Best Hybrid Cars 2012

When was the last time when you didn’t grunt while taking a trip to petrol pump? Are you tired of soaring high prices of petrol or diesel? Cost of a litre of petrol in March 2005 was 38. In March 2008 it reached 45. 64 in March 2011. It has gone as high as 74 in last one year. Frustrating, isn’t it? May be you have even thought of selling your car and using public transport. Is it the environment that worries you? Summer has been breaking records every single year.

If the above things are of you concern then you may want to have a look at hybrid cars. Hybrid cars are the result of intensive research done by automotive industry and they are proving to be innovative and efficient solutions to the people all around the world. Hybrid cars feature a small petrol or diesel engine combined with an electric motor. The motor assists the engine in accelerating. There are two types of hybrid cars:

1. Parallel Hybrid: Both engine and motor work together
2. Series Hybrid: Engine charges motor batteries.

These cars are made of lightweight material and engines are built specially to be more fuel efficient. Many hybrid cars’ engines get automatically switched off when they stop at signals or any other place and they get switched on whenever car is put into gear. The batteries of electric motors get recharged on their own either by fuel engine or, in some models, by the kinetic energy generated by braking system. Remember the good old mopeds with pedals from past? They were the true hybrids on 80s and 90s.

The hybrid is a compromise. A hybrid tries to increase the mileage and reduce the emissions of a fuel car while overcoming the shortcomings of an electric car. To be useful, a car must meet certain minimum requirements. The car should be able to:

1. Car should consume less fuel.
2. Car should emit less pollutant.
3. Car should be able to keep up with the other traffic on the road.

A conventional (read fuel) car generally produces a relatively large amount of pollution and generally gets poor mileage. An electric car, however, produces almost no pollution, but it can only go 80 to 150 km between charges. And the problem has been that the electric car is very slow and inconvenient to recharge.
A fuel-electric (read hybrid) car combines these two setups into one system that leverages both fuel power and electric power.

Let’s have a look at top 10 hybrid cars.

10. Infiniti M35 Hybrid

Infiniti M35 Hybrid is a mighty combination of power, luxury and fuel economy. This car is a green machine that surely takes your breath away and worth spending money on.

Engine: 3.6L, V5

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 10 / 11.5

Power: 360 BHP

9. Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

I could not stop myself from adding this super luxury car on this list. Worried that the hybrid electric motor would lower down the muscle and performance? Well as per the critics and testers, you need not to worry about this tiger on diet.

Engine: 3.0L, V8

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 7.5 / 10.5

Power: 380 BHP

8. Toyota Highlander SUV Hybrid

 

Fuel efficiency – Check. Roomy – Check. Capable Engine – Check. Affordable – Check. Easy to Handle – Check. Dude what more can I ask for?

Engine: 3.5L, V6

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 10 / 10

Power: 231 BHP @ 5800 rpm

7. Honda Civic Hybrid

 

Honda Civic hybrid is the hybrid version of Honda’s very popular sedan Civic. Apart from engine, the aerodynamic design, low rolling-resistance tires make Honda Civic Hybrid more fuel efficient.

Engine: 1.5L i-VTEC

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 15 / 15

Power: 110 BHP @ 5500 rpm

6. Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

 

Another hybrid version of a pupolar sedan. This sexy and stylish hybrid uses a parallel hybrid system. Most notable feature of Sonata Hybrid is that it leads the mid-size hybrid segment when it comes to fuel efficiency on highway.

Engine: 2.4L, I4

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 13 / 15

Power: 206 BHP @ 6000 rpm

5. Ford Escape Hybrid

This one is a little special because Ford Escape was the first hybrid SUV that came into market. It is one of a few Ford vehicles to offer the option of a self-parking system. The Ford Escape Hybrid sits on the throne of highest fuel economy in its class.

Engine: 4 Cylinders, 2.5L

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 12 / 11

Power: 177 BHP

4. Chevrolet Volt

There was no reason to exclude this beauty from this list. The highlight of this second American on the list is that for first 30-60 kms the electric motor powers the car and then the fuel engine takes over.

Engine: 2.4L, I4

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 15 / 17

Power: 166 BHP @ 6000 rpm

3. Kia Optima Hybrid

Slowly and steadily this little eco-friendly and elegant machine is rising up in charts all over the world. And it is doing so because it uses regenerative braking while braking or decelerating, where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle’s momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries. The specs:

Engine: 2.4L, I4

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 15 / 17

Power: 166 BHP @ 6000 rpm

2. Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford Fusion definitely deserves to bere here because this hybrid is unlike any other hybrid because it is optimized for highway rather than city driving. The Optima rides and handles well with its independent suspension, giving it a quick, nimble feel.

Engine: 4 cylinders, 16 Valves 2.5L, I4

Mileage – KmPL (city / highway): 15 / 12

Power: 156 BHP @ 6000 rpm

1. Toyota Prius

 

Make way for the champion of Hybrids. When this hatchback first went on sale in 1997 inJapan,Toyotahad big plans for it. Soon in 2000 it went on sale throughout the world. Since then, after launch of three different versions, 2.87 million units, Toyota Prius is now the highest selling hybrid in the world. As per Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) USA Prius is among the cleanest vehicles sold inUnited States. And the greatest part is: this car is available in Indian automobile market as well. Let’s look at some specification:

Engine: 1798cc, 4 cylinders, 16 valves

Mileage (city / highway): 19.5 / 21

Power: 97.8 BHP @ 5200 rpm