Comments on: Lexus Hybrid Wagon on its Way?

By: bhgdrn

bhgdrn — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:25:35 +0000

I share your frustration! Have a 2000 Sienna. It's Time! Where is the HYBRID MINI_VAN!

It's in Japan. Sounds like an opportunity for the AMERICAN CAR COMPANIES. Hello, are you listening?

Frustrated in Florida

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:26:05 +0000

I just hope that toyota makes an suv crossover of the toyota prius. that would be a dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: sean

sean — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:14:53 +0000

Re SW's post, not sure if you can do it in the US but in Australia, they call it "grey import", unofficially done.

By: SW

SW — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:48:33 +0000

It is possible to import cars from japan – used cars there are cheap. People import Japanese cars all the time in the Caribbean.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:34:28 +0000

Toyota has been selling synergy drive vans in Japan and Thailand for more than 5 years. Just Google Estima Hybrid minivan. They are smaller than vans sold in the U.S. but get excellent mileage.

By: Paul Rivers

Paul Rivers — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:17:00 +0000

"A Lexus Hybrid station wagon would be a nice choice"

It's only a nice choice if you have tens of thousands of dollars to waste. Well, for most of us it's a waste. I don't have a problem saying that if I made $400k a year it might not be, but most of us don't make that kind of money.

Here's the situation -

Say you currently own a minivan or SUV and are looking to get a much greener car. But you need space for family trips and car-pooling the kids to soccer games.

There are the Hybrid-SUVs but those aren't as green as say the Prius, and there aren't any that are as reliable. The Toyota Camry Hybrid is a mid-size car but it has less luggage room than the Prius does.

Unfortunately, you just don't have any good options. You can't get a small car like the Prius because of its size. You could get a Ford Escape, but it isn't nearly as reliable as a Prius not to mention other issues with the vehicle. There are hybrids that would work, but they're obscenely expensive - like the Lexus hybrid station wagon, or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

In the end, unfortunately, you buy a non-hybrid because there are no reliable hybrid crossovers or SUV's. You'd like to buy a hybrid, but unfortunately it's just not a reasonable option right now.

By: Jay Barnes

Jay Barnes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:38:30 +0000

Say you currently own a minivan or SUV and are looking to get a much greener car. But you need space for family trips and car-pooling the kids to soccer games.

There are the Hybrid-SUVs but those aren't as green as say the Prius. The Toyota Camry Hybrid is a mid-size car but it has less luggage room than the Prius does.

A Lexus Hybrid station wagon would be a nice choice provided they don't use the electric motor for more power rather than more efficiency (as they did with the GS hybrid).

By: Paul Rivers

Paul Rivers — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:35:26 +0000

This is so frustrating.