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I drove the lexus 400h for a bit over a year. It was an awesome ride...I compared the hybrid vs it's 350 gas only counterpart. The hybrid kicked its ass in everything. It was very fast off the line and for passing due to the electric engine. The reason is that since it doesn't need to rev up, it can provide instant torque so you can accelerate faster. I got probably like 26-30MPG, and I drive like a maniac so I was happy.
With that car, when you are driving under 40MPH it runs off the battery, once you go faster it'll switch to gas. When you coast, it uses the battery. When you brake, it turns converts the heat into battery power. It's fun rolling down a back road or residential street with the windows down, and not being able to hear the motor.
For me, I bought the hybrid just due to the power and responsiveness it had over the non-hybrid. The price difference wasn't really made up in gas savings. Although I'm sure that's different for other hybrids.
If you want a hybrid to save gas, than compare the gas savings vs cost of car difference. And also remember that hybrids are better for saving gas when you do a lot of slow driving, stopping, starting, etc (city driving).
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