My idea of a Subaru Hybrid

I have a Forester. I want a wagon type of hybrid. I'd like the engine to be as efficient as possible when it is running so why not a diesel?

Which is cheaper to recharge the batteries, the engine or plugging into three cent per kilowatt electricity? If the electricity, I'd like the option to not have the engine recharge the batteries if I know my driving day will not exceed the battery charge.

I'd also like to disengage the AWD if it would save some fuel money. After driving my 2002 Forester for a few years, I conclude that AWD is

95% marketing BS. I'd rather drive 2WD and be able to engage AWD if I get in a traction situation. Full time AWD just makes the tow truck need a longer cable to pull you out.

Subaru should know that if I were to buy a car today, it'd be a VW wagon with the turbo diesel. The Ford escape isn't efficient enough, but if the Prius came out as a wagon, I'd buy that.

Reply to
Steve Bukosky
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Better check the reliability record and "owner satisfaction" on that VW, the more you research, the less likely you'd by the VW. I agree with you on the AWD tho.

Reply to
Grolsch

I disagree on the AWD! One of the main reasons that I bought my Forester is that it has permanent AWD. Test driving RAV4s and CRVs I did not like the way the front wheels will spin before the rear wheels kick in. Ok that's mainly for putting your foot down in the wet with poor surfacing, but that does sum up much of the driving conditions in England.

Ian.

Reply to
Ian Brown

Don't know what they do with the Subarus where you're from, but here the

4wd/AWD is oly engaged if there is a (faily major) difference between front and rear wheel speed.
Reply to
Dave - Dave.net.nz

video yourself in the mud when you put your foot down, the front spin before they back do, it is just very good compared to the Rav4 and CRV.

Reply to
Dave - Dave.net.nz

Reply to
Tony Burns (permanent dismisse

The only place I've had problems with front wheel drive and the wheels spinning is wet pavement and a painted crosswalk or line on the road. On my 1995 Acura (Honda) Integra GS-R, the front wheels would spin when they slipped on the paint, and would regain traction when off the painted area.

As for the OP's original points....

The price of electricity varies a lot depending on location. Some municipalities heavily subsidize electrical rates and would probably rethink it if there were large draws of power used to charge cars. In principle it's a good idea, but there's no easy way to gauge the cost of charging a car, since electrical rate change so often.

A full-time AWD system is simpler and more reliable. It's a niche market, and there are other cars that have part-time AWD.

The current VW TDI engine has some rather onerous maintenance requirements. 2004+ TDI owners need to use a VW 505.01 compliant motor oil which is not available at typical auto parts stores. It's also $6/quart for the semi-synthetic versions, up to $9/ quart for the full-synthetic ones.

Reply to
y_p_w

I'd be interested in that 3 cents/kWh electricity. Here are the current Pacific Gas & Electric rates:

For standard residential, rates start at 11.34 cents/kWh and goes up to 21.601 cents/kWh in "tiered" rates.

Reply to
y_p_w

Actually, they sometimes give the EV owners a *better* rate. The cost per KW/Hr that a municipality pays for electricity can vary by as much as a factor of a hundred between 3:30 AM and 5:30 PM, and some cities give you a seperate charger outlet that shuts off during the afternoon peak.

Reply to
Guy Macon

Electric cars charge at night, so it is only the off-peak rate that is of interest.

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Is the place to find out what electricity really costs. Today's costs are between 2.45 and 11.50 cents/kWh depending on where and when you want it. That price is what companies like Pacific Gas & Electric buy it for; needless to say they charge you more than that. To get those figures look at
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you can find 3.37 cents/kWh for industrial users in Kentucky,6.1 cents/kWh for residential users in Idaho, and I would expect off-peak rates to be lower than that. Hawaii, on the other hand, charges 19.87 cents/kWh for residential users. :( Also see
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Reply to
Guy Macon

Not really. I am well aquainted with electrical programs as I do heat pump work among other HVAC things for a living. The electric utility would love to have a bunch of cars recharging in off-peak times when the turbines still have to run but little income is created. It's sometimes called time of use rates.

Reply to
Steve Bukosky

Some years ago I had a friend with a GMC Jimmy. Where we worked there was a steep hill and he seldom put it in 4WD unless he couldn't make it up the hill. I asked why and he stated the philosophy about the tow truck. In the last winter I got stuck twice with my Forester. If I went in as far as 2WD would take me, I probably could have engaged AWD and backed out of the situation.

Reply to
Steve Bukosky

Midwest coal fired powerplants with a time of use rate of either 3 cents or 7 cents KWH. Probably won't last long as new plants are natural gas.

Reply to
Steve Bukosky

I get what you mean.

Reply to
Dave - Dave.net.nz

Not my manual-transmission 2004 US-spec WRX. Even the automatic transmission versions are supposed to be something like a 60/40 split in normal driving.

Reply to
y_p_w

However - it would be heavily dependent on the willingness of electrical utilities to invest in new meters or monitoring systems for time-of-day usage.

Certainly a plug-in hybrid would complicate things if you needed to figure out cost with charging via the engine, peak use electricity, and/or off-peak electricity.

Reply to
y_p_w

ok then, weird...

Reply to
Dave - Dave.net.nz

Some of the earlier version sold in the US had a 90/10 split. The following mentions it:

Here's the 2005 US-spec WRX:

Continuous AWD: WRX models equipped with 5-speed manual transmission, utilize a viscous-type limited-slip rear differential with torque distribution normally configured at a 50/50-split front-to-rear. If wheel speed differs between front and rear axles, the system helps distribute power to the wheels with the most traction.

Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) All-Wheel Drive: WRX models, equipped with 4-speed automatic transmission, utilize an electronically controlled variable transfer clutch in conjunction with a viscous-type limited-slip rear differential. Torque distribution is normally configured at a performance-oriented rear-wheel-biased 45/55 split front-to-rear. Sensors monitor parameters such as wheel slippage, throttle position and braking to help determine torque distribution to the wheels with optimum traction.

Reply to
y_p_w

Unless you live in the boondocks, they already do. Read my message again.

Reply to
Steve Bukosky

Yeah, like I said 95% marketing BS. I don't fault Subaru for it, but I have driven two winters in mine and say what they want, it isn't all it is cracked up to be. Get that front pan up on snow and you better have the tow truck's phone number or a passenger to help push the car back!

Reply to
Steve Bukosky

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