Will long distance trave to CP decrease?

I too have a Corolla ('04) and I actually traded it in for the Camry I had. Lower payment, better gas mileage. I too consistently get 40 mpg unless I do a lot of city driving, and even then we're talking "only" around 37 mpg. Plenty of room in that car, accommodates 6-foot people comfortably, lots of trunk space, great engine pick up for its size. The same motor has been used in non-CART Indy-style racing.

The Prius really is amazing. It's amazing to me that just two years ago analysts and pundits said Toyota was wasting their time, and now it's a pain to find one you can even buy.

When they release a hybrid Corolla I'll be the first in line. The Prius is a little too non-traditional looking for me, still.

I remain mildly impressed with this. Reason being is that diesel locomotives are actually diesel-electric hybrids. Around a half century later, they finally find their way into cars.

The only part I'm impressed with is regenerative braking. Railroads probably would have used it except the facts it's not practical at all for them where cars it works. Instead of regenerative braking, they have dynamic braking which uses banks of resistors to slow the train down reducing astronomical brake maintenance.

For all practical purposes hybrids are the only alternative at this time.

Electric: Efficiency offsets higher energy costs, very limited range, recharge stations don't exist, No pollution from car.

Hybrid: Uses regular gasoline or diesel, requires only gasoline in, more overall efficiency than regular car, Lower pollution.

Hydrogen: Hydrogen hard to get, Hydrogen difficult to store/use, fuel cells costly, little pollution if any.

Comedy option, Methane: Stinks, unlimited range if driver and passengers eat a lot of beans, medium pollution.

Jeff, you actually get 37 MPG in town?That is amazing! Thats 3 time what I get.No wonder you dont seem concerned,but then you dont live very far from the blessed Cedar Point.

You've got it down, Forgotten. Hybrids are the way to go.

The coolest hybrid out there is the Honda Accord Hybrid. It's the costliest Accord, but the electric motor adds a couple of HP and decreases the 0-60MPH time. And it's a little more fuel efficient.

The joke with hybrids, though, is the upcoming GM "semi"-hybrids. In the Silverado line of trucks they're basically going to install a beefed up alternator that will kick in periodically. It's a good idea, but at the same time it doesn't seem like enough.

I think the whole idea of the semi-hybrids is to bump up the CAFE rating just a little bit. Just like some automakers are recommending 5W-20 oil now for the U.S. when the same engines in other parts of the world run on 5W-30 on up to 20W-50. The thinner oil allows maybe a .5 mpg increase per vehicle, significant for the fleet but not the individual owner. How the thinner oil affects durability remains to be seen, especially with hard driving.