You are basing this on....
Cathy
You are basing this on....
Cathy
It isn't *very* spacious. It's larger than it was years ago, & suits my needs, though. (I don't need a huge amount of space, just a moderate amount.) I agree the price is very good, esp. if you don't pay anywhere near MSRP; value for $ spent, as far as cars go.
Cathy
From 2004 they didn't have a "trunk". It's a hatchback...
That's longer than lead-acid batteries last, so I'm happy that you both predict semi-usability at 10 years!
Early Prius models have been on the road for 6 years now, yet the chatrooms and newsgroups contain no horror stories of owners who had to replace their battery packs, and I have never even heard of a dealer doing it for somebody under warranty.
Doesn't Panasonic also manufacture these batteries for Toyota?
True, but there is no way you could fit a full-size spare tire in there. The Camry had a full-size spare last I checked.
Doesn't Panasonic also manufacture these batteries for Toyota?
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co is the parent company. It's my understanding Panasonic is not involved.
mark_
Doesn't Panasonic also manufacture these batteries for Toyota?
****** Panasonic is the brand name for some Matsushita products.
According to Toyota, the hybrid battery pack's life is determined more by mileage than time. The hybrid controller keeps the battery's state of charge in the optimal range to optimize battery life (IIRC, between 2/4 and
6/8 charge). The reason NiMH batteries on consumer products have a relatively short usable life span is that they tend to get fully charged and fully discharged, which shortens their life. Toyota's literature says that the hybrid battery pack will last the life of the vehicle.The Prius's in taxi service in NYC have accumulated well over 100,000 miles without diminished battery performance, and I read somewhere that Toyota has not sold any battery packs other than for collision repair. The anti-hybrid crowd (including me) has given the high cost of battery pack replacement as a reason to avoid buying a hybrid vehicle, although that event has yet to occur.
Although the Honda Insight was the first hybrid vehicle sold in the U.S., the Prius was sold in Japan for a year or two prior to the Insight and has hybrids for sale in Japan that are not available in the U.S., like the Estima hybrid van.
MY EXPERIENCE IS SEVERAL YEARS OLD, But, I liked the Camry better than the Accord because the transmission shifted smoother. I think the driving position is about the same, perhaps the Toyota is a bit taller in the seat. I like the way both cars arranged the controls -- at the time. I throughly enjoyed driving both cars -- the Toyota was driven in both the 4- and 6-cylinder models -- over the Ortega Highway on my commute to the OC from my home. I definitely prefer the shifting of the Toyota over the Honda, but If you do not mind the way the Honda makes an abrupt change form one gear tot he next, then all yo have to decide is how you fit in the driver seat, and how you like the arrangement of the switches and controls.
Again, my experience in comparing these two cars is several years old, and what they offer today can be different. The bottom line is, I think you can safely take both on a test drive for an hour or so and make a decision that you will not regret.
Excellent looking ahead! Now, I don't believe a lot of the Horse Hockey about how much oil is left...back in 1973 we were supposed to be OUT by now, but they keep pumping billions of barrels a day.
BUT, it IS a finite resource, and instead of looking at Gas engines, how about something else.
Do you know how many farmers we pay here in the US NOT to grow something? If, instead, we paid these farmers to grow corn and soybeans, we could replace Oil as the main fuel. It ain't going to happen overnight, but the sooner we get started, the better.
And don't tell me engines can't take it...ask the guys who drive the Indy
500. They've been using Methanol for about 20 years. Seems to work for them.
But... if the corn is used to make fuel, there will be less available to make Crown Royal!
Rest assured there is NO corn or corn byproducts in Crown Whiskey. Jim Beam maybe but Crown Royale is made from Canadian GRAIN.
I'm no farmer, but I believe corn is considered a grain, and it sure looks like corn to these city boy eyes in the video about the making of Crown Royal at the "Crown Royal Story" link at
In the faq section of the National Corn Grower's Association
Alright, already. Mea culpa. However, MOST of the grain products in CR are malted barley and rye as per the quote from the website:
Pure Canadian whiskies... Crown Royal uses one of the world's purest sources of water, Canada's ancient Rocky Mountain glaciers, for its whiskies. The individual whiskies that make up the Crown Royal blend are made from milled corn, rye and malted barley, and distilled in column stills to the highest standards. Following distillation, each individual whisky is aged in both seasoned and new white oak barrels, eventually to be selected at their optimum maturity for the Crown Royal blend.
Sure looked like corn to me, too. Not to mention the label (about 1/3 to halfway through the video) that says "cc corn/rye". ;-) Plus since when is corn not a grain?
Cathy
In my opinion, corn is best used for pig food. This is little food value in corn for humans.
Then don't consume it. Unless your drink Crown Royal, in which case...
Cathy
Um, you in the right group?
Here, it's Panasonic.
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