Other than the whole "it takes two to three times longer than it should" aspect of traveling on L.A.'s perpetually clogged "freeways", there is something else that bugs me. I'm talking about the wasteful sight of all those vehicles sitting there with their engines running, usurping a finite resource and polluting the air while they're going zero mph.
It was there, in the urban jungle, that I felt really good about driving the Insight as it efficiently shut off its engine whenever I hit the "stop" portion of my stop-and-go commute. Though all true hybrids do this, it still made my six-mile, 30-minute (that's not too bad -- it sometimes stretches to 45 minutes) drive home a little less annoying.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 17,982 miles
ed124c says:
06:39 AM, 05/12/10
Don't you IL people have anything good to say about California? What with your traffic jams, your need for navigation systems just to get around the area, your inexplicable need for seat heaters, the exorbitant traffic fees, it is no wonder you need shenanigans like smoky burnouts to release your agressions.
We have no such problems or needs in upstate NY. And contrary to rumor, we reallly only get snow three months of the year-- January thru March. And with the money we save with lower fuel costs, (no traffic jams, remember?), lower housing costs, etc. we go to Florida for the winter or simply hibernate in the snowy months. Expecially if we are car lovers.
throwback says:
06:54 AM, 05/12/10
If I had to deal with that type of traffic everyday I would humiliate my (enthusiast) self and buy a Prius. I would of course have to have a performance car on the weekends for the penance of my daily commute.
hybris says:
07:06 AM, 05/12/10
It times like this that I'm glad I live in Kansas.
inlinesix says:
08:54 AM, 05/12/10
That picture is just depressing. Glad I don't have traffic like that to deal with.
firstwagon says:
10:13 AM, 05/12/10
That's where the Prius is better. The motor will stay off entirely for a surprisingly long time in traffic like that.
cr_driver says:
10:44 AM, 05/12/10
"That picture is just depressing. Glad I don't have traffic like that to deal with."
+100 Thank God.
"If I had to deal with that type of traffic everyday I would humiliate my (enthusiast) self and buy a Prius"
Thats why caroline or donna said in a recent post, they saw many prius and barely a beetle.
"I would of course have to have a performance car on the weekends for the penance of my daily commute."
Yeah you gotta redeem yourself.
kingkhalas says:
04:04 PM, 05/12/10
That's why the Prius with a carpool lane sticker is faster than a Porsche.
kchoz says:
06:59 PM, 05/12/10
I like driving as much as anyone else, but seriously if I had to face stop-and-go commutes day in and day out, I'd just take public transit as I did during my university days. More relaxing, cheaper and not nearly as annoying. Plus it allows you to walk a bit more, do a bit of exercise.
Don't you have that option in California?
civic_si says:
03:38 AM, 05/13/10
There are too many humans.