Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetboy
On most models it's now down to about an $800 option. So the cost is minimal. And if it's done right it should be more reliable. Basically a redundant power system. Even if it only had 5-10 miles of EV range, in the event of a major engine failure, 5 or 10 miles could be a lot better than zero miles.
I haven't really heard of any one having issues with any manufacturer's hybrid system reliability. It's more complex. But I really have no reason to think it's any less reliable than the current drive train. Given that it will also reduce the stress on the engine by providing ev power at peak times - I think there's a pretty good chance that the system will last longer as a whole.
Even if the batteries need a replacement every 20 years - is that a problem? As long as the system notifies that it's needed and that a battery failure doesn't result in a broken down vehicle, I'm not sure I'd be opposed to that. I have to replace the normal battery every 4-5 years. If it saved me more money in fuel and maintenance than the battery replacement cost and gave me all of the benefits of EV drive - like unlimited fording depth, and probably great towing performance, etc. I'd probably be in favor of it.
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It all depends on what you want out of this thing and what your expectations are.
We are a multi-vehicle household… and our 4Runner is mostly used a weekend car, camping, adventure, road trip, and a heavy focus in off-road use. What we don’t use it for is a commuter or daily driver. It’s also a bit of a hobby truck, I like to work on it in the little free time that I have these days. Something that is becoming increasingly more difficult as cars become newer and include more complex system.
Frankly I don’t want TSS, crawl control, batteries (which I know plenty about), hybrid drive or other system included in the thing. It fulfills an interesting niche in SUVs market, and it really doesn’t need to be more than what it is now considering all the other non-BOF options available.
These trucks are already bit of a swiss army knife, which is great. They can do a bit of everything, but they are a jack of all trades, and a master of none. It’s in a good place, but adding all sorts of other shit to it and you end up with a swiss army knife that isn’t very useful to anyone.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
