Hybrid buyer's guide

Consumer backlash against hybrids has also taken several forms. Lofty mileage estimates have, in many cases, seemed unrealistically high to hybrid owners who cannot reproduce optimal fuel economy with typical driving patterns. Lead feet and air conditioning, for example, can decrease a hybrid's mileage.

And throttle-happy drivers can be disappointed by hybrids. We have driven a Toyota Prius on the challenging, twisty Angeles Crest Highway outside Los Angeles, where the elevation changes frequently and dramatically, and found the Prius huffing and puffing as it tried to go where we wanted it to go. The Prius has 110 horsepower, which is pathetic for a midsize sedan. Even the Camry SE V-6, which is not a performance car, has 105 percent more hp (225) and 71 percent more hp-per-pound.

Then there are the annoying hybrid waiting lists. Some customers have waited months to take deliveries of their cars. Asked the average waiting time for a Prius, a Toyota spokeswoman said in a recent phone interview that "that's hard for us to calculate. It varies from place to place."

Customers may also be surprised to learn that hybrids, despite their fuel economy, cost more to buy, and operate, than cheaper, fuel-efficient compact cars. That's because hybrids command a price premium. The base price of the Lexus RX 400h hybrid ($49,185) is 34 percent higher than that of the model on which it is based, the Lexus RX 330. The base price of Ford's Escape Hybrid ($27,400) is 37 percent higher than that of the regular Ford Escape.

Of course, hybrids are like flat-screen TVs: not worth it if the bottom line is your top priority, but worth it if you adore the technology. And hybrid buyers — especially ardent environmentalists — adore hybrids. The cars achieve unbeatable gas mileage and are 80 percent cleaner than regular cars. They consume less gas, and they produce fewer emissions. In a recent statement, Lexus said you could drive an RX 400h round-trip from Los Angeles to New York nine times and produce fewer smog-forming emissions than you would by painting one room of your house with a gallon of paint.

But if you are waffling over whether to buy a hybrid, consider that diesels may be a better bet. They can be outstanding performance cars, such as the diesel version of DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, and they have good long-term track records. But even Daimler is now jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. In August, it announced that its Chrysler Group would be developing a hybrid Dodge Durango in conjunction with GM to develop hybrids. Even more curious, a few weeks later, long-time Mercedes rival BMW — another hybrid hold-out — signed a memorandum of understanding with the intent to enter into a definitive agreement with GM and DCX later in the year.

In spite of the sudden spike of interest in hybrids, though, they remain unproven in the long-term. "Just what am I going to do with the dead batteries in six years (I live in Florida, where batteries die early) and how much will it cost?" writes one reader in a recent e-mail message. The answer is, potentially, thousands of dollars.

Hybrids come with extra weight and complexity, and their fuel-economy benefits may be visible only to a select group of drivers. While most cars have better mileage on the highway than in the city, hybrids are frequently the opposite, delivering their best results in stop-and-go traffic, because their engines can shut off at stops.

But a lengthy hybrid versus diesel comparison is a subject for another story. This article presumes an interest in hybrids, and seeks to provide a pithy overview of what's available. The slide show that follows offers photos and information about hybrids, including pricing, mileage and crash-test scores.

The source for crash-test scores is the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which rates vehicles on a scale of one to five stars. NHTSA's frontal crash tests evaluate the chance of an injury that requires immediate hospitalization and may be life threatening in head-on collisions between similar vehicles, each going 35 mph. A three-star frontal-crash rating means a 21 percent to 35 percent chance of such a serious injury in such a crash; a five-star rating means a chance of 10 percent or less.

For side crash tests, NHTSA slams a 3,015-pound barrier at 38.5 mph into a standing vehicle. A three-star side crash-test rating means an 11 percent to 20 percent chance of serious injury following a side impact; a five-star rating means a chance of 5 percent or less.

The hybrids in the slide show have good crash-test scores to complement excellent mileage and, in some cases, reasonable prices. Potential hybrid customers can consider the list a starting point — just as they can consider these times a starting point in the development of hybrid technology.

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