Car Buyer’s Guide: Hybrid or Diesel
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If like me you were led to believe that hybrids are best for saving fuel, think again. There is another contender for this coveted spot. Realistic testing have showed that diesel does save more or less the same amount of fuel as any hybrid. So, would you buy a hybrid to save more tanks of fuel or stay with that old diesel sitting on your carport? The answer is no longer as black and white as it used to be.On this car buyer’s guide, we will try to check one car from each technology and pit them against each other: stat against stat, mileage against mileage and rpm against rpm. And yeah, the conditions by which each car will be tested are: they will each run on full tanks, the air conditioning is on and at full, and sound systems are switched off.
The Toyota Prius is in the center of talks when it comes to exceptional hybrid cars. And it has a valid reason too, the Toyota Prius is sleek and elegantly styled, a rare performer and it does have results in its fuel economy. But how does it compare with the Volkswagen Jetta GL TDI, which runs on diesel?
Surprise, surprise! This car buyer’s guide tests have concluded that both cars consume or save more or less the same amounts of fuel. At stop and go traffic the Toyota Prius runs on 32.9 mpg while the Volkswagen Jetta is at 31.6 mpg. The fuel economy is only significant when running on open lanes, as the Toyota Prius ticks 56.2 mpg better than the Volkswagen Jetta’s 53 mpg.
High-speed sports cars are always fuel monsters but the emergence of the hybrid technology might solve the fuel thriftiness so much needed by these car types. But does it save enough to warrant a hybrid purchase?
Our car buyer’s guide tests involving the two models have shown that the hybrid has no remarkable difference in fuel economy. In fact, the diesel one is better at fuel efficiency. The Honda Accord Hybrid runs on busy lanes at 23.9 mpg while the Benz E320 is at 26.7. The Honda Accord Hybrid is only better at high-speed runs, at 34.7 mpg while the Benz E320 is at 32.6 mpg. But then, the Honda Accord Hybrid, despite being a hybrid is way cheaper than the Benz.
