OK, I drive very little, and my car gets heroic mileage (5+ mpg over the EPA) "on the road" but shitty in town...and it's because of how I use it. It never warms up. And yes, I often walk the trip, but for reasons I'll omit, many times I cannot walk or bike. So....the main trip I make is 3.2 miles from start to destination. It involves four left turns and three right. It also includes three steep hills, on which I simply coast. What I despise is idling. I don't want to idle at all, and most of the short trip is idling. There are six traffic lights involved. So I thought a Prius would be a good solution, but my friend who knows cars says the battery wouldn't stay charged because the gas engine would never attain enough usage/power. (I realize an all-electric car would be best, all things considered, but part of the trip is 40 mpg believe it or not, so, and the electrics have other problems, and no, I can't use a scooter either). yes, I could get a Fit or Yaris and improve economy, but I would still be spewing fumes at idle. So does anyone have the technical knowledge to tell me if the hybrid would in fact do its job, or if I'd end up depending on the gas engine and a dead/useless battery?
here's the other piece. Some days I make only PART of that trip (my workplace is on the way) and I drive exactly .8 miles one way. Two steep hills downward, one up....three left turns and two right. sigh. I have my life planned out so that I live about 90% of it within a 2.5-mile radius (yes, I would take the Prius on the road, for volunteer work, probably two-three times a month, a 20-mile drive one way).
Can anyone help? If I borrow one for a test drive, would that give me my answer? I'm not that techno savvy. thanks for any help here.