Prius, Would you?
Discussion
Fattyfat said:
Ok, we get it. You don't like it.
Can you do something useful and actually suggest what you'd buy if you were in my position?
I'd get a petrol Jazz, Swift or Yaris. All well made, good on fuel, won't throw any diesel hissy fits and fairly cheap to run. Can you do something useful and actually suggest what you'd buy if you were in my position?
If they aren't big enough, try a Civic or an Auris.
McWigglebum4th said:
Deerfoot said:
98elise said:
There are loads of parts on ICE cars that can and will fail in 8 years and will cost you much more than repairing a battery pack.
Presumably the Prius is also susceptible to these failures as it also employs a regular internal combustion engine. So, these potential costs are in addition to the possible battery costs....No turbo, no DMF, no high pressure fuel pump, no DPF. i don't even think it has any variable valve timing
No belts (ancillaries are powered off the traction battery rather than being engine driven)
No starter motor (traction motor fires the engine)
No alternator (traction battery is charged via traction motor acting as generator)
The powertrain is pretty cool.
At risk of bringing the thread back on topic... I rented a Prius in LA a couple of years ago to see what it was like. I'd just put my Cayman on a ferry to England so the contrast was pretty extreme!
I found it was great as a hassle-free way of driving in heavy LA traffic. The various power displays and modes were pretty interesting to play with. No way to tell what the handling was like, but the steering and brakes were light and entirely devoid of feel. However, it had a pretty decent 0-40 launch in "Power" mode, which was handy when we had some of those classic LA moments of realizing we needed to get across 6 lanes of traffic to make a turn.
All-in-all, it's pretty good for its intended purpose as an urban runaround, although probably less engaging than my mother's automatic Jazz.
I found it was great as a hassle-free way of driving in heavy LA traffic. The various power displays and modes were pretty interesting to play with. No way to tell what the handling was like, but the steering and brakes were light and entirely devoid of feel. However, it had a pretty decent 0-40 launch in "Power" mode, which was handy when we had some of those classic LA moments of realizing we needed to get across 6 lanes of traffic to make a turn.
All-in-all, it's pretty good for its intended purpose as an urban runaround, although probably less engaging than my mother's automatic Jazz.
jamieduff1981 said:
I wouldn't want to own a modern diesel at high milage either. I'd rather risk my luck with batteries than a modern common rail turbocharged diesel with dual mass flywheel and a plethora of emissions controls. They are also horribly dirty things pollution wise, which actually does matter in cities if you have a shred of social responsibility.
First prize winner in the most pointless and off topic comment contest (and incorrect)JimmyTheHand said:
or over discharging - I suspect you'd want to avoid any hybrid that had sat idle for too long
Li-XX is the one that gets killed by over-discharging. I've got a bunch of 10-cell NiMH packs that work fine after having sat on the shelf for five years, following three or four years of irregular use. Three times round on the cycler and they were back to where they were when I put them away.Jimboka said:
jamieduff1981 said:
I wouldn't want to own a modern diesel at high milage either. I'd rather risk my luck with batteries than a modern common rail turbocharged diesel with dual mass flywheel and a plethora of emissions controls. They are also horribly dirty things pollution wise, which actually does matter in cities if you have a shred of social responsibility.
First prize winner in the most pointless and off topic comment contest (and incorrect)My dad has a Mk2, and I've driven a hired Mk3. They're perfectly competent transport, and while by no means performance cars they're not dangerously slow (unless you press the ECO button)- they'll keep up with traffic and cruise at an indicated 90+. I agree with everyone who's said that they're very easy to drive.
One annoyance I found with the Mk3, which I think is the same on the Mk2, is that the shift lever is completely electronic. Not only is there no mechanical feedback, but when you take your hand off it it returns to the central position. This means that the only way to tell if you've engaged reverse is to look at the instrument panel- you don't feel the lever "click" into place, and you can't even look down to see where it is.
A couple of other minor niggles due to the priority Toyota placed on aerodynamics:
Rearward visibility isn't great, I'd recommend trying to find one with parking sensors (I think a fairly common option).
How tall are your children? Headroom in the back seat is slightly limited- I'm about 6ft, and if I lean back in the back seat my head is in contact with the roof.
One annoyance I found with the Mk3, which I think is the same on the Mk2, is that the shift lever is completely electronic. Not only is there no mechanical feedback, but when you take your hand off it it returns to the central position. This means that the only way to tell if you've engaged reverse is to look at the instrument panel- you don't feel the lever "click" into place, and you can't even look down to see where it is.
A couple of other minor niggles due to the priority Toyota placed on aerodynamics:
Rearward visibility isn't great, I'd recommend trying to find one with parking sensors (I think a fairly common option).
How tall are your children? Headroom in the back seat is slightly limited- I'm about 6ft, and if I lean back in the back seat my head is in contact with the roof.
We looked at one. But I was not impressed with the mpg figures it gave and how it drove.
For the daily short trips to and from the shops. Occasional 3.5 hour drive up to Manchester, ended up going with a derv focus sport. I easily hit 50mpg round town, on long motorway journeys if you keep it between 60-70 it's hitting 60+ mpg. I tend to go a wee bit faster and still get 50 on a long drive.
Had one problem with it in the 3 years we've had it and that was an electrical fault from something not plugged in properly.
For the daily short trips to and from the shops. Occasional 3.5 hour drive up to Manchester, ended up going with a derv focus sport. I easily hit 50mpg round town, on long motorway journeys if you keep it between 60-70 it's hitting 60+ mpg. I tend to go a wee bit faster and still get 50 on a long drive.
Had one problem with it in the 3 years we've had it and that was an electrical fault from something not plugged in properly.
jamieduff1981 said:
I wouldn't want to own a modern diesel at high milage either. I'd rather risk my luck with batteries than a modern common rail turbocharged diesel with dual mass flywheel and a plethora of emissions controls. They are also horribly dirty things pollution wise, which actually does matter in cities if you have a shred of social responsibility.
That's where you and I differ chum as I have no shred of social responsibility. Your 'assessment' of diesel engine technology is also far off the mark. If you're 'green' go for it but why should I pay more for the car which will actually cost me more to run compared to a petrol/diesel? I pay enough in tax plus in most cities the councils are doing all they can to actually discourage car use.
The only reason I can think of why you'd outright say no without a test drive is you think they're pretentious. Which is ironic, given that that is in itself making a purchasing decision based on other people's perceptions...
I'd still definitely do a thorough test drive first though. Both to test how well you get on with the controls (I tried the Mk 2 and wasn't a fan, I'm not sure I'd ever get on with CVTs really, a lack of noise insulation didn't help), and that you can use it economically (otherwise there's little point, and different people do seem to get different results).
I'd still definitely do a thorough test drive first though. Both to test how well you get on with the controls (I tried the Mk 2 and wasn't a fan, I'm not sure I'd ever get on with CVTs really, a lack of noise insulation didn't help), and that you can use it economically (otherwise there's little point, and different people do seem to get different results).
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