# Hybrids in The UAE



## Swerveut (Jun 24, 2012)

Does nobody drive hybrid cars in the UAE? 
A search on dubizzle returned nothing. And neither do they seem to be official offerings by Honda or Toyota.... Is it just the cheap gas or are folks living in the UAE just not environmentally conscious?

Whats the best high mileage car one can get in the UAE ?


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Just not environmentally conscious, or not bothered because petrol and utilities are cheap. 
I was doing some research about living in Abu Dhabi, and a lot of people were recommending keeping the AC switched on while they travel for 4 weeks.

Best mileage would be with the car with the smallest engine you can buy. Noone even advertises mileage by the way. Whether it is safe to do buy the samllest car because of the maniacs on the road is a different discussion


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## Swerveut (Jun 24, 2012)

Well small engines are not necessarily mileage efficient e.g., dihatsu Mira is just a 660 cc car, but mileage wise, it is comparable to Honda City. 

But yeah that AC thing for 4 weeks kinda drives home the point about lack of environment consciousness. Tsk tsk. How come IRENA ended up headquartering in Abu Dhabi?!


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## ziokendo (Jan 7, 2012)

Batteries suffer so much in hot climate, I heard that the average life of a battery here is less than 2 years while in Europe my 7 years old car had still the original one when I sold it.

On this basis I believe an hybrid wouldn't be very suitable for the Middle East, except to make a statement.

But we are not in California and so few people want to do this: when you can fill your tank with 100Dhs, why spend 5/10,000$ more on the same car to get a 15% mileage/co2 improvement ?



Swerveut said:


> Does nobody drive hybrid cars in the UAE?
> A search on dubizzle returned nothing. And neither do they seem to be official offerings by Honda or Toyota.... Is it just the cheap gas or are folks living in the UAE just not environmentally conscious?
> 
> Whats the best high mileage car one can get in the UAE ?


A manual gearbox yaris ...


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## Bulls_96 (Apr 21, 2010)

I saw a Chevy Volt the other day.
It was plugged in near the trade center.


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

Swerveut said:


> Well small engines are not necessarily mileage efficient e.g., dihatsu Mira is just a 660 cc car, but mileage wise, it is comparable to Honda City.
> 
> But yeah that AC thing for 4 weeks kinda drives home the point about lack of environment consciousness. Tsk tsk. How come IRENA ended up headquartering in Abu Dhabi?!


One of the best mileage cars I ever owned was my Z06 Corvette, 5.7L 400hp engine. 30mpg highway and it would cruise 70mph at 1700rpm, averaged about 24mpg.

I just got a Chevy Traverse and it is getting less than 20mpg with a 3.6L engine, I was a bit surprised it wasn't higher.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

XDoodlebugger said:


> One of the best mileage cars I ever owned was my Z06 Corvette, 5.7L 400hp engine. 30mpg highway and it would cruise 70mph at 1700rpm, averaged about 24mpg.
> 
> I just got a Chevy Traverse and it is getting less than 20mpg with a 3.6L engine, I was a bit surprised it wasn't higher.


That is amazing - are they manual cars? My Honda Accord gives me 10 km per litre approx, and that is about 23.5 mpg, for a 2.4l engine


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## Garth Vader (May 11, 2012)

My DEWA bill is bad enough as it is without plugging a car in


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## is200mine (Jul 23, 2012)

I think Lexus hybrid (forget the model name) is the only hybrid car that can be bought in the UAE. I have never seen one on the roads, even though it has been on sale for over a year now.


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## KC1 (Sep 30, 2010)

We asked the salesman about it when we saw the Lexus hybrid. He said it switches to gas when you go over 80 km/hr, which is most of the time in Dubai, so it's not all that practical here. That was his thought on it anyway.


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## Swerveut (Jun 24, 2012)

Hybrids are not that much more expensive nowadays, especially if you consider models like the Toyota Prius / Honda Insight / Civic etc. Sure gas is cheap, but then if you don't believe in polluting the planet, then its the option you think seriously about... 

I am also really waiting for the Mazda Skyactive technology. Gives high performance and high mileage without being a hybrid. They have a new SUV, the CX-5 offering this technology, however it seems to not be available in the UAE yet either

As far as the Yaris goes - I guess it would be good if you fancy yourself in a car sandwich on Dubai roads... maybe too small for the UAE?


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

rsinner said:


> That is amazing - are they manual cars? My Honda Accord gives me 10 km per litre approx, and that is about 23.5 mpg, for a 2.4l engine


Six speed manual, 5th and 6th are overdrive.


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## cjd (Feb 8, 2011)

> But yeah that AC thing for 4 weeks kinda drives home the point about lack of environment consciousness. Tsk tsk.


The reason AC is left on, is if you don't, you'll come home to a wardrobe full of mouldy mildew covered clothes, replacing that lot won't be good for the environment either. And replacing the wife's mouldy leather handbags and shoes, nightmare!!


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

cjd said:


> The reason AC is left on, is if you don't, you'll come home to a wardrobe full of mouldy mildew covered clothes, replacing that lot won't be good for the environment either. And replacing the wife's mouldy leather handbags and shoes, nightmare!!


I guess u'r referring to the fact that its is extremely humid here leading to mold/mildew. Well rather than leaving you A/c on for the time that you are out, there are other alternatives. A dehumidifier left on would do the trick, it would end up being far more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.


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## cjd (Feb 8, 2011)

saraswat said:


> I guess u'r referring to the fact that its is extremely humid here leading to mold/mildew. Well rather than leaving you A/c on for the time that you are out, there are other alternatives. A dehumidifier left on would do the trick, it would end up being far more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.


And who will empty the tank after it's filled up on Day 2 of your 4 week holiday??:confused2:


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## gru35 (Aug 16, 2012)

Cars like the Prius are no better to the environment that a corvette. After all the energy and materials the impact to the environment is about the same. Those cars just make you feel better about yourself. Ask yourself what happens to those batteries when they go bad? Electric might be the only way to go but like another thread said those batteries will not last in that environment.If environment is a concern sorry to say a horse or a donkey is about and environmentally safe as anybody is going to get.


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

Driving A Prius wouldnT make me feel good about myself!! lol


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