www.SmartCarSense.com

Is a hybrid vehicle worth it while living in the mountains?

I live in WV and plan to purchase a new car within the next few months. My original plan, which I was excited about, was to purchase my first hybrid vehicle. But after talking with a few people, I learned that hybrid vehicles aren't really worth it in the mountains because the gas engine is needed more frequently than normal.

Public Comments

1. In mountains you cant go with high speeds where the gas engine is frequently used. if u r going on less speeds it is advisable to use hybrid cars.
2. actually, harry has his information mixed up. its the HIGH speeds where the hybrid engine is used, while the LOW speeds use the gas engine (at least for the Prius). now, on the topic of the Prius, it comes with a 1.8 liter engine, so on flat roads your going to have still pretty good gas mileage. mountains? i say get a Audi or a Subaru. main reason - the awd. extremely useful and always more safe in any condition besides dry. and id choose Audi or Subaru because their gas mileage is decent for a car with decent torque. i dont know your car history, but have you ever driven a n/a car with less than a 2 liter engine? NO TORQUE. even through redline.so your car is going to be pushed really hard going up most inclines, and when pushed hard, they dont get as good mileage. depending on the car and the incline, it might be more fuel efficient to have a 6 or 8 cylinder engine.
3. You should be looking at something other then a hybrid if you live in areas like Beckley,Morgantown and in the panhandle where the mountains are really steep. Unless your doing alot of flat highway driving or inner city driving hybrids are not the way to go. I would recommend a nice 6cylinder awd car or suv.