What is your Prius millage?

Because it is a hybrid and is billed and heralded as being a 'green' car. It gives the Arts and Croissant crowd the Warm Fuzzies by making them feel good about driving and saving the planet while doing so, and positively makes them piss their pants with glee.

SSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS!!!!

OTOH, I DID have my doors blown off this morning by a Prius. She took off so quickly it was a delight to see. Must have really kicked that electric motor in the ass!!

However, since I was driving a 20 year old Mazda 626, there are a few cars that blow me off easily. But she was booking it! Refreshing to see!

Now, if I had had the Scion... ;)

Baloney; they are *definitely* larger than a Corolla inside.

From the outside they look to be about the same size - or maybe even slightly smaller than a Corolla, but they aren't on the inside. Considerably roomier. Nicely designed/engineered. The back seat in the Prius has tons of legroom, even with the front seats as far back as they'll go. Plus nicer upholstery & interior appointments than a Corolla - even a loaded LE. - the Prius more storage bins, etc., etc.

Cathy

"Hachiroku ????"...

Keeping in mind that not all Prius owners are in this crowd.....

This does further the point made in another thread that it is the driver, not the car that can annoy other drivers, and not all Prius drivers drive slow. Tomes

All trolling aside...

If money is the only consideration, the Prius is NOT the best choice.

If saving the planet is your goal, then the Prius isn't nearly enough...don't bother...you need to head to D.C.

If you want to encourage manufacturers to implement other solutions to the imminent depletion of oil so your kids or grandkids will still have some (better still, won't NEED it), then maybe the Prius is for you. If this is the case, you're already smart enough to know that money is not the only thing.

If you don't have kids and/or you don't give a s*it, might as well buy a Hummer and stuff the oil man's pockets. If that's the case, you're probably an asshole anyway and you deserve to waste your money. Don't worry, you'll be dead before the gas runs out.

"Charles Pisano"...

It is not an issue of battery disposal, it would be one of battery recycling.

As Cathy said, they are bigger than the Corolla.

You really need to get your facts straight. This is becoming embarrassing. Tomes

OK...

The Corolla gets 35-38mpg under decent conditions and is cheaper than the Prius, yes. Simple math will tell you the rest.

Of course, you say you don't see the point of any hybrid yet. If Toyota decided to apply the Prius technologies to the Corolla at the Corolla prices, you'd get the point.

When was the last time you or anyone you have ever even remotely heard of threw a car battery into the trash for the trash man to pick up and put into the landfill?

Never.

So tell us why it's any different for the Prius traction battery?

For better or for worse, for the most part you're right. They're happy to spend the, say, $4K to $10K premium over the Corolla. They do get a bigger car, though, and the Prius can be better outfitted.

Let me guess: you've never driven a Prius before, have you.

Not gutless at ALL, and significantly larger than the Corolla inside.

But then, why should you let actual facts get in the way of your drooling rant.

Unfortunately, Prius ownership in a lot of cases amounts to "Status Symbol", and, as I said, people who don't really understand how it operates thinks it really amounts to something.

However, in other countries, the Prius is set to run off the electric motor more than the gas motor. Japan thinks we want cars with more power and don't mind paying for gas.

No thanks. I'll stick to my Mazda, my Subaru, and of course, my Scion tC. Oh, and the Supra with the removable roof. Alas, it only gets ~19 MPG. But on a 70+ degree day with the roof off, aho cares? ;)

This is true.

Gee, who started that thread...?

Well said, Sir!:-)

That's certainly true in Hollywood, but I don't think it applies so much to the average owner.

Well, 19 is still better than a Hummer or SUV...it's your money.

They should be much bigger inside that outside. They cost twice as much and that extra money must be buying something! How did Toyota put that bubble in the space-time continuum around the Prius?

Jack

It's interesting that drivers of the current Prius version report average mileage ranging from 38 to well over 50. That is a surprising distribution!

Variables include weather, weight (the 38mpg car I know carries almost 600# of passengers), driving style, terrain, and perhaps fuel quality.

Of these, one variable that is definitely controllable is "driving style". I am confident that a Prius driver can be taught simple techniques to improve mileage. Further, some of these techniques transfer well to conventional (nonhybrid) cars. Here is one:

...stay off the brakes!

Keeping that 4-word instruction in mind, the typical driver changes style. The result is more coasting up to a light, less kinetic energy given up to friction braking, and overall more efficient driving.

Another, which is Prius-specific, is:

...accelerate moderately hard.

Many Prius drivers have found that getting to cruise speed rapidly, and then backing off on the throttle, improves overall efficiency in comparison with gradual acceleration.

My car has about 52k on it since Oct '03 (early adopter), and has averaged about 45mpg (more in the summer, less in the winter) since new, with moderate hilly driving in a S Calif climate. I drive at 80 on the freeways, and very conservatively on neighborhood streets.

My 2c

You are right but you miss spoke. You should have said "If money is 'a' consideration...."

Again, you are correct but D.C. won't be able to do anything either. They still think Global Warming is going to destroy the world and freon is the cause of the ozone hole. Oh yeah, they also think that they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps using ethanol instead of crude oil.

Again, you are right. As for me, I'm going to buy a horse and buggy. Enough of this traveling around all over the country at the ridiculous speed of 60 mph. Who needs to get from one city to another in less than a day?

That's my plan...die and let the kids fend for themselves. But only after I've spent their inheritance.

Jack

No I wouldn't! How can it be more energy efficient to go through 6 energy conversions instead of just 2.

Hybrid car = Chemical > heat > mechanical > electrical > chemical >

electrical > mechanical.

Conventional car = Chemical > heat > mechanical.

Not so, all manufactured products will eventually end up in a land fill. The only part of a car battery that is recycled is the lead and there is some loss of material when it is recycled. Plus you have the acid, plate separators and case that all end up in a land fill.

It isn't...they will end up in a land fill also.

You can move up to a Camry and get a bigger car that can be outfitted better for much less than $10k.

But do they still get 55 mpg when you prove that they aren't gutless? And what happens to their performance when the traction battery is discharged? Do they really get 55 mpg on a 200 mile road trip or is it only in city stop-and-go driving where they can shut off the engine while coasting to a stop?

Maybe you should stop cherry-picking your data to prove your point!

Jack

Another baloney post. It depends on which trim level Corolla you buy & whivch pkg. you buy w/the Prius. But the ones I've been comparing all along (since '04) - a Corolla LE vs. Prius pkg. 2 or 3 - have a price difference of approx. $6K, give or take $1,000.

Cathy

How did Toyota

"Retired VIP" ...

By applying the well known concepts found in Dr. Who of course. Tomes

Agreed that that is another baloney post. Never let reality get in the way of a good rant. Tomes

Ah...the prius..the new SUV...anal at best..

snipped-for-privacy@adelphiadotdashdot.net

designed/engineered.

And if you bought one over the corolla...your bank account is now ..roomier... Are we talkin' the 09 corolla?? Look again...