Old Friends And Their Hybrids
I spent some time visiting with an old college buddy of mine the other day. We were catching up on old times, enjoying a nice meal and we got to talking about how we both drive a 2008 Nissan Hybrid. It wasn’t that surprising; we’d both always loved Nissan cars and the Altima Hybrid makes the most sense with the high price of gas these days.
Anyways, we compared notes about gas mileage. We noticed that I was getting about two to three miles a gallon better mileage than he was. We talked about our driving habits (he does more long distance driving than I do, for example) and about our driving styles, as well.
I pointed out that I tend to drive right at 50 miles an hour most of the time. I set my cruise to that speed. I knew it sounded very much like Jimmy Carter, 1970s energy-crisis talk, but then I pointed out that you have twice as much drag on your car at 70 as you do at 50. That alone is bound to affect mileage.
We got curious and did some research, too. We found out that you can also improve mileage by stopping in a slower manner. Something about the way the electric engine interacts with the brakes makes this more efficient than stopping quickly. We also discovered that driving a consistent speed is better for your mileage, because you aren’t forcing the engine to do extra work to speed up and slow down.
Vehicle Search
Related Vehicles In Stock
Filed Under: Nissan Cars
About the Author: 