The 50mpg Accord hybrid and 47mpg Fusion hybrid are descent looking cars IMHO. Not my cup of tea but if I was stuck commuting an hour or more every day in stop and go traffic, why not? It certainly beats driving a diesel that struggles to crack 30mpg in similar traffic.

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Those gas hybrids aren't worth the cost of entry. Initial cost over the non-hybrid, then the likely limited lifetime (for those of us that want to put 2 - 300k on cars), equation just doesn't work.

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Eric, CPO, Submarines, retired.
Here's a sig line...
Mine: '68 Corvette LS1/4L65E, 83 240D, 2000 GMC 4x4, 08 FLSTC Anniv
Hers: '72 Corvette 454/4spd, '99 MB SLK, '93 Metro vert, 78 240D, '92 Silverado, '65 Fjord Rustang, '59 Fjord Fairlane, '17 Slingshot.

Neither are new diesels. You buy a diesel because you want a diesel, you buy a hybrid because you want a hybrid, you buy a V8 because you want a V8. There is no rational economic argument to be made for any of these. A 4 cyl gasoline fueled E class would be far cheaper than the E250 bluetec they're selling now. BMW put a $7000 premium on the 320d vs the 320i in the US. The price gap was so huge they had to rebadge it a 328d just so it wouldn't look so embarrassing. Modern diesels with modern emissions controls built to meet current US emissions regulations are stupidly expensive. No rational person would buy one in a passenger car.

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Yeah, you really need that 4 wheel drive in California. Farmer's Almanac says it might rain this winter.

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I live near Tahoe. No little trips to Rodeo Drive. Check your information on how often I-80 over the Sierra's is closed or has chain controls for non-4 wheel drive. It's not LA-LA land here!

Oh Tahoe, thats cute. Its funny how every time I go up there its always the AWD SUVs that end up in the ditch on the side of the road since they're not required to have chains or snow tires. People seem to forget that chains and snow tires help you GO and STOP, AWD doesn't help you stop. And lets face it, thats the real problem when you're skidding across 3 lanes of newly former ice Emigrant Gap. You have fun with that over confidence, I'll stick with my chains and snow tires, thanks.

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Hey LA LA boy, where did you get any "over confidence" out of anything posted?

For your information, as an avid skier I've skied most every mountain with more than 3 lifts in the Western USA and several in Canada over many, many years. I've NEVER skidded off any road nor failed to stop when needing to. That includes quite a few trips to Mammoth when I lived in your lousy city and had a condo up there, and that while driving a W126 diesel!

Bottom line, 4 wheel drive IS useful in the GOOD part of California!

The debate as to which is the good part of California, or if there even is one, is probably fuel for something as nasty as an oil thread.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

Is it just me or does the lady in the video sound familiar?

In looking for something else, I came across this article in the Toronto Globe and Mail regarding the GLK250. Seemed apt for this thread


Think-all-diesel-suvs-cost-extra-not-this-one

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5