5 Things You Need to Know About Performance Hybrids

A Hybrid Can Be a Performance Vehicle

Typically, the electric motor of most hybrid vehicles kicks in when accelerating from a stop, a time when the gas engine is least efficient. When stopped under most conditions both the gasoline engine and electric motor are off. The benefit, of course, is notably higher gas mileage and fewer harmful emissions. By contrast, performance hybrids usually take a different approach. Rather than coupling electric power with a smaller high-efficiency engine, they combine an already powerful gasoline engine with an electric motor to boost overall power and performance. Essentially, the strategy behind performance hybrids is to provide additional torque and power while also achieving a modest increase in fuel economy.

Performance Hybrids Have Hyper Power

Proving to drivers having the best of both worlds is achievable, Acura's 2002 DN-X boasted 400 horsepower while getting as much as 42 mpg; Toyota modified a Prius that could drive 130 mph; and Mitsubishi's Concept-E sported 263 horsepower, plus an extra 150 horsepower when the electric motors engaged.

Performance Hybrids Helped Improve Image

Bubble-like concept cars with nary a fashionable edge did little to attract drivers to hybrid vehicles. Hybrids gained in popularity when production models went mainstream, like the Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, and even the slightly more conventionally looking second-generation Toyota Prius. The advent of performance hybrids like the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Lexus GS 450h took hybrids to a new level. Stylish, powerful, and somewhat more fuel efficient, they offered drivers a more comfortable and accommodating motoring experience along with cleaner hybrid power. The Lexus GS 450h, for example, features a V-6 hybrid powerplant but mimics a full V-8, starts quietly, and provides a truly performance driving experience.

Performance Hybrids Largely Aren't Fuel Efficient

Although performance hybrids may get marginally better gas mileage than their traditional counterparts, the results rarely are staggering. It's important to note that the mileage per gallon shown on the window stickers of new hybrids in past years rarely reflected the mileage that drivers could actually achieve. New EPA testing procedures implemented with 2008 model cars now show considerably lower estimated fuel economy for most new models, including hybrids.

The Jury is Out on Performance Hybrids

Although they were hopeful about public response, some automakers are already moving away from manufacturing performance hybrids. Honda stopped producing its six-cylinder Accord Hybrid, which achieved only about a 1 mpg improvement over the conventional 2.4-liter four-cylinder Accord SE, at a premium cost in the thousands of dollars. Lexus continues to sell performance hybrids but takes a different marketing approach, positioning its hybrids as the top of their individual model lines. The fact that they offer hybrid power is simply an aside. There's every expectation that if auto manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue their march toward hybrids, their models will also offer not only lower emissions and higher fuel economy, but greater power as well.

Jennifer Olvera, a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, has been writing professionally for over a decade. In addition to covering the "green scene" for publications such as Where Magazine and Crain's, she has become one of the preeminent dining, food, and entertainment writers in Chicago. She has regularly been published in Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Zagat, Citysearch.com, and Gayot.com.