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Hybrid Driving "Champion"ship Set for April 2
Hybrid drivers will see who can get the best mileage from their hybrid vehicles during the Hybrid Driving "Champion"ship at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 2 at Honda Motorwerks, downtown La Crosse. All hybrid drivers are invited to attend and compete.
Drivers of Honda Insights, Honda Civics, Honda Accords, Toyota Priuses and other hybrid vehicles will measure their vehicles and driving skills against others over a 7.2 mile city and highway course.
The first clinic and driving championship was held in October of 2005. This will be the fifth Hybrid Driving “Champion”ship, and the numbers of participants has grown with drivers from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa taking part.
"Every day people are hearing more about hybrids and more people are driving them. If you want to know how a hybrid will work for you, we invite you to join us for our championship. We have enough hybrids in inventory so that even non-hybrid owners can take one over our test course," Schneider said.
Impressive numbers for mileage have been put together during the clinic, with Ted Schontz of La Crescent still holding the record with 85 miles per gallon with his Honda Insight set during the first championship. Insight mileage is normally rated in the 61-66 mpg range. Civics get about 50 mpg. Priuses are getting 45-50 mpg, and Accord hybrids are rated up 37 mpg.
"The mileage you get from a vehicle has everything to do with how you drive it. We´ll give you some tips at how to exceed the EPA mileage standards," Schneider said
The "Champion"ship was inspired by Consumer Reports´ David Champion, the director of the auto testing division for the magazine. In 2005, Champion published reports that some hybrids weren´t getting as good of mileage as the EPA published. Champion has been invited La Crosse in the past to see if he could drive hybrids badly enough to get the mileage he reported. Champion has yet to attend.
Honda Motorwerks has sold more pre-owned hybrids than any other dealership in the country and currently has more than 30 hybrid vehicles available. If you would like to learn more about hybrids or other alternative fuel vehicles, join us for the Hybrid Driving "Champion"ship April 2. You can also give Chris a call or come to our Environmentology 101 seminars held every Saturday at Honda Motorwerks, downtown La Crosse.
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