pizzda

What does everyone think of a hybrid Mazda ?

Toyota and Honda are ahead in hybrid technology so far, and 2006 seem to be the year that hybrids are catching on with consumers (governments are offering tax breaks for hybrid cars).

So why isn't there a hybrid Mazda yet ? Does anyone have inside information on whether Mazda is going to release one on the market ?

Let's take a poll: Would you want a hybrid Mazda ? Why or why not ?

Roddimus Prime

i would not want one. I'm not a fan of hybrid technology. I think Diesel is the way to go.

p.s. Mazda is making a hydrogen-powered RX8 that is just as powerful and fast as the automatic 4-port rx8s. The downside is the trunk is filled up with the hydrogen canister.

p.p.s. Mazdas sole image is that of sportiness....i dont know of any hybrid i'd consider sporty. Several diesels though. VW showed off a great new Diesel sports roadster.

snap-on

Mazda will get part of the last run of hybrid Tribute (Escapes).
This is the last year for this vehicle,it will be replaced buy the CX-7. MPV will also get replaced by the bigger CX-9 with a folding third seat and a 3.5 duratec.

David

No, not worth the extra money

doubleohsmurf

i'm sure mazda is in an alternative fuel alliance with some other car companies, thats partly why it has the hydrogen RE program. personally i would love a hydrogen car such as the hydRX-8 concept: low cost efficient hydrogen fuel consumption for commuting, and a switch over to gasoline for performance driving! there are already hydrogen fueling stations being set up in japan and america as premotion for the alternative fuel alliance.

Roddimus Prime

I will still swear by biodiesel and I refuse to buy electric or hydrogen hybrids. They just do not have the same advantages that biodiesel can have on many facets of our nation.

meGrimlock

i dunno 'bout diesel. theres a guy named vin and he was in a crappy movie about riced out cars. and i hear the diesel cars aren't too hot either. loud, less refined, a bit slower but the trade off is going 3x further than a gas powered car. and newer diesels cars have closed that gap and offer much smoother ride & engine, and turbocharging helps bridge the performance gap and could be the wave of the future, just ask any european.

i'd like to see the hydrogen/hybrid mazda5 come to fruition, neat stuff-i'd get one. and an alternative fuel cx-series car might be a money maker for mazda, i see the future of minivans and suvs going to crossover vehicles in short time. if mazda gets a jump on it they might have a winner.

gas/electric hybrids are a hot trend...for now, but the reasons for buying one these days are outweighed by the practicality and feasability. i mean if they think they're gonna save $$$ they are fools, and if they are buying it for a clear conscience they are bigger fools. and honda and toyota may have more available hybrid models in the US, but there are plenty other manufacturers around the world and the US that offer a wide range of alternative fuel vehicles. we'll have to see how the other alternative fuels fare in the time to come, so far i think roddimus might be right; diesel is the way to go.
-meGrimlock

Roddimus Prime

I never really thought much about diesels until I bought my wife one. Go to vw and ask to drive a bug tdi.... I think you'll be surprised. They are very peppy. 0-45mph can be done very quickly with barely using the pedal. anything over 45mph requires more effort and time but that's just a diesel drawback....

plug and play chips make 150whp 248tq all while getting 40-45mpg. Not bad imo.

kargoboy

It is a big misconception in the U.S. that diesels are slower and unrefined.
It's all the fault of buses and the old VW Rabbit.
New Euro-diesels are clean, and efficient. As for loud, well, how many of us have made our cars LOUDER? Plus, diesel engines can be torque-monsters.

meGrimlock

well i can say that i havent made my car louder except for some tunes in my speakers. but i agree that a lot of the new european diesels are much quieter and refined than they used to be, however if you stood next to a gas jetta and a diesel jetta, you can still hear the difference. you do get more torque but you usually don't see it till you hit close to the redline, even the dual turbo BMW 5-series can't keep up with the gas version...but it sure can hold its own. i personally would go diesel over gas/electric hybrid at least until we can get hover cars that run on cold fusion. by the way i saw a show on alternative fuels the other day and they said that hydrogen is a by product of helium, of which the artificial manufacturing process is pretty unfriendly to the environment anyway so you can't really win hehe.