Buying a hybrid if I don’t drive much? // QCC #225
Hey, welcome to the Motormouth YouTube channel. I’m Zach. I’m Andrea. Just 75 more to go, hun. And then we get to 300. Hard to believe. We just keep plugging away. 225. How do you get questions in for say the third 300th? How would you get a question in? Follow along on Instagram at motormouth_andre. Every Sunday I put a post out on Instagram asking for questions. Once we gather them, the post is deleted and we start the show. Time now for questions, coffee, and cars. your questions from Instagram. Any info on the 2026 Buick Envision? This is a quick one. It’s just a carryover. Basically, they’re eliminating a couple exterior colors, adding a couple exterior colors. That’s it. Okay. I got a real problem with the Buicks and the names. I mumble them all together because they all kind of sound the same. I’m going to do them now. Okay. Okay. Encore GX. Okay. In Vista, yes, that’s the little front-wheel drive like the tracks. Yep. Uh Invision. Yes. Is the one made in China. Yeah. That is the compact SUV. The next one is Enclave. You’re getting it. And that’s the big one. Yeah. Have I missed one? No. I can’t wait for them to come out with the Buick based on the Cadillac fishtick. Um Fishtick electric platform Vist. Yeah. Yeah. That one is going to be interesting because I think that they did such a good job with the Cadillac for those that are into EVs. Seems like that the bottom’s falling out of that market. But anyway, we’re sidetracked here. Yes. So, you playing along. The other one are the Cadillac names. Yes. They’re tricky, too. Well, they’re all XT. No, no, the the the electric ones. Oh, the electric. Oh, I don’t think so. Optek Lyric Escalade IQ. Yeah. Yeah. All right. That’s good. This is a Buick question. Looking at the Buick Encore for my daughter as a new driver, she needs something more compact with less of a nose for the hood. What are your thoughts? So, I’m assuming you’re actually specifically talking about Encore versus Encore GX. So, the Encore was only produced until 2022. So, are you buying used or do you want the Encore GX? That’s what I’m not sure about. They might just be not adding the GX on the end. And I think that you’re looking at the Okay, I got to do it again, Andrea. Oh my god, this hurt. This This hurts my head. The Encore versus the What’s the little one? The front-wheel drive one. I’ve already in Vista has a slightly longer hood. Um, but you’re paying more because of the all-wheel drive system, which depends on where you live, might not be worth it, but you can also just get the the Trailblazer, which is the same car essentially. sold by Chevrolet. So, if you don’t need to spend extra on the Buick, I’m guessing now that you say it, it might be the old one. Okay. So, I I kind of went through both quickly when I did the research. So, the Encore Mhm. uh which was dropped after 2022. JD Power actually says that it’s quite reliable and gives it an overall score of 80 out of 100. And from what I can see online, people who own it are quite happy with it. Um, now the Encore GX offers good value. Um, it’s comfortable. It’s actually a nice looking vehicle. Not a lot of power, just like the Encore. Um, but that’s all your daughter needs, right? We don’t need a powerhouse vehicle. So, you’ve got the option of the 1.3 L turbo with 155 horsepower and 174 pound- feet of torque. I like the torque number. Front-wheel drive models have a CVT. All-wheel drive models and N-speed automatic transmission. In the US, there’s also a 1.2 liter T with a CVT for front-wheel drive with 137 horsepower. We don’t have that, but you can get the Chevrolet version if you want to shave some bucks off there. So, look at this. The same car essentially with some different tuning for the suspension and for the acoustics inside. But if it’s a first car, listen, when you’re starting out and mom or dad wants to buy you a car, you get what you get. You don’t get upset. I actually prefer the look of the Chevy, especially for a younger person. I just think that just get a I don’t know. I’m just gonna go right to my favorite. Just get the Tracks. The Tracks is killer deal. It’s a killer deal for that car. Really good. And it has the the good torque number two. Can you compare and contrast the Mazda CX-5 and CX-50? I’d like a vehicle that is comfortable for adults in the back seat. I currently drive a 2013 Subaru Outback, but I’m looking for something without a CVT. So, what we don’t know here, Zach, is is he talking about the new model or the current one or the Yes. So, the CX-50, if you’re looking at the 2025 CX-5 and older, the CX-50 has more rear seat leg room. And frankly, in the rear seat, I feel is more comfortable. But if you’re talking about the 2026 Yeah. CX-5, it’s a lot bigger. It’s a much bigger vehicle. I’m guessing you like the whole wagon idea and um the CX50 is going to be the closest thing to an Outback or a Legacy uh wagon which is no longer sold that you can get that and it’s a it’s a real shame because I think there is a market for a wagon and then the other one would be the Crown um Signia but that does have a CBT because it’s a hybrid ECBT. Yeah. But it’s whatever a CVT ECBT. Um it doesn’t have a conventional torque converter automatic. So um yeah, try the CX-50 out and see if you like it. I think it’s um a nice car. You’ll find from the the front row for you as a driver is not that comfortable. Like the seats are pretty firm in the CX50. So it’s really something you have to try out. And it’s different for everybody. You know, I don’t know what your shape is, what your back is like. So, it’s definitely important if you have long legs, little wee legs, long body, makes a difference. And that’s why people say, “What’s the most comfortable?” It’s so specific. So, specific. But I have to say the new CX-5. More comfort in the rear seat as well as more comfort in the front row. That’s the one I would get. Even though uh there’s only a non-turbo engine and the hybrid’s not coming until 2027, I just like I I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t driven it, so I don’t know. Okay. Trying to decide on a luxury compact SUV with main considerations being fuel economy and reliability. Clear winner would probably be the Lexus RX. Oh, RX. RX. But the look just doesn’t quite excite me. What would you consider? And have you heard much about hybrid Genesis GV70? Is it worth waiting for? Well, I’m just going to jump in quickly before you get on a Genesis. What about the Crown Signia? M the Crown Signia is just below Lexus in terms of um you know it’s not a luxury brand but it’s a it’s a premium brand and that might be the ticket if you don’t like the look of the the LX the RX or the NX. The issue um in that category if you are looking for something that’s premium luxury and you want the badge there really aren’t a lot of hybrid options. you can go with the Lincoln Nautilus, which is cool. Um, which is nice. The screens are a bit much for me. So, it really depends on the person if they like that sort of technology, but the Germans are doing plug-in hybrids or they’re offering like a mild hybrid system, but not the traditional hybrid system. As for Genesis and the GV70, I have asked Genesis about this. They won’t confirm either way, but you know, I think read the room. People are demanding hybrids. So, I would think it’s probably going to get the same hybrid powertrain that’s in the Palis now that we’ve driven it for a week is not delivering um the fuel economy we had hoped. No. So, um yeah, I think you’re kind of in the Toyota Lexus world and one you maybe hadn’t thought of is the Crown. Mhm. And also, if the GV7D does use that hybrid powertrain, the Palisade is a much bigger vehicle, so it should deliver better fuel economy, but it’s not the best fuel economy, which I’m surprised by. For someone who drives 6,000 kilometers a year, would an EV or hybrid be worth the extra cost compared to an ICE? I live in Saskatchewan, where temps can be below 20° for weeks at a time. The one thing is in the winter time hybrids are not as efficient as they are when it’s sort of moderate temperatures. Hybrids really do well in the spring and the fall and then the summertime, but winter you’re you’re starting the gas engine more often because you’ve got to create cabin heat on the inside. So the gas engine is running a lot more. The efficiency isn’t as good. And so if you’re doing that little driving, you’re probably better off to just get a very efficient regular gasoline car. The good news is for Toyotas is that the gulf between what the car is for gas and to get into a hybrid isn’t that much, but it’s not going to be maybe enough for you to jump. And then the other thing is the fuel economy in the winter isn’t there. So, I would look for like we’ll just use a Toyota for example, you could just get a regular Corolla, which is not expensive, and um away you go. The the issue is that you don’t drive much. And people who own a hybrid, who don’t drive much, are reporting problems with the 12volt battery that it goes dead on them. So, if you do decide on a hybrid, you need to trickle charge that if you’re not driving it daily. Um, it it is a problem. Hyundai and Kia have a reset button for their 12volt battery, which is helpful. Um, but there are reports that their 12volt battery also goes dead if it’s not being driven enough. Just one quick thing is I’m not sure what kind of car you’re looking at, but go for a brand that has strong resale even for their gas versions like a like a Civic. A Honda Civic is like one of the highest resale value of a mainline car. Corollas as well, cars like that. And if you’re looking at SUVs, go for a regular gas RAV 4 or a regular CRV. Something like the CRV has had issues in cold weather as well. Yeah, with the 1.5T. Yeah. Where the engine doesn’t get up to temperature. They have worked on it with the thermostat and what have you, but there you go. I’m decided between I’m deciding between the Lexus TX 500H, Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum Max, if I can find one, and the Acura MDX. I have two kids and car seats, but want something stylish, reliable, and fun to drive. Which would you pick? Now, just so you know, the Lexus TX and the Grand Highlander are actually bigger than the MDX. I remember when the MDX came out and I was like, “Whoa, Zach, this thing is huge.” Well, these have actually gotten bigger. From what I hear from viewers who cannot get the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max, they turn to the TX because they can get one. And even Lexus dealerships are surprised at how well the TX is selling because they can’t get a Toyota. Yeah. So, someone goes in and go, “Yeah, that Grand Highlander Hybrid Max. Yeah, we don’t have one.” But we got one of these. So, if you’re okay with that, get one of those. Yes. Acura Integra Type S or Toyota GR86. One, two, three, go. Three, two, one. Integra. That’s totally different cars. Totally different. So, the Type S or the Toyota GR86. So, one is um, you know, a lot less expensive, the Toyota, and way down on power. That Integra is pretty sweet. Fabulous. It is fabulous. Um, the Type S is great. The manual is fantastic. I love everything about the Integra Type S. I don’t I’m not sure I love the trumpets sticking out the back. It’s a little like if I was 20 years younger, I’d be like, “Oh, yeah, that’s good.” But the thing is, at my advanced age, Andrea, I don’t know if I can pull that off. The only good thing about it is when you’re driving it, you don’t see the trumpets out the back. You don’t. I would I would try. I’d pull it off. I don’t mind. I I really like that. You could pull it off, Drea. You could pull it off. I really like it. You’d have all the young guys going, “Hey, nice car.” I got to say, when I drive the GTI and there’s younger um young males around, like in their 20s, man, I get a lot of street cred. They say, “Can I see your car? That’s the coolest.” And then they look inside and it’s a manual. And they are just like blown away that a woman’s driving that. you’re coming around to realize just how much street cred the GTI has still after all these years. It is still the gold standard for having a fun little car to bomb around town in. And also with the MX5 um I find that it skews a little its older and um when they browse inside they go like I can just see their face and I’m like oh yeah they’re thinking a woman driving a manual and then they say wow props to you props to you. It’s why is why is driving a manual today such a foreign thing for and especially for older people who are you know they they grew up with that but they’ve they’ve abandoned it obviously and their mom and dad when they were learning to drive had a manual choice because that might have been the era of the big American lanyard that’s were all automatics. Yeah, that’s true. When placing a factory order for a brand new vehicle, how do you get away with dealership adding their protection packages or unnecessary options into the final price? Any tips or experience that you can share? Well, when you go into a dealer and you say, “Hey, I’m thinking of doing a factory order. I want this car, this color, this interior, these wheels, uh maybe this engine.” um you say to them then I’m going to buy this car and when no ext no extras because um you know the whole thing about going into the business office the business office is another salesperson and they’re going to try and add protection packages and wheel packages and scotch guarding for the seats and all that. You don’t need to take any of that. You just say no thank you. The issue is, I’m going to use Toyota RAV 4 as an example. Say you do order one and then you go, I my orders arrived. It’s here. So, you go into the dealership and the dealership says, well, we’ve added this, this, this, and this. And then you say, yeah, but I don’t I don’t want any of that stuff. And they say, well, we’re going to sell it to someone else. We’re going to sell it like this. And if you don’t want it, that’s okay. you can go back on the list again. Uh but um we’ll sell it to somebody else. And unfortunately, the problem is is that if all buyers said, “I’m not taking that um then they wouldn’t be able to do it.” But someone will. Someone will. The issue you have is when you do a factory order, there was a new story about this with a Chev uh with a um F-150 Lightning that someone had ordered when when the F-150 Lightning was super hot when it first came. Mhm. And they said the uh the truck is $80,000 and then when it came it was $100,000 and they said, “But we’ve got we we ordered it and it was $80,000, but what they showed was the uh piece of paper saying that you’ve ordered one. It is not a bill of sale until it actually is a bill of sale. It’s um still all up in the air. So, they are not if you order a special order car, first of all, you’re going to probably have to give a a nonrefundable deposit. But they will not write the car up for the final sale until you actually take possession of the car. So, that’s where they can add in all this extra stuff. What I’m what I suggest to you is have a frank discussion with the person. and they’re ordering the car and maybe they’ll write it down, maybe they won’t just say, “I want to buy the car. I want to pay the taxes.” And um that’s it. Whether they go for that, I don’t know. It’s going to come down to dealership, popularity of the vehicle. Um, you know, and how if they’re willing to work with you, like probably if it’s an EV, they’re going to say no problem. So, what I would do is when you’re shopping for a car, you also want to shop the dealerships. The analogy I always have is if you were in a mall and you walked into a store, a shoe store, and you put on a pair of shoes and they were too tight, you wouldn’t buy them. You would say, “Thank you very much.” Walk out and go down the mall to the next shoe shop. Uh, but people don’t seem to do that with cars. Look at car dealers as shoe stores. If it doesn’t fit and doesn’t feel right, walk out and go down the road. It’s different if you’re buying an Aston Martin and there’s only one dealer. Well, I’m talking about mainline cars. So, go to the dealer, tell them what you want to do, and if they’re willing to play ball with you. If not, shop the shop the street. Go down to another dealer and see if they’ll do it. In regards to the shoes, I’ve actually had sales people say, I I’ve said, “These are uncomfortable.” Oh, you need to break them in. They’ll stretch. I go, listen, I’ve been buying shoes a long time. They’re either comfortable when I put them on or they’re not. I am no longer going to be breaking anything in. So, how how we’ve all done this, right? We’ve all bought had a great purchase and then you get it home and you try it on or it’s it’s too long to return it. Have you worn it once and then you’re like, I don’t like this. So, I always say to Andrea, when you when you think of things now, it’s very different with a car, but with clothes, it’s like you just have to average it out over a long period of time. Like, you will have some hard fails. I hate that. You Yeah, I know. I hate it, too. But you might buy a pair of uh shoes that you thought were great and then you wear them and they’re they’re just a fail. So you just got to eat that. I know I’m I’m very careful now. But but that’s the wisdom of your advanced age at 37 that you can actually you know that now at 37 years old. And it’s interesting cuz with our boys like uh Charlie bought a belt online and it came from from a brand that he loves, but the sizing was off and literally the belt was too small. Like it’s too small. He puts it on. What do you think? The belt is too small. Well, I can put it on the last hook. I said, “Yeah, but then the end bed isn’t sticking out.” And and he’s like, “Yeah, but maybe if I pulled up my jeans, it could work.” I said, “Take it back.” How much was the belt? A hundred bucks for a belt. Oh my gosh. Take the belt back or ship it back. Whatever charging these kids rent. I know. And $100 belt. And but it’s kind of just like, ah, the hassle of shipping it back. I was like, “Are you kidding me? Ship it back.” And he did ship it back. That was the box, remember, where you forgot to close it. Anyway, yeah. So, yeah, it I like it. We’ve all done it. You have shoes in the house you bought and you thought, “These are great.” And then you and then they’re a fail. I know. Or a jacket or a sweater or something. Anyway, that’s it. We’re all We’re all out of time, Andrea. Are we out of town? How do you get a question in? Follow along on Instagram, motormouth_andrea. Every Sunday I put a post out asking for questions. Once we gather them, the post is deleted and we start the show. Thanks for watching. Thank you.
This is a Motormouth couple car video answering your questions from Instagram, like:
0:00 Intro
0:29 2026 Buick Envision changes?
1:53 Buick Encore for new driver?
4:27 Thoughts on CX-50?
6:31 Hybrid luxury SUV?
8:27 Buying a hybrid if I don’t drive much?
10:34 Lexus TX, Toyota Grand Highlander or MDX?
11:28 Acura Integra or GR86?
13:43 Am I forced to buy packages?
