Toyota Prius

[Ben Carufel]

So much stupidity on this forum about the Prius.

People like to resist change -- it makes them feel better about themselves.

FWIW, I'm skipping the Prius and going straight to an Aptera when it comes out.

[Chap0223]

Right, with you on the tank thing, so you gotta fill up at the same time of day and you should have the same size tank?

I still just see the prius as an over-hyped, over-complicated solution to a problem that is solved better by a small euro diesel. The fact the US market isn't ready for them yet just seems bizarre also.

The other problem i have with them is that there are many incentives for people to buy hybrids but very few of these incentives apply to diesels, which many achieve better economy and lower emissions. Christ, a 520d achieved better economy on the open road.

I still have trouble believing that the garbage from those batteries isn't going to cause any grief (either chemical waste or more energy consumption) either when its recycled, replaced or the car disposed of, but if Toyota's marketing says so...

Diesel is $4.60 a gallon. That's an extra at least 5 dollars a tank. Incentives, at least in MN have expired for most hybrids out there. Also, the diesels that do achieve low emissions have expensive exhaust systems with extra filtering. That's why the TDI hybrid got canned. It was going to be too expensive to make.

Edit: I have never had a tank lower than 50 mpg in the prius. I just read that article (about the 520d) and you would have to try pretty hard to get the dismal average they got (40 mpg). Also, a sample size of one car means nothing. Also you wouldn't offset the price difference of the 520d (~$42,000) and the prius (~22,000) over 200,000 miles on the prius (assuming 50 mpg). (200,000 mi/ 50 mpg)= 4,000 gallons x $4 dollars/gallons= $16,000.

[Borat]

Right, with you on the tank thing, so you gotta fill up at the same time of day and you should have the same size tank?

I still just see the prius as an over-hyped, over-complicated solution to a problem that is solved better by a small euro diesel. The fact the US market isn't ready for them yet just seems bizarre also.

The other problem i have with them is that there are many incentives for people to buy hybrids but very few of these incentives apply to diesels, which many achieve better economy and lower emissions. Christ, a 520d achieved better economy on the open road.

I still have trouble believing that the garbage from those batteries isn't going to cause any grief (either chemical waste or more energy consumption) either when its recycled, replaced or the car disposed of, but if Toyota's marketing says so...

[E30_fiend]

What are you talking about?

go see a service adviser at Toyota ask him about the warranty info on the batteries. I have had this happen to a personal friend of mine. Check it out, you'll surely be surprised.

[Chap0223]

what happens when it comes time replace those batteries? I'm sure they aren't cheap. And talk about good for the environment, what kind of energy has to be used in order to make and produce those batteries and not to mention what do you do with them when they're toast? They aren't biodegradable, they have to be properly disposed of which also uses, more energy.

And another thing, if you want to go on a trip out of town for a week or two, you might as well hire a car sitter for your vehicle because the batteries have to be charged a minimum of 1/2 hour every two weeks. What happens if you don't? Not only with the batteries slowly deteriorate, you get the great pleasure of voiding the warranty. That's right you have to charge it 1/2 hour every two weeks or your warranty is voided and you have to pay out of pocket for new batteries which once again, are not cheap.

If anyone was wondering, I chose option two in the poll.


E30_Fiend

What are you talking about?

[E30_fiend]

what happens when it comes time replace those batteries? I'm sure they aren't cheap. And talk about good for the environment, what kind of energy has to be used in order to make and produce those batteries and not to mention what do you do with them when they're toast? They aren't biodegradable, they have to be properly disposed of which also uses, more energy.

And another thing, if you want to go on a trip out of town for a week or two, you might as well hire a car sitter for your vehicle because the batteries have to be charged a minimum of 1/2 hour every two weeks. What happens if you don't? Not only with the batteries slowly deteriorate, you get the great pleasure of voiding the warranty. That's right you have to charge it 1/2 hour every two weeks or your warranty is voided and you have to pay out of pocket for new batteries which once again, are not cheap.

If anyone was wondering, I chose option two in the poll.


E30_Fiend

[e30e]

Alll I have to say about about is this:

[Jon325i]

Why people hate the prius so much is beyond me.

Some people hate cars based on the looks alone - we can be a vein bunch at times. Its much like why some E30 owners hate E36 cars to the core while other E30 owners can see themselves buying one after the luster of E30 ownership has worn off.

It's not a one size fits all world....and thank god for that or this place would be on par with excitement as a morgue.

Jon

[Chap0223]

how does the expandable tank change how much fuel you put in and how far it gets you?

small euro diesels > ugly smugmobile requiring much more resources to build and then somewhere to put all the waste from the batteries when they wear out

If it is cold out, the tank won't expand as much, therefore you can't put as much gas in the tank when it's cold out. Toyota has a 200 dollar bounty on all worn out batteries to encourage recycling. Toyota has said that the 2nd generation prius battery (2004-present) should last as long as the car. It's covered on a 150,000 mile warranty in CA.

[CorvallisBMW]

The instrument cluster is right in front of the driver. The navigation system and MFD are in the middle. And the base price for a prius is $21,500.

which is almost exactly specs and price of the compact cars that many other are lauding over :) I DARE you to find a VW TDI on the lot for that price.

Why people hate the prius so much is beyond me. An inexpensive, reliable car that gets over 50mpg and has a cavernous interior......yup, that sure does suck balls!

small euro diesels > ugly smugmobile requiring much more resources to build and then somewhere to put all the waste from the batteries when they wear out

Except that the batteries are recyclable and get reclaimed in to new batteries when they wear out :loco:
And last I checked, small euro diesels aren't available here.

[Borat]

Two different ways:

conventionally with miles driven/ gallons filled up, and the computer.

It's actually more accurate to use the computer and follow that trend over time because the prius has an expandable "bladder" gas tank.

how does the expandable tank change how much fuel you put in and how far it gets you?

small euro diesels > ugly smugmobile requiring much more resources to build and then somewhere to put all the waste from the batteries when they wear out

[Miasma]

Diesels don't have gas mileage, they have fuel economy :-P

Jon

Bah! Fixed!

[Chap0223]

They really aren't that terribly ugly I suppose but I still can't get over the instrument cluster in the center of the dash. Imagine your driving a Z8? lol. Also, doesn't it take a lot of energy (petroleum) to manufacture all those batteries? Unless the price of those things really plummet I can't justify buying one.

The instrument cluster is right in front of the driver. The navigation system and MFD are in the middle. And the base price for a prius is $21,500.

[Jon325i]

Gets great gas mileage

Diesels don't have gas mileage, they have fuel economy :-P

Jon

[Miasma]

VWs are shit. They have a plant in Mexico...

Sweet, I don't like most. Do you want a cookie? The TDI they got is the shit. Gets great fuel economy and isn't ugly as fuck, In fact I would say it look's damn good on the BBS it's sitting on(Lighter than stock to boot!). Also hasn't broken a hundred time's. But it's cool if you like to smell your fart's and drive around in your hybrid.