Just tried a Prius...
Discussion
Drove it from Swindon to Newquay and back.
Kept it at about 76mph, used the regen braking wherever appropriate, avoided braking and heavy acceleration- the result? An indicated 53mpg.
Suffice to say I don't see the point. Poor ride and handling, obvious lack of sound insulation, poor interior design and quality, nasty seats, lumpy power delivery... At the price they cost, yoy'd have to be mad to buy one. The only positive thing that struck me was that despite their complexity they appear to be reliable.
It was a massive relief to get lack into my 17 year old £500 BMW
Kept it at about 76mph, used the regen braking wherever appropriate, avoided braking and heavy acceleration- the result? An indicated 53mpg.
Suffice to say I don't see the point. Poor ride and handling, obvious lack of sound insulation, poor interior design and quality, nasty seats, lumpy power delivery... At the price they cost, yoy'd have to be mad to buy one. The only positive thing that struck me was that despite their complexity they appear to be reliable.
It was a massive relief to get lack into my 17 year old £500 BMW
I never understood this hybrid car thing 
I drive 04 MB 220 CDI and if I stay with the speed limit I could easy get 50+MPG. A few years back I was driving Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI for 3 months, my average measured full tank to full tank was 58.6MPG, even if you drive it like you stole it still returned 45MPG
I drive 04 MB 220 CDI and if I stay with the speed limit I could easy get 50+MPG. A few years back I was driving Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI for 3 months, my average measured full tank to full tank was 58.6MPG, even if you drive it like you stole it still returned 45MPG Drove the bosses a few times & found it equally hideous. Cheap plastics, tacky interior, seats that I couldn't get comfy in! Combine that with lackluster mpg, the total fallacy of their environmental credentials (batteries + motors etc)and it leavs me utterly gob smacked by the price of them!
Jumping into a Prius, driving at 76 miles per hour and then complaining that it only returned 53mpg is about as daft as jumping into a Porsche, pulling off at half-throttle and then complaining that it took 10 seconds to reach 60mph. Despite the celebrity eco-loon contingent adopting them as a talismanic antidote to all their air miles, Priuses are not mythical, magical beasts which will miraculously achieve mega-mpg without making any concessions to adopting an appropriate driving style.
As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
HustleRussell said:
Drove it from Swindon to Newquay and back.
Kept it at about 76mph, used the regen braking wherever appropriate, avoided braking and heavy acceleration- the result? An indicated 53mpg.
May not be great, but it still puts my 944 to shame, as it manages22mpg at best and 16mpg most of the time... Kept it at about 76mph, used the regen braking wherever appropriate, avoided braking and heavy acceleration- the result? An indicated 53mpg.
Colonel Mullet said:
Jumping into a Prius, driving at 76 miles per hour and then complaining that it only returned 53mpg is about as daft as jumping into a Porsche, pulling off at half-throttle and then complaining that it took 10 seconds to reach 60mph. Despite the celebrity eco-loon contingent adopting them as a talismanic antidote to all their air miles, Priuses are not mythical, magical beasts which will miraculously achieve mega-mpg without making any concessions to adopting an appropriate driving style.
As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
Most Prius drivers are a menace on the roads by hyper miling and preventing the flow of traffic. Spactards.As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
Colonel Mullet said:
Jumping into a Prius, driving at 76 miles per hour and then complaining that it only returned 53mpg is about as daft as jumping into a Porsche, pulling off at half-throttle and then complaining that it took 10 seconds to reach 60mph. Despite the celebrity eco-loon contingent adopting them as a talismanic antidote to all their air miles, Priuses are not mythical, magical beasts which will miraculously achieve mega-mpg without making any concessions to adopting an appropriate driving style.
As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
Excellent lurking my man, excellent lurking indeed!As it happens, the Prius only makes sense for a very specific type of person; one who places longevity and reliability over style and status; who enjoys interior gadgetry but cares little for 'soft touch' plastics and Germanic 'quality'; who has an irrational but deep-seated loathing of diesel engines (which will in many circumstances deliver more miles per gallon) and - most importantly - who is prepared to completely change their approach to driving, forgetting all notions of speed or acceleration and choosing instead to maximise momentum and smoothness.
Driven in such a manner the Prius is fabulously relaxing, smooth, de-stressing and perfectly capable of 70+mpg. This is its unique ability; it can transform a congested commute from a teeth-gnashing ordeal of frustration into a zen-like journey of blissful calm. As such, it is emphatically not a car likely to be appreciated by your average PHer, nor indeed anyone still clinging to an antiquated desire to 'make progress' on our roads. However, such folk should perhaps give pause before heaping the usual regurgitated Clarkscorn upon it. Yes, the Prius is a one-trick pony. But it's very, very good at that trick.
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