If an electric car makes sense in your life, then you should probably buy one. Or, even better, you should ttake advantage of an extremely good lease deal while you can. If you are not practically or emotionally ready for an EV, but require a relatively normal new vehicle, it’s hard to argue that you should buy anything that isn’t a hybrid.
Don’t just trust me, your hybrid-loving Morning Dump author. The fine folks at Consumer Reports are out with their list of the cars they recommend in each category and most of them are either hybrids or offer a hybrid. CR is somewhat apolitical and so, reasonably, also recommends the Tesla Model Y as the best all-around EV.
What’s Tesla CEO Elon Musk up to? A lot, as he tries to both serve the new President and also keep China happy.
Aston Martin will report financial results tomorrow, and it’ll be interesting to see how well the company’s 13th attempt at revitalization will go. Is Warren Buffett going to invest in Aston Martin? Probably not. Instead, he’s investing in Japan.
Consumer Reports Suggests You Buy A Bunch Of Hybrids
I don’t always agree with the methodology employed by Consumer Reports, but I don’t know a group of people who work harder or do more to independently verify the capabilities of new vehicles. I’ve been to their test facility and have witnessed firsthand all they do to assure manufacturers live up to their promises.
The main issue is that the CR audience is, mostly, people who subscribe to CR, which means there’s an inherent bias towards a specific kind of upper-middle-class, college-educated car buyer. That’s fine. The Autopian has a bias towards enthusiasts and people who own more than one Saturn.
CR is out with their list of 10 best cars to buy in 2025 and, notably, there are a lot of hybrids. In fact, it’s great to compare it to their list from 2021, which had its own category for hybrids. Now, you basically have a category for non-hybrids (the electric car), since almost every car either:
- Is a hybrid
- Has a hybrid option
- Will come with a hybrid soon
You want a nice luxury SUV? Get the Lexus RX450h, which has Toyota’s hybrid system. You want a new sub-compact crossover? Get the Crosstrek… which will soon be available with a hybrid from Toyota. You want a crossover? Get the Forester, which has Toyota’s hybrid system as an option. Do you want a “fuel-efficient” SUV? Get the RAV-4… also with Toyota’s hybrid system. Toyota’s hybrid system appears (or will appear) in six out of the 10 recommended cars by the end of next year.
The cars that don’t have Toyota’s system? The Nissan Sentra, which has no hybrid option in the United States, and the Ford Maverick (great choice), which has a hybrid system that’s quite similar to Toyota’s because the two companies initially developed the technology together. The BMW X5 PHEV doesn’t have Toyota’s system, but I liked it when I drove it and totally understand why it makes the list.
The “why” here is important. Getting past the obvious fuel economy benefits, most non-hybrid vehicles these days feature a small turbocharged three- or four-cylinder engine mated to a CVT. This is a terrible combination, usually, and makes these cars somewhat miserable to drive if you regularly drive anything else.
Take the Toyota Corolla Cross. This is a small, cheap crossover that in its non-hybrid form is a chore to drive. Yet, with the CVT ditched for an “eCVT” that’s not really a CVT at all, the car is suddenly transformed into something that, if not exciting to drive, at least feels right.
That’s the way it is with most of these cars (although the non-hybrid Maverick is pretty good).
An obvious flaw in my argument is that hybrids do cost more than the non-hybrid options, and it can take a while to make up the difference. Not everyone buying a new car can afford, say, the $1,500 price difference between a base Corolla LE and a Hybrid LE. That’s fair. If you can make it work, the lower cost of ownership should make up the difference over time, but that’s a big “if” for some people.
Other than the Sentra, the only totally non-hybrid is the Tesla Model Y. It’s hard to argue against the Model Y on paper. It’s well-priced, has a great charging network, comes with a lot of safety features, and is the most popular electric car in the world (and probably most popular car period) for a reason.
Elon Musk’s Problems In China Are Real
I cannot write every day about everything Elon Musk does, otherwise, my daily activity report to Jason would contain nothing but me trying to explain all the things Elon Musk did or is alleged to have done. Am I going to spend all my time trying to explain why the State Department did or did not try to buy a bunch of Tesla Cybertrucks? The conflict of interest that is Musk’s DOGE agency choosing who to fire at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration?
Nope. No thank you. Maybe another day. Not today.
As I said yesterday, it’s possible that all of the above is encouraging some people to not buy Teslas. Sales seem like they’re down in every market, though we won’t know for sure until we get Tesla’s Q1 sales report (or, a few weeks later, all the regional registration reports).
One market where Tesla needs to do well, though, is China, and I don’t see any indication that the average Chinese consumer cares much about the CEO of the company making major government job-cuts (including to National Park services). What they care about is having an ADAS suite and navigation to help them maneuver through China’s complex cities.
Unfortunately for Musk and Tesla customers, the government hasn’t yet allowed Tesla to push out all of its capabilities as Reuters reports:
Musk wants to bring full Autopilot and FSD systems to China but has said that the effort was proving to be tricky due to technology restrictions imposed by both the U.S. and Chinese governments. The company has postponed an initial goal of end-2024 to this year.
Several Chinese social media users said the update was a disappointment as it did not achieve the capabilities Tesla has advertised for years and said rival Chinese automakers were offering similar driver-assistance features at a lower price or for free.
Lu Panpan, a Tesla car owner in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, said he paid 56,000 yuan ($7,720) for FSD software when he bought his Long-Range Model 3 in 2019 but has been frustrated by the lack of updates to its features.
“We can tell Tesla has no choice but to deliver a knowingly restricted system …,” said Lu. “It is hard for Tesla to catch up with the smart-driving capabilities in Chinese cars, which even makes less sense given its high pricing.”
It is weird that a billionaire electric car mogul gets to decide how the agencies that oversee his company operate while, at the same time, very much needing help from the Chinese government to maintain his wealth.
At least I think it’s strange, but, as far as Musk stuff goes, it’s not even the 19th strangest thing that’s happened in the last 24 hours.
Is Aston Martin Going To Make It Work?
We are so, so close to finding out from Aston Martin if its plans to turn itself around are starting to work. In particular, tomorrow’s financial report will be our best indication of whether or not new CEO Adrian Hallmark was able to work the same magic on Aston that he formerly did on Bentley.
Here, for you, is a little preview of what’s going on via Bloomberg:
Hallmark wants to trim production to avoid wasting money making cars that sit unsold, people with knowledge of the company’s plans said. The CEO has already said he wants to reduce Aston Martin’s delivery target to around 8,000 vehicles per year, from Stroll’s stated ambition of 10,000. This is all about boosting margins, as Hallmark flagged to analysts in October: “The bottom line — cash and profit — are what we’re going to be obsessively focused on, not volume first.”
The company will also try to fix perennial problems in its supply chain, the people said, explaining that Aston Martin has often picked cheap suppliers for parts who then fail to deliver on time, leaving the company paying more than expected to fix issues.
Aston Martin isn’t planning to launch any new models in the near future — to save money on development costs — and will instead try to launch more derivatives of its existing models, something that Lamborghini, Porsche and Bentley have successfully done, the people said. At Bentley, Hallmark oversaw a strategy of offering customers the opportunity to customize their vehicles. In 2023, the last full year he was in charge, more than 70% of Bentley’s cars were fitted out with add-ons like special trim.
That’s a tall order, though the car world is more interesting when Aston is successful.
Warren Buffett Seems To Think Japan Is Undervalued
Warren Buffett, via his company Berkshire Hathaway, was one of the first people to understand the huge value proposition of Chinese carmaker BYD. It’s not that Buffett is always right, it’s that he’s rarely wrong to a degree that matters in the long run. He also seems to acknowledge errors in thinking in a way few others seem to these days.
Buffett, it seems, is looking to Japan and the country’s big trading houses. You can read the full letter here, but here’s the relevant part:
It’s been almost six years since Berkshire began purchasing shares in five Japanese companies that very successfully operate in a manner somewhat similar to Berkshire itself. The five are (alphabetically) ITOCHU, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo. Each of these large enterprises, in turn, owns interests in a vast array of businesses, many based in Japan but others that operate throughout the world.
Berkshire made its first purchases involving the five in July 2019. We simply looked at their financial records and were amazed at the low prices of their stocks. As the years have passed, our admiration for these companies has consistently grown. Greg has met many times with them, and I regularly follow their progress. Both of us like their capital deployment, their management and their attitude in respect to their investors.
What’s interesting here is that the vibes from Japan haven’t been all that great lately. Perhaps that’s about to change.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
This suggestion came from Gossin’s post over the weekend and, yeah, Joni Mitchell singing “Big Yellow Taxi” does seem appropriate.
The Big Question
What’s your top ten list of cars to buy for 2025?
I actually prefer the Amy Grant version of Big Yellow Taxi, but I’m an old dude.
2025 cars? Nothing at the moment unless I can talk the wife into an Integra Type-S.
2-3 years out? I have my reservation in on a new Scout Terra with the Harvester option.
Amy Grant’s a nice choice – she did update the Tree Museum admission to a more accurate $25, after all. But my favorite version is from Counting Crows.
As Adam Duritz muses toward the end: “Why do you want to give it all away?” I’ve been shouting that to the cosmos since January 20th. And why give away all the EVs and EV charging stations the GSA built, costing taxpayers a lot of money, other than just being a vindictive jerk?
YES! Was going to mention the CC version, but you beat me to it.
Being a vindictive jerk and owning the libz is the whole point. Well, that and giving everything away to the oligarchs.
Shouting to the cosmos? Really?
Yikes.
Instead of a car, I’m considering throwing a supercharger on the X-Runner. It’s roughly the cost of whatever car I would buy is ($8k or so), so might as well get stupid with it and fuck up my daily right??
That sounds like a good bad decision.
With the added bonus of, while you may be putting in as much more gas as you would into another car, you don’t have to tag & insure the supercharger.
Win!
I just took delivery of a 2025 Maverick AWD hybrid, love it. Can’t believe there are no legit competitors to it yet, and I also can’t believe how few hybrids domestic automakers have.
I can’t believe they are the only ones in the small truck space either. They are selling like hotcakes. It’s a shocker no one else is trying to get a piece of that pie.
A musing on new/old top 10 that i’d buy
2025 MiataMazda CX-501987 Jeep Cherokee 4dr2003 Toyota Tundra2025 Toyota TundraMustang Mach E1960’s Alfa Spider1990’s Land Cruiser Series 602025 US Land CruiserTake a firey shit on anything Tesla and nuke it from space.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to buy this year and I have the specific need for a vehicle to haul stuff for a small business and these are the vehicles I’ve been gathering information about, in no particular order:
1) W123 Mercedes wagon
2) Ford e-Transit
3) Ford Transit Connect
4) RAV-4 or Highlander hybrid
5) Ford Mavrick hybrid
Unfortunately, I can’t find any hybrid cargo vans in the US and I don’t want a mini-van (Sierra, etc.).
Also, in response to this: “Not everyone buying a new car can afford, say, the $1,500 price difference between a base Corolla LE and a Hybrid LE.”
/s
well you know which one we’ll recommend here…for the price of a “normal” one you could get the wagon, freshen up any old parts, wrap it with your company graphics, and still have money in the pool for maintenance and repairs
Exactly what I was thinking. They have a very nicely maintained 280TE available at Hemmings for under $20k right now: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz/280te/1977.
I test-drove an E-Transit for fun last week. It was simultaneously interesting and disappointing, like they let their cost-cutting team have too much pull. Climate controls are on the screen (albeit it’s not like there’s much) and, of course, it has compromised range for just being “Transit but throw a battery in it”. Much like the F-150 Lightning was “make an F-150 but battery instead”.
If I knew I’d only be driving ~50 miles a day regularly, I think it’d be fantastic…but as it is, I think most would agree the range isn’t great.
Was also my first introduction to one-pedal driving, or very close–had to use the brake for the very last 1-2mph of stoppage, but releasing the gas introduced significant regen. Was a bit disappointed it wasn’t adjustable, though.
Also, as a work vehicle this isn’t a problem in the slightest, but I was surprised to find out it only has about 250 hp. I assumed that being electric it’d be something nuts, but nope, accelerating on the highway was only different from my old van in lacking gear-shifting.
I plan on buying zero cars, but I’ll do a top ten list on the fly. It’ll be fun to see if there are even ten cars that I give a shit about.
In no particular order:
F150 Tremor
Bronco w/Sasquatch package
Ranger Raptor
Rivian R1S
Civic hybrid
Now I have to switch to old cars:
Squarebody Blazer or Suburban
FZJ80 Landcruiser
98 Grand Cherokee ZJ 5.9 LTD (I used to have a 97ZJ, I always wanted a ” ‘Niner”)
XJ Cherokee
L322 Range Rover
I decided to do old cars that are actually attainable, I could come up with a way cooler list if money no object. Only one of the new cars that’s remotely attainable is the Civic, and I wouldn’t pay 30+ for an appliance.
Also, apparently I’m really into trucks/4×4’s right now.
PS – Deport Elon
Best… punchline… ever.
I only have a list of cars to sell in 2025.
Not looking to buy a car this year, but will plug the eCVT in the Toyota Venza. I don’t think I’ve ever accelerated so effortlessly from (allegedly) 70-some mph to pretty much triple digits.
When I do look for a newer car, I will first look at ones with that system.
The planetary gear system Toyota uses is rock solid. Check out the Car Care Nut or Weber Tech videos for more details.
I do not think I have even own a total of ten cars. Currently (including the fiances car) I own 5 vehicles and just got the ND Miata at the beginning of the year so I am not currently in the market in the market for a new car for a while.
But a top ten list of vehicles I would like to own that I could possibly own in my life:
1. 77/78 Trans Am
2. 67/68 Firebird
3. 98-02 Trans Am
4. 72 Vista Cruiser
5. 71 Torino Wagon
6. Autozam AZ-1
7. 71/72 Road Runner
8. Delcia Star Wagon
9. First gen 4×4 7.3 powerstroke
10. Some type of air cooled 911
Thanks for reading my random list.
I’ve owned 2 98-02 Firebirds, they’re quicker than you’d think by looking at the numbers. Fun cars, T-Tops are a must. Weird thing is that I’m convinced my 88 GTA WS6 handled better though.
You’ve owned 298 2002 Firebirds?? Impressive devotion. 😀
Yeah since the 2nd gen when they started putting on t-tops that is a must for me for f body’s. My 89 has them and any other firebird I would get would need to have them (sans a 67/68 which I wouldn’t mind in convertible as that is the only Gen that looks okay as a convert).
My 98 didn’t have them, I convinced myself the 6 speed was more important. While driving the car, I always wanted the tops. Years later when I bought my ’00, T-Tops were a must. This one happened to be an auto. I enjoyed that car MUCH more than the M6.
Both were Formulas, which was basically the V6 body with the Trans Am drivetrain. I always liked the sleeper aspect of them, and supposedly they were a little lighter.
Funny thing is I would love a LS1 formula with t-tops and a T56 as the T/A’s always seem to have “leather” and I much prefer cloth over leather in vehicles from the 80s and 90s as it seems the quality of that “leather” just falls apart.
Barring any unforeseen financial windfalls, my list of cars for 2025 includes:
6-10. Various 30+ year old vehicles
This looks like the cover letter for the resume you are sending into the Autopian.
Is my shameless pandering to get that position as Jason’s assistant so obvious?
I have the budget, space, and desire for only 1 car. It will likely be a Civic Hybrid Hatchback in smurf blue.
Love that smurf blue! I just watched a review of the Civic, I think it’s the best appliance car out there right now.
I bought my 2022 Camry Hybrid summer of 2022 and it’s been great. Nabbed it right before all the interest rates went up too. It’s nice to see that a few others in the comments seem to feel the same way with the Camry making their top 10 lists. It’s actually a very solid car.
I don’t know about top 10, but if I was in the market for another car, it would be either:
I already have a highly efficient sedan and as much as I like the idea of a few other different vehicles, I couldn’t justify the cost/benefit ratio. Additionally, I’m renting a place with only one parking spot right now so I’ll need to move out of my studio as well…
I will pick 22 cars I plan on purchasing this year:
Who can guess the theme?
pedal actuated clutch in the transmission?
You get one chicken dinner this evening, my fellow Autopian.
Damn, I was going to guess alphabetical
You’re missing at least the Blackwing cars and the Versa from this list.
This is the only time those vehicles will be mentioned in the same sentence…
I leave all judgments of desirability to the OP.
Whoah whoah whoah, don’t bring me into this.
I did a very quick job reviewing the ChatGPT results. The Blackwing should be numero uno, the Versa numero abajo.
ohhh, AI was wrong… again.
Yeah, for crap like this that does not matter, who cares. But, I did actually (badly) check the list. Just… not well. I double check stuff that matters. That said, it’s like typing a question into google and getting the response you want. As with google, you need to double check. I actually just bought a real life book so I can double/triple check some stuff I’m doing.
That done be a list of vehicles you have to shift your own gears like good ole days. (I am 32 so I have no idea what the good ole days are but 3 out of the 5 vehicles I have on my property are stick shifts)
Hmm top 10, in some particular order, looking to replace my current daily although many are on here just because I want them even though they are stupidly impractical. Probably only like 3 under actual consideration.
1.) Lancer Evolution IX
2.) GR Corolla
3.) FD Rx7
4.) CT5 Blackwing
5.) 1961 Coupe Deville
6.) Colorado ZR2
7.) E30 touring
8.) Volvo 240 wagon
9.) M2
10.) E46 M3
Mind you I’m not going to buy more than one of these if I can help it, but here goes, in no particular order since I change my mind weekly.
Honorable mentions:
Hard to say. I’ve only bought one car so far this year. It arrived three days ago and I’m not really sure how to extrapolate from this to the next purchase:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54350603023_da90a88343_c.jpg
Nice! For such a small, simple thing, there’s a lot that my brain wants to process and ponder.
Your next vehicle could be a Ford Maverick Hybrid for when you need to load it, whatever that thing was you bought, into the back.
I intend to leave that as an exercise for the reader.
I mean, do you even need another car now you have that?
Maybe? I still have some paved parking. What are you offering?
Geo Tracker
C5 Z06
Another GMT800
C4 parts car
A C6 Z06 would be nice
Something to make a rat rod out of
A clapped out old Beetle
Skyline R34 GTT
A nice older Camry
A80 supra (RHD because theyre more reasonably priced)
Top 10 for this year?
Lets see
1955 Chrysler Windsor/300
1939 Pontiac coupe
1952 Pontiac Silver Streak
1966/67 Dodge Charger
Any Jensen Interceptor hardtop
1970s IH Travelette
Dodge 2500 or 3500 Chassis to put the Travelette on
I guess I only really have 7 I am looking to purchase this year, not 10.
I’m mostly interested to see how the Ramcharger pans out, as we’re overdue for some proper hybrid electrification in the truck world.
Even for me, buying 10 cars in a year is a lot.
Still, here are the V10omous recommendations for reasonably attainable vehicles to buy in 10 (vaguely defined) market segments for 2025:
-Small car: Honda Civic
-Medium car: Cadillac CT5
-Large car: Toyota Camry
-Sports car: Chevy Corvette
-Small SUV: Jeep Wrangler
-Medium SUV: Kia Telluride
-Large SUV: Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid
-Very Large SUV: GM Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade ESV
-Truck: Ford F-Series
-Van: Toyota Sienna
Driving a Mazda CX-30 has definitely warped my view on the size class in the industry. In no world do I think of a Wrangler as a small SUV, or the Telluride as a medium one.
The flip side of that is my best friend who drives a Suburban (and a Silverado and Avalanche before that). He (rightfully) calls my car a Micro-Machine, but probably agrees with your sizing way more than I do!
I’m not really going to attempt to defend my size categories on the merits (the GH is only 5″ longer than the Telluride for example), but I will say I was envisioning a 2 door Wrangler, which truly is pretty small (7″ shorter than your Mazda).
I pretty much agree with that list or at least understand the choices, except the Sienna. What a total disappointment. I’m shopping for a 3 row vehicle (I want a van, my wife wants an SUV) and the Sienna must be for masochists or something. The interior, availability, dealer/buying experience, and pricing make it not even a consideration after shopping around. Like, I don’t even get how, but somehow shopping for a Grand Highlander Hybrid is a better experience when it comes to working with the exact same dealers, finding what you want, and talking price. Shopping for a Sienna and dealers suddenly turn into some combo of the worst “I know what I got”, take it or leave it, bait and switch as the advertised one is actually already sold experience ever.
Even if the buying experience didn’t totally suck, it’s got the least useful interior thanks to the mid row not being removable, and I would argue just about the worst interior quality/feel along with the most dreary driving experience. 100% not worth the shit buying experience, price premium, and requirement to compromise on trim/colors/options to even get one.
I can’t speak to the dealer experience as I haven’t tried to buy one lately. I have heard stories similar to yours.
I will say I thought the removable seats would be a bigger part of my ownership experience (part of the reason I bought a 2020 over a 2021), but I haven’t had them out once in 4.5 years of ownership. For me, a minivan really is a kid hauler and not much else. I respect those who use them to haul large cargo, but with a truck in the driveway as well, that just isn’t needed for me.
Recommending the Carnival or Pacifica wouldn’t be a stretch for me, so I wouldn’t quibble with anyone who bought one of those.
Re: GH vs. Sienna – probably because they know they’ll have more of the Grand Highlanders allocated and/or if you don’t buy theirs, they know the next closest dealer can sell you one just as easily. Siennas, not so much.
They sold almost 72k Grand Highlanders vs. 75k Siennas last year, and that’s with the Grands on a stop sale for like 4 months.
I want to but the hybrids that work for my hobbies and interests are so expensive. The Jeep 4xe. 4runner, or Landcruiser.
The 4xe is getting pretty cheap on the used market…I’ve seen a ton of 2023 Sahara and Rubicon models for mid-$30s (from dealers; less from private party if there’s any way to find private party sales that are convenient and don’t involve FB)
Every morning part of my daily affirmation is that I’m good enough, smart enough, and I don’t offroad enough to need a Wrangler. Amen.
Given Jeeps reliability reputation, mid-$30s doesn’t sound near cheap enough for a 2 (potentially even 3) year old 4xe.
The Jeep itself is just the down payment; the extended powetrain warranty is the part you have to finance.
Make sure to include the rental coverage so you’re not without a vehicle while they wait months for parts.
I only paid $3000 for the lifetime bumper to bumper ($100 deductable) on my then new 2012 jeep wrangler and I still have it and have gotten every penny back several times over.
I’ve also heard they’ve been having lots of battery issues. This comes from my friend who owns a 4xe which just required the main traction battery to be replaced under warranty.
And gosh darn it, people like you!
The 4Xe powertrain has been an abject disaster…and as far as plug in hybrids are concerned it’s one of the worst ones out there. It basically offers 0 fuel economy benefits while operating as a hybrid, it only has about 20 miles of range, and they’ve been plagued by recall after recall after recall.
There are a few people here that have them and all of them emphatically say to stay away. Anyway hopefully that helped! If you’re interested in a plug in off-roader thing just wait for the Scouts.
The 4xe must really be bad if you of all people are advocating a high-tech VW.
I do in fact have more faith in VAG pulling off an EV with a range extender that’s a naturally aspirated engine than Stellantis making anything that’s electrified….and that’s not because I have a fondness for VW
I think the move is to buy a Civic hybrid (or equivalent) for a DD appliance car, then keep the gas guzzling old Landcruiser, Jeep, or 4Runner for weekend adventures.
All of those vehicles in new hybrid form are probably going to be nightmares. With the Toyotas, there’s next to no benefit in fuel economy, and the Jeep will spend half the time in the shop.
I am not planning on getting rid of my still under warranty 2012 JKU anytime soon.
Perfect! So now all you need is the modern daily. Then throw some tons and 40’s on the JKU.
I only bought a sport, not a rubicon, I did not want to try and talk my wife into the additional $10k when she was ok with me buying a new jeep. So the current 33s will become 34 next tire time and that will be about as big as I go.
It’s still weird to me that we didn’t start phasing most of the market into hybrids 10-15 years ago, especially with standards getting more strict (when there are adults in charge).
Hybrids back then meant slower, less reliable, and more cost up front with minimal gains.
Except Accord, who made the fatal mistake of trying to use hybrids to make the car faster and better. LOL, that’ll never work! (serious but also sarcasm)
Positioning the Accord Hybrid of the mid-2000’s as an upgrade to the V6 engine was conceptually a great idea, but the market wasn’t feeling it, so it didn’t sell well. It’s too bad, I feel like a “fast hybrid” would sell much better today. Imagine if Toyota brought back the 301 hp V6 engine in the Camry and paired it with Toyota’s hybrid system. Even if MPG was mid 30’s that would still be a killer combination.
People didn’t want them as bad back then, but also the sentiment was similar to EVs today.
Now that EVs are the new “boogeyman” those same people who were doggin’ perfectly good hybrids are now doggin’ perfectly good EVs so the permission structure has changed into hybrids good – EVs bad.
Ya live long enough to see these things and it’s funny to see how irrational people are.
GM surely tried around the Carpocalypse, but most of their options involved a little more money, a little more complexity, and an extra 2-3 mpg. I’m not going down the path of “they killed the electric car!” but at the same time, half-assed efforts don’t exactly create converts…especially when the effort is clearly phoned in just to appease regulators.
And no shade intended to Toyota, but they leaned a little too hard into the “Weird Prius for Weird People” ideal. Today’s “Sexy Prius” needed to be launched a couple generations ago.
Diesel was still the darling for efficiency gains at the time, we’re about 6 months out from the 10 year anniversary (yikes) of when that bubble burst.
To add to what Rippstik and others mentioned, you couldn’t read a review of a hybrid at the time without it mentioning the upfront additional cost, the amount of time it would take to recoup the cost OR how much gas that would buy in the standard version, and the caveat of battery replacement. A diesel also cost more to buy and maybe more to refuel (dunno prices at the time) but typically didn’t come with packaging compromises either – most hybrid sedans lost trunk space and the folding rear seat.
It would still probably be a nonstarter today if the price premium hadn’t narrowed so much. 10 years ago a hybrid Camry vs. a nonhybrid were nearly $4k apart at the time, the gap for most hybrids vs. non is less than $2k now.
yep, 2009 should have been the “year of the hybrid” if society had invested
I mean, I kind of get it. I own a 2022 Camry Hybrid and my grandfather owns a 2015 Prius. I love my Camry and I hate his Prius, they are just two completely different cars.
Hybrids from 10-15 years ago were kind of like the Geo Metro; they were good on gas, but that’s about the only thing they had going for them. Everything else was secondary and you could feel it. While I would recommend a modern hybrid to someone in a heartbeat, older ones always require more caveats.
The 2018-2024 Camry is a good example: for an extra $1500 you got more horsepower/torque than the base engine, significantly better fuel economy, no loss of trunk space, and its honestly overall a more refined driving experience. That is decidedly not the kind of tradeoffs you’d be looking at a decade ago.
Even the earlier Camry hybrids were also a good bump in perform vs. the regular Camry, and I remember being surprised at how stark the contrast was compared to a Prius. Just the price premium, and the packaging wasn’t quite there yet, but they figured it out in your gen as you note.
In hindsight, skipping the Prius sub-brand exercise – and Ford just making a hybrid Escape instead of the C-Max – probably would have moved the progression along more quickly. The RAV4 hybrid did a lot to mainstream hybrids, but even then it was the current gen breaking the 40 mpg barrier that really helped.
Hybrids were (are) seen as less macho in a time when giant pickup trucks were (are) the norm. My rural off-roading acquaintances see EV, solar, and wind power as literal cultural genocide.
It’s funny, the main vehicle I want right now is an F150, but I’d also happily daily a Civic or Elantra hybrid, and I’d love a Rivian or Scout. I guess I’ve grown out of seeing a vehicle as the main extension of my identity.
1. Camry Hybrid
2. Prius
3. Corolla Hybrid
4. Civic Hybrid
5 . Accord Hybrid
6. Sonata Hybrid
7. Jetta
8. Civic SI
9. BMW 3
10. Sienna Hybrid.
If I had to buy 10 new cars and had near unlimited money (but not hypercar monies):
Acura Integra Type S
Audi RS6 Avant
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Manual
Ford F-150 Raptor R
Ford F-250 Lariat Tremor
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally
Ford Ranger Raptor
Lexus GX550 Overtrail
Porsche 911 S/T
Toyota GR Corolla
And the cars I recommend to others:
Civic Hybrid
Prius
Accord
CR-V Hybrid
Rav-4 Hybrid
4runner
Tacoma
Tundra
Sienna
Odyssey
So I would be actively shopping an AWD Hybrid Maverick except… you can’t get a rear window unless you step up to the Lariat trim. This means I end up paying like $6K for the item I want and a bunch of stuff I don’t (ok, adaptive cruise is nice, but I can live without it) and I have to get an interior that I think is way less attractive.
I love having a rear window for ventilation and for carrying long skinny things. I hate manufacturers who pull this crap.
What’s really annoying is you could get the rear window on the 2024 Maverick XLT, but of course AWD wasn’t an option yet.
The move here is to buy the one you want and swap in a window from an older, lesser Maverick… unless you need that rear window powered.
Hypothetically, if the cost of replacing the window was cheaper than buying one with it already installed, couldn’t you do that? I know it’s a new car and all, but I can’t imagine it would be hard to find a wrecked Maverick at Copart, buy the rear window assembly, and have a glass shop put it in?
Even new ones are only about 450 bucks.
I assume the relay and button to operate a powered window would need to be installed as well, but knowing Ford all the wiring and hookups exist and just need the parts.
Or just go manual window on the XL/XLT
And if the replacement window leaks? I’m on the hook for any damage. Part of the reason I buy new is the warranty.
My position is that I hate it when manufacturers put bits like this on only certain trims and don’t make them options, especially when last year it was available more widely.
The options mix is so maddening. Oh did you spend 20 minutes picking every option that perfectly fit your lifestyle? But now you’re telling me you want the exterior of the car to be BLUE? WELL LET’S START OVER THEN.
I’m going to swap the rear window on my 2025 XLT for a manual one off an older Maverick (or an aftermarket one). Dumb, but still cheaper than a Lariat and I did not want the vinyl seats. Insane that those are the ‘premium’ option.