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#49 of 57 no regret on HAH 2006 by emmy6

May 12, 2008 (5:16 pm)

I love this car!!! I've had it for 4 months now. smooth ride, peppy get up and go, and, although the gas mileage could be better for a hybrid, i average 26 mpg mixed in town/ hwy and have gotten up to 37 mpg - hwy (cruise control 70 mph). That's not too shabby considering I constantly run my a/c.

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#50 of 57 Press Request by KarenS HOST

May 13, 2008 (1:22 pm)

A reporter is hoping to talk with hybrid owners who have had to replace the hybrid's battery. Please respond to ctalatiedmunds.com before Friday, May 16, 2008 with your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience.

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#51 of 57 '07 Graphite Pearl HAH, no NAV - update by kenebaugh

Jun 09, 2008 (11:43 pm)

To Viet - the power for acceleration is one reason I bought my HAH. I like to GO===>>>. The fact that I can do so [occasionally] and still maintain a 10 MPG increase on average over my old Buick Regal GS makes the purchase worthwhile.
 
But I have to disagree with you on the Toyota Vs. Honda technology - Toyota has the cutting edge technology, while Honda is using technology that is now two generations behind the leaders. Toyota concentrates on full integration with maximum mileage with [barely ?] adequate performance; while Honda concentrates on keeping full performance, but adding many MPG in the process. Toyota has sold more hybrid vehicles than all other makes added together. I hope you bought and are enjoying your HAH as much as I enjoy mine.
 
To Karen S. - Not enough miles and usage yet to have needed an "h"-battery [or normal one for that matter] replacement, sorry, but glad!
 
To JNG [jayngee] - Tires can make a big difference!!! My '07 HAH came with Michelin Energy MXV4 215X60-16 shoes - a relatively low rolling resistance tire = higher MPG tire, also longer wearing. That also implies somewhat lower traction than more aggressive tread and rubber designs. I have to be careful that I tiptoe around in the wet compared to my old Buick. It was shod with B.F. Goodrich Radial TA's in the 225X60-16 size and could charge through wet curves and stop almost as well on wet as on dry. Not so with these Michelins.
 
When I removed the original Goodyear rubber on my Buick and replaced with the B.F. Goodrich tires, the handling improved markedly - especially in the wet, the ride quality decreased slightly - noise was up a little and vibration was a little worse; but most importantly, my average mileage decreased about 2 MPG. Finally, they only lasted 40,000 miles rather than the 60,000+ for the Goodyears. Tires are a compromise, you pay your money and take your pick. Do some research at 1010tires.com, ConsumerGuide,com or other such vendors - before you spend that extra $400. Match the tires to your real driving needs.
 
Oh, you didn't indicate, but if you changed tire size and bought "bigger" tires, your mileage will "appear" to get worse just because of the larger tire circumferance. Your odometer will register fewer miles, even though you traveled the same distance. Wider tires would decrease your mileage just because of the increased wind and rolling resistance - even if everything else remained the same.
 
To All - CNET.com has several good articles on hybrid/green vehicles. HAH is not included since they were discussing 2008 models, but you might enjoy reading these anyway.
 
http://reviews.cnet.com/4326-11443_7-6620819.html?tag=feat.1
http://reviews.cnet.com/4326-10863_7-6620340.html?tag=ss_rcnt
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10863_7-6867794-2.html?tag=bnav
 
=========================================================
 
Now for my update. I have just over 10K on the clock and my average MPG according to the second trip meter [I have never reset this one since purchase] is an indicated 28.4 MPG. I have recorded a high of 38.7 MPG on one tank of fuel used on a trip [65 MPH cruise control speed]. That is just 6 MPG short of a Prius! My manual calculations are very close to the values given by the car's electronics. Much closer than my old Buick.
 
I cannot push this car as hard as I did my Buick because the tires are not as grippy. I get very early tire squeal going around even moderate corners. In the wet, it gets "loose" early. There is also lots of wheel spin turning uphill from a stop. I am running 35 PSI, cold. The car does not oversteer as badly after I increased the tire pressure. Steering seems to "hunt" for straight-ahead on the highway and tends to wander. This is probably indicative of little or no toe-in for better mileage. Even though the HAH has more total horsepower, and 5 forward speeds instead of 4; it is not as fast or responsive as my old Buick. HAH takes a while to wind-up and get going. But, it rides much smoother.
 
I had WallyWorld change the oil and lube any joints. I used full synthetic. Over time, I hope that makes a difference. I have never used full synthetic before, but then I never spent this much on a car before, either. I taped the receipts inside my maintenance booklet. I rotated the tires myself. Dealer can stuff their $180.00 scheduled maintenance package. I'll wait until 25,000 before I do that number.
 
This is not a "perfect" car. The moonroof has excessive wind noise when fully closed. Makes me think the passenger side window is not rolled all the way up. The cruise control takes a moment to fully engage and the speed drops, then the car accelerates quickly to get it back. I have learned to just keep my foot on the pedal until I "feel" cruise fully engage.
 
There is no auto-dimming of rear-view mirrors. The manual interior mirror is not really a big deal, but I miss the dimming of the exterior mirrors - especially with that semi- sitting on my rear bumper. There is no GPS locator [OnStar] unless that happens to be part of the NAV package which I do not have.
 
The ECO light is really inadequate by itself, even with the charge bars on both sides. There should be an "instantaneous" MPG meter to supplement the ECO light, so we will know how close we are to losing ECO. Battery charging/using meter display lights are not always functional. It appears that they "forget" to display at times.
 
The stereo is the pits - or at least the speakers are! Unpleasant Boom-Box bass at one level and if you decrease volume just a click or two, you cannot hear bass at all. It needs a loudness compensation circuit. I took a peek at the rear speakers and the magnets are smaller than an old Victrola entertainment center gathering dust and spiders in my basement. No wonder they tend to BOOM. As soon as I figure out how to get the grills off, they will be replaced with speakers with more controlled cone excursion.
 
Windshield curvature makes it hard for the wiper to keep it dry. I replaced the factory units with Michelin blades and the same places are not wiped well. Driver's side blade is too long or needs more downforce [stiffer spring?] to keep it in continuous contact with glass.
 
The body panels seem to have shifted with age - just like mine. There is now a big gap at the front edge of driver's door; and the rear edge of the front fender panel "bows" out to make the gap appear even bigger. And no, it has not been hit anywhere! The passenger's side is still as "tight" as it was the day I purchased.
 
The trunk does not visually align with body, but it is not leaking anywhere. And for us tall drivers who must push their seat back, the front "A" piller really blocks your vision to the left. It makes a big "blind spot" you have to crane your neck to look around when you are curving to the left or there is traff

Replies to this message:

• emmy6 (Jul 25, 2008 4:27 am)

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#52 of 57 Replacement Tires HAH 2005 by minivanmama1

Jul 23, 2008 (7:54 pm)

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#53 of 57 Re: '07 Graphite Pearl HAH, no NAV - update [kenebaugh] by emmy6

Jul 25, 2008 (4:27 am)

Replying to: kenebaugh (Jun 09, 2008 11:43 pm)

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#54 of 57 Hybrid Battery Replacement by bnhbutts

Apr 02, 2009 (11:42 am)

Replies to this message:

• bspec (May 01, 2009 8:52 am)

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#55 of 57 Re: Hybrid Battery Replacement [bnhbutts] by bspec

May 01, 2009 (8:52 am)

Replying to: bnhbutts (Apr 02, 2009 11:42 am)

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#56 of 57 Thanks by bnhbutts

May 01, 2009 (9:16 am)

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#57 of 57 Re: strange virbration by mvian

Mar 22, 2010 (1:02 pm)

Replying to: jayngee (Feb 22, 2008 6:38 am)