Road Trip! NOT taking the Mazda5...

[mpvue]

heading out for a 1300mi road trip, was getting the 5 all ready, when plans changed; my Dad is coming with us, and he drives a Toyota Highlander HYBRID... much more room inside, and hopefully better mpgs.
the 5 will be staying in a friends garage next to a '10 Mazda3.
will check in when I get back, see ya...

 

[thaxman]

Toyota Highlander HYBRID... much more room inside, and hopefully better mpgs....

Yes, but you could buy 2 Mz5s for every Highlander on the lot. I'll spend my $20K on gas thank you. (but I won't, since the MZ5 can still get high 20s)
Let dad buy the overpriced SUV.

 

[doctorz]

Just drove our 5 over 350 miles, four passengers, full load of luggage, and averaged 30 mpg. I did a quick search on Highlander Hybrid mileage reports and they seem to be getting about 25-27 mpg at highway speeds. If that's really the case, then Mazda5 wins...I would expect the Highlander Hybrid to do better in the city. Enjoy your trip and drive safely.

 

[Silentnoise713]

I guess it is b/c we are all budget conscious owners but there's a lot more to it than just MPG. Riding in the Highlander is SOOOO much better than the Mazda5. Why buy entry luxury when you can buy econo, both do the same thing /s...

 

[thaxman]

We took the 5 with the racer-geared 5MT on 2-3 weekend trips that year we got it. 250 mi one way @ 80 mph with 2 adults, 3 kids under 9. It behaves nicely, but the seats aren't any better (or worse) than the Subie's budget cloth seats and the Accord's part-leather pews (FWIW, most leather seating options are genuine leather under the butt and supporting the back, but everything else is pleather) Gas mileage was OK the 1st trip - 24-25, but we stopped taking it because it dipped to 21 mpg consistantly for the trip. My wife took it back last summer when I was stuck working 6-days a week, and she still got pathetic mpgs even w/o me and my heavy foot. Its a straight shot down I-10 and I-8. No stopping, and only 1 "mountain" pass that sees an elevation change of probably less than 1000' over 2-3 miles. I realize that AC has some part in this, but we always travel at night, so AC use was extremely minimal. The Volvo gets 25+ mpgs on the same trip, but only 21 with the load bars and rooftop bag. Twice, we unloaded everything in Yuma and continued onward to Legoland, getting 27 mpg due to CA's slower 70 mph speed limits because we would only go 74 mph max.
What I don't like about the 5MT on road trips (besides the mileage that is as low as city mpgs when at high speeds) is the drone of the engine and the road noise. Thin window glass, big mirrors, minimal sound deadening to save weight make the car fun to drive around town, but less enjoyable cross country at freeway speeds. I am seriously considering a hybrid Sierra to replace my aging Ram in a few years when the kids begin to complain about space due to their larger physiques. The way I see it, 21 mpg in the Volvo with a rooftop carrier vs 21 mpg in a Sierra where the bed is the biggest trunk I'll ever need, well, no brainer.

 

[Lenn]

I'm pretty sure that hybrids only come into full light in city driving conditions and light throttle applications.

I'll take a "normal" car any day over risking the firey death that will likely be had if you wreck that hybrid. Just tell your family NOT to sue the fire departments for not being able to use the jaws of life in fear of electricuting themselves.

 

[belleth]

Since you mentioned MPGs...

I've gotten some very mixed numbers, I wasn't happy when I got 21 MPGs in a city, but my commute is 5-6 miles one way and it was cold weather... so ok...

it recovered when we went to mountains in NH, on the trip there mixed highway and mountains I got 29-30, while there, we used my car for majority of the time (6 adults) and I got around 26MPGs!!! in the mountains and with 6 adults, I was happy.

Generally, highway I'll get around 29-30, city is very mixed, depends on how many days a week I'm running late

 

[mpvue]

...risking the firey death that will likely be had if you wreck that hybrid. Just tell your family NOT to sue the fire departments for not being able to use the jaws of life in fear of electricuting themselves.

wow, over dramatise much?

anyway, we got there and back safely, no fiery deaths. 3 adults, 3 kids, stuffed full of luggage and a tall roof box. I didn't figure out the mpgs on paper, but the average readout on the dash was showing 26.1 going and 25.8 coming back.

Dad bought the highlander used, it's got a cloth interior, I think he got it for less than $14K. it's pretty comfortable, lots of room and handles well.

driving it on the hwy is very interesting; at about 60mph or so, the electric doesn't seem to come into play, maybe slightly. BUT, when you go out to pass, the electric motor kicks in and it just GOES, I mean like RIGHT NOW.

I tried it one night on a wet road, just floored it. NO slippage, the kwh gauge went all the way up, seriously, the car just takes off.

in local driving, I wasn't really paying attention to what it was doing, it just drives normally, except when you come to a stop light and it turns off.

anyway, that's my experience.

 

[thaxman]

Sounds like it was a good experience. Also looks like your dad got the car, but the PO got stuck with the depreciation. I don't trust trip computers. Subtract 1 mpg & it will probably be closer to life. Better than the 5 would do with a tall roofbox (or not any worse), so it sounds good all around. I don't dislike hybrids but I consider all SUVs to be overpriced. Add in a hybrid powertrain, and you have to be one of PT Barnum's favorite people to buy one new.

 

[mpvue]

true. hybrid highlanders are WAY expensive new. I would have figured out mpgs but it got confusing when we alternated who filled up, and he likes to top off the tank, etc. I think the real mpg might have been better, because we were going around 275-300 miles between fill ups and it was only taking 10-12 gallons most times.