps, one common thread of hybrid buyers is that hybrid
consumers believe that buying hybrids sends a message to
the auto industry that fuel efficiency is important,
especially in light of the problems that foreign oil
dependency so obviously has caused and continues to cause
to America.
Let's be real, even Bill Ford believes
that foreign oil dependency is important for America.
Hybrid vehicles, such as the Engima,
and other experimental hybrids demonstrate that hybrid
technology can lead to unbelievable gains in fuel
efficiency and performance - something to which AutoWeek
should be able to relate.
Until then, sometimes when I read AutoWeek, I guess all I
can do is laugh.
Comment
on this article.
|
