The problem with a hybrid-powered vehicle is the same as it is for any new, expensive and complicated technology from any company. In the first place, no one at any of the car companies has figured out exactly how a hybrid's going to work and behave over the long term, so the owner could have considerable performance or reliability problems in the near- and long-term future.
If hybrid buyers do have problems that require auto company help, they should expect to have trouble getting it.
It takes time and money to equip a dealership with the parts and service personnel needed to service a technology as new and complicated as this, and history has shown repeatedly (with electric vehicles, turbochargers, rotary engines, navigation systems, CVT screens, and sophisticated control systems, among others) that this can mean lots of aggravation for early buyers.
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| As well as being extremely complicated, hybrid power is also extremely expensive to repair. (Photo: Ford Motors) |
So there'll likely be delays at the dealership if you have a hybrid problem and maybe even a flat-out inability to fix some things.
Finding service will always be a problem throughout the life of a hybrid, and then paying for it might very well become a nightmare after the warranty runs out.
As well as being extremely complicated, hybrid power is also extremely expensive. The service charges will almost certainly surpass any savings you may have experienced for fuel, and then some.
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| The only way for a smart consumer to take on a hybrid from any manufacturer is to lease it. (Photo: Honda) |
Five years down the car's life cycle, the worst part of owning a hybrid will arrive when the poor consumer tries to unload it.
Few people will want them, either because hybrid-power's 15 minutes of fame will be up and we've moved on to fuel cells, or because future hybrids will be so much better than they are now that no one will want one any more than a laptop buyer wants some used version of a Tandy laptop.