Hybrid Car Comparison

The first two full-fledged gas/electric hybrid cars available in the U.S. were nothing short of technological moonshots, so great was their departure from the established paradigms of carbuilding. We all marveled at the Honda Insight's slippery shape, exotic aluminum construction, and stratospheric EPA numbers. Then we were dazzled by the Toyota Prius's multiple electric motors and video-game energy-flow displays. But once the initial astonishment subsided, we couldn't help but notice that these cars just weren't terribly satisfying to drive day in and day out.

The two-seat Insight was first to market in late 1999, and the Prius sedan arrived soon after. Each accelerated like an economy car from a decade earlier. They both rode on rock-hard high-efficiency tires that offered minimal grip and followed pavement grooves and ruts with a fundamentalist's zeal. Both cars often accelerated and braked in a jerky and nonlinear fashion as the electric motor's assistance phased in and out.

Their suspensions also were calibrated for high efficiency. Minimal front-caster angle and electric power-steering assist combined to stifle steering feedback, and the cars required constant correction to stay in a freeway lane. Worst of all, mere mortals--not just heavy-footed magazine testers--weren't achieving the lofty fuel-economy figures logged by the EPA.

Finally, most objective automotive analysts concurred that not even Enron's accountants could conjure black ink from the design, development, and manufacturing costs invested in these sub-$21,000 cars. Even in hindsight, our initial ennui seems warranted.

Fast forward five model years--and the hybrid landscape is poised to change dramatically. We're growing well beyond the "science experiment" category here. No longer will this technology be confined to puny, funny-looking econoboxes that require owners to sacrifice driveability or comfort on the altar of thrift and ecology. Rather, electric assist is about to take its place alongside supercharging and turbocharging as a means of efficiently boosting the performance of normal, high-volume vehicles while quietly elevating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) statistics.

So now seemed like a good time to take a look at how far hybrids have progressed and where they're heading.