I've Gone Green(er)

My wife and I have a Honda Accord (Acura TSX in the states) and it's the best car we've ever owned. It really is the best value for money car out there.

It cost us £10k three years ago and it has

- cruise control
- automatic lights
- automatic wipers
- leather seats (heated)
- navigation
- auto-dimming rear view mirror
- reverse camera
- parking sensors all round
- integrated sun visor
- even the passenger wing mirror dips when reversing to help avoiding the kerb
- not a noise, knock or rattle in sight

We love it. However, after continuing talks of banning diesel cars we thought we'd get rid early before we were pushed. Furthermore, we've moved closer to my place of work so it's uneconomical to have a diesel for short journeys

So, we've gone and got ourselves a hybrid. It's a Lexus CT200h.

It has a lot of features but it's ever so strange to drive. You turn it on and it's silent. You pull off and it's silent. The brakes feel different as hybrids have a feature known as 'regen' where engine braking effectively slows the car down for you (unless you apply a lot of pressure and the normal 'friction' brakes come into play) and charges the batteries. This means you hardly ever use your brakes. Some brake systems (pads and discs) even outlast the life of the car.

Does anybody else own an electric or hybrid car?

We pick ours up on Monday

Exciting!

I do not, but my next door neighbour's have a fully electric BMW.  Between their absolutely silent garage door (they keep their cars in the garage) and their absolutely silent car, I worry my kid will be playing (where she shouldn't be) and get knocked down!   

That really is a significant indirect safety risk. When I went for the test drive he told me how to turn it on and I kept saying that the battery must be low or that it's ran out of fuel.

Strange. But eventually, I think we'll all own one in the (near) future the way the government are going with diesels and increased tax come 1st april

I really like automatic lights, and seriously envy the reverse camera.  My current car has neither and I swear I'm going to sell it whenever I have a rental.

Do you plug in that Lexus?  Our council has added lots of spaces for plug in cars.  I'd like to park there.

I couldn't have a car without a reverse camera now. That's my number one requirement!

The Lexus uses a petrol engine to charge the batteries, so no plugging in required. I didn't want an electric as my wife and I enjoy going to Cornwall which is a 5.5 hour drive for us. That would mean stopping half way down, charging at the place we'll be staying in, and charging half way home.

Plus I'm too paranoid with the thought of running out of juice. At least in a petrol you can grab a jerry can and throw a gallon in the tank to get you to a nearby petrol station. Can't do that with electric

I thought you might be able to plug it in as well.

My current car is a Skoda Roomster and it's really hard to see out the back.  Ever since some incidents and a teenager I am terrified of backing into stuff.  I've also got very poor depth perception. 

I've been thinking of upgrading the head unit to one that has a backup camera and apple play.

I've been thinking of upgrading the head unit to one that has a backup camera and apple play.

Is this a Skoda upgrade or aftermarket?

It would be aftermarket.  I haven't done the research but I am fairly certain such a head unit exists.