For long-term reliability, I know that Sir Scotty dislikes anything besides good ol' naturally aspirated engines, but nowadays, manufacturers are trying to bump their fuel economy numbers up.
So the question is, which are bigger money pits after 100k-150k miles, in general -- hybrid engines or turbo engines?
If we want to make a specific comparison, let's compare a late-model Lexus RX V6 hybrid, and a 2017 Subaru Forester XT Touring 2.0 liter turbo.
The Subaru will be the bigger money pit. Especially with the CVT tranny. A Lexus hybrid at 100k still has decent amount of life left in it. Once you get between 150-200k things start going downhill on the batteries.
If we are talking about the same manufacturer, to be fair, then I would say the hybrid will cost more over time than the turbo . Personally, for longevity (since I keep my cars a long time), if I had to choose between a turbo vs. hybrid I would take a turbo any day over a hybrid. Plus, relatively speaking, more mechanics can work on turbo engines than on hybrids.
In that example you gave, 100,000-150,000 miles is not much but I still give the edge to the Lexus hybrid over the Subaru turbo. But, I would just get the Lexus RX350 with the NA V6 if we are talking about the Lexus RX in the first place.
Depends on your climate.
I've seen Toyota hybrid systems fail as early as 60k miles - batteries don't like heat. (Where I live the average temperature in summer is like 100 degrees F)
* personally I'd get the subaru. they're not THAT bad if the LineTronic is in good shape and the service history is good.
Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it.
My climate is near Lake Erie. It gets really hot in the summer, sometimes, and really cold in the winter, sometimes, but on most days its just cool and cloudy.
During the winter, the snow is reasonable, but sometimes it gets bad enough that the AWD on my current RX hybrid is rather underwhelming.
So, I will probably a few points for the Subaru AWD, when making this decision.
The RX hybrid I have now hasn't had very many mechanical problems up to 180,000 miles, though. Mostly what has needed replacement are things that corrode like the exhaust, parts of the suspension, body parts, etc.
I will say that the steering on the RX hybrid is not very crisp or precise.
Both are potential money pits. Hybrids are good as new vehicles up to 100,000 miles. After that its all downhill.
Turbo engines are always hard working for the power they produce so wear and tear will be greater than NA engines. May also get 100,000 miles before needing attention.
Current electric cars are the same. You will be lucky to get 100,000 trouble free miles and then new batteries soon after.
Buy what you like. Keep it for 100,000 miles and let someone else take it from there for a reasonable price.
NA engines is the way for now until a more environmentally friendly power source is developed.
