New Prius

Bugnug

Hi,

Thinking of buying the new Toyota Prius, test drove one last week and found it to be an excellent drive. Has anybody purchased one or heard and reports? How are they performing?

Cheers

seamy1

i took a look at one yesterday. i'm thinking of a Hybrid or a Diesel. I'm pointing towards a Diesel though cause I'll be hitting nice mileage (300 - 500km p/w)

a couple of things to consider......

1. if you drive quick / like taking corners quick, it wouldn't be the most stable car....garage guy told me yesterday that it rolls a lot in the corners. if you drive nice a steady...it fine.

2. if your going long distances, a diesel is more economical

3. not a many creature comforts in the hybrids versus the petrol/diesel cars.

4. if your just doing city driving...the Prius is perfect.

Have you considered the Civic Hybrid???

Guy:Incognito

Would a Diesel Avensis not be better in pretty much every way?

Bugnug

Stekelly wrote: »

Would a Diesel Avensis not be better in pretty much every way?

Maybe but I have a pretty bad shoulder injury so I always drive auto, and the avensis auto in diesel is crazy money. It is a company car so I want to keep my BIK costs as low as possible. And with carbon taxes on homes and eventually cars coming this seems the way to go.

JHMEG

New Prius is win-win. 1.8L petrol so it's no slouch, lowest CO2 on the market (92g) and 70+ mpg.

Kicks a diesel auto Avensis into a cocked hat in terms of economy and road tax. Prius €104, diesel Avensis €447-€630 depending on version.

Guy:Incognito

Bugnug wrote: »

Maybe but I have a pretty bad shoulder injury so I always drive auto, and the avensis auto in diesel is crazy money. It is a company car so I want to keep my BIK costs as low as possible. And with carbon taxes on homes and eventually cars coming this seems the way to go.

Ah the auto requirement does change the playing field a bit alright.

slave1

would love to hear from new Prius owners too, would like one of these babies as my next car, I wouldn't buy in Ireland though, too expensive, UK all the way

Honda08

JHMEG wrote: »

New Prius is win-win. 1.8L petrol so it's no slouch, lowest CO2 on the market (92g) and 70+ mpg.

Kicks a diesel auto Avensis into a cocked hat in terms of economy and road tax. Prius €104, diesel Avensis €447-€630 depending on version.

on say a long commute, the diesel avensis would win out over the prius.
prius is only good in heavy traffic, and city driving.

for a long commute the prius wouldnt be that economical as it would be running on the petrol engine.

af_thefragile

I herd the new Prius is much better and more refined than the old one.
wanna have a look at this: http://www.topgear.com/uk/toyota/prius/road-test/t-spirit

JHMEG

Honda08 wrote: »

on say a long commute, the diesel avensis would win out over the prius.

Not on your nelly. The diesel auto Avensis isn't even close.

According to Toyota:
Avensis auto diesel extra urban: 53.8mpg
Prius III extra urban: 76.4mpg

unkel

JHMEG wrote: »

Prius III extra urban: 76.4mpg

Ah the official figures

I bet that real life tests will soon show (yet again) that a similar size modern diesel will use a lot less fuel than a weighed down petrol hybrid...

af_thefragile

^The Top Gear review said they only averaged 53.6mpg with the Prius...

And if its economy you want, you could go for a VW bluemotion model... Maybe the bluemotion Passat.

JHMEG

unkel wrote: »

Ah the official figures

I bet that real life tests will soon show (yet again) that a similar size modern diesel will use a lot less fuel than a weighed down petrol hybrid...

Give it a rest. The figures speak for themselves. Oh and by the way the "weighed down" petrol hybrid weighs less than the diesel

pburns

JHMEG wrote: »

Give it a rest. The figures speak for themselves. Oh and by the way the "weighed down" petrol hybrid weighs less than the diesel

JHMEG, you are a hybrid fanboy and seem to get narky if anyone dares credits their credentals. Maybe, MAYBE, hybrids have a place in stop/go urban/suburban counties of Dublin/N Kildare/ S. Meath for example. The OP is doing 300-500km a week, though. There's a good chance he'd be much better advised buying a diesel.

Guy:Incognito

pburns wrote: »

JHMEG, you are a hybrid fanboy and seem to get narky if anyone dares credits their credentals. Maybe, MAYBE, hybrids have a place in stop/go urban/suburban counties of Dublin/N Kildare/ S. Meath for example. The OP is doing 300-500km a week, though. There's a good chance he'd be much better advised buying a diesel.

Plus , everyone seems to be getting bogged down with Prius Vs Avensis auto diesel. I only mentioned the Avensis as it's a similar sized Toyota. Theres no shortage of diesel auto's on the market to use for comparison.

JHMEG

pburns, you are self appointed expert on everything. I dare say you've never been in Prius III.

If someone has some figures to back up the argument that a diesel auto Avensis (or any auto diesel in the same class)will get better economy in any situation I'm all ears. Put up or shut up. Prius III has moved the game on. Considerably.

Guy:Incognito

JHMEG wrote: »

Prius III has moved the game on.

On into a wall when the brakes fail

245

Lets compare like with like. Prius is Corolla-sized and therefore not in the Avensis class.

Anyone care to make a case for the Octavia 1.2 TSI DSG or the Octavia 1.6 TDI DSG versus the Prius in an equation taking purchase price, overall average fuel economy and potential ownership timespan into account? I can't see the Prius being streets ahead unless its kept forever.....

Honda08

JHMEG wrote: »

pburns, you are self appointed expert on everything. I dare say you've never been in Prius III.

If someone has some figures to back up the argument that a diesel auto Avensis (or any auto diesel in the same class)will get better economy in any situation I'm all ears. Put up or shut up. Prius III has moved the game on. Considerably.

and you are a self appointed expert on HYBRID cars, ? just because you had one in the past/present..........:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

i struggle to see how a 1.8 auto petrol can get ner 70mpg extra urban run.:D:D maybe downhill, with no brakes :eek::eek::eek:

im sure it would cost more to replace a battery pack, than it would do for a DMF replacement a few years down the road.

and before you ask yes i have driven the new prius, when we were looking at a new car recently, and opted for the 1.6 TDI golf instead... which is a far nicer machine !!

zilog_jones

Here's some real world figures (sorry it's all in Euros though, and there's some overlap with older models):
http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/49-Toyota/432-Avensis.html?fueltype=1&constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&sort=3
http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/49-Toyota/439-Prius.html?constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&sort=3

Honda08

JHMEG wrote: »

Not on your nelly. The diesel auto Avensis isn't even close.

According to Toyota:
Avensis auto diesel extra urban: 53.8mpg
Prius III extra urban: 76.4mpg

76.4mpg ? downhill with a sail? and the wind with you? :P
also the diesel avensis auto is a 2.2 DCAT 150...

not really comparing like with like are we? however 53.8mpg is good for a 2.2 Diesel, manual, let alone an auto


one thing i can say is that if anything should go wrong with an out of warranty prius, then it would most likey cost a lot more to repair than a similar sized diesel car... as the prius has lots of electronics, and an expensive battery.

zilog_jones

Honda08 wrote: »

one thing i can say is that if anything should go wrong with an out of warranty prius, then it would most likey cost a lot more to repair than a similar sized diesel car... as the prius has lots of electronics, and an expensive battery.

The batteries have an 8 year warranty.

Mr Benevolent

zilog_jones wrote: »

Here's some real world figures (sorry it's all in Euros though, and there's some overlap with older models):
http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/49-Toyota/432-Avensis.html?fueltype=1&constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&sort=3
http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/49-Toyota/439-Prius.html?constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&sort=3

So, 7.16l/100km (39.4 mpg) for the Avensis and 5.42l/100km (52.1 mpg) for the Prius on average. The Prius has better spec levels as standard, doesn't come in manual (a good thing), the tax is ridiculously low and they look good. No brainer really.

Honda08

zilog_jones wrote: »

The batteries have an 8 year warranty.

just as well.

JHMEG

Honda08 wrote: »

one thing i can say is that if anything should go wrong with an out of warranty prius, then it would most likey cost a lot more to repair than a similar sized diesel car... as the prius has lots of electronics, and an expensive battery.

8 year 100k mile warranty (150k mile, 10 year, in some states in the US).

Your typical diesel has a 2 year warranty. Not much good when your turbo has blown.

Honda08 wrote:

i struggle to see how a 1.8 auto petrol can get ner 70mpg extra urban run

Maybe that's why Toyota is a successful car company and you're not

Guy:Incognito

JHMEG wrote: »

Maybe that's why Toyota is a successful car company and you're not

Why cant they get the 1.8 auto avensis to do the same then? I cant see how 30kgs in weight can nearly half mpg. Especially when they are so great.Maybe the figure of 70 mpg in extra urban just isnt right?

Honda08

JHMEG wrote: »

Maybe that's why Toyota is a successful car company and you're not

dude im not a car company

Guy:Incognito

Honda08 wrote: »

dude im not a car company

And you never will be with that attitude.

Honda08

Stekelly wrote: »

Why cant they get the 1.8 auto avensis to do the same then? I cant see how 30kgs in weight can nearly half mpg. Especially when they are so great.Maybe the figure of 70 mpg in extra urban just isnt right?

the prius mpg figures are all fine on paper.

have a google search and you will see all the people bitching about their prius mpg...

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/76303-help-gas-milage-problem.html

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2006/10/prius_mileage_1.html

JHMEG

Stekelly wrote: »

Maybe the figure of 70 mpg in extra urban just isnt right?

Well, I don't see why not. A huge amount of R&D went into the Prius with Toyota really pushing the envelope. This is their flagship hybrid. No point in making it if it's not a class leader. (I have no problem whatsoever getting 75mpg extra urban in my Civic IMA - you're welcome to take it for a spin)

Honda08 wrote:

dude im not a car company

Yeah, and you know, car companies might know more about cars than you do.

Guy:Incognito

JHMEG wrote: »

Well, I don't see why not. A huge amount of R&D went into the Prius with Toyota really pushing the envelope. This is their flagship hybrid. No point in making it if it's not a class leader. (I have no problem whatsoever getting 75mpg extra urban in my Civic IMA - you're welcome to take it for a spin)

I wasnt saying its not possible but if it is, why are the figures for the avensis so bad in comaprison? Both are 1.8 autos.

The Prius is only 97bhp with 142 NM torgue whereas the Avensis is 143 with 180nm but yet seems to make a much harder job of pulling the weight.

JHMEG

Stekelly wrote: »

I wasnt saying its not possible but if it is, why are the figures for the avensis so bad in comaprison? Both are 1.8 autos.

The Prius is only 97bhp with 142 NM torgue whereas the Avensis is 143 with 180nm but yet seems to make a much harder job of pulling the weight.

Off the top of my head: lower friction through aerodynamics etc (Prius has an incredibly low CD), and smaller engine meaning resulting pumping losses at low engine rpm. Other things I'm sure contribute like the Prius has the only Atkinson cycle internal combustion engine on the market and for the first 25mph (or something) the Prius can operate on battery alone.

Guy:Incognito

JHMEG wrote: »

Other things I'm sure contribute like the Prius has the only Atkinson cycle internal combustion engine on the market and for the first 25mph (or something) the Prius can operate on battery alone.

Yeah but we are talking about extra urban here. I would assuem that would be done at over 25mph, otherwise it's not very realistic.

JHMEG

Stekelly wrote: »

Yeah but we are talking about extra urban here. I would assuem that would be done at over 25mph, otherwise it's not very realistic.

I'm not sure, but does the extra urban require accelerating from zero, and at the end decelerating back to zero?

mickdw

JHMEG wrote: »

If someone has some figures to back up the argument that a diesel auto Avensis (or any auto diesel in the same class)will get better economy in any situation I'm all ears. Put up or shut up. Prius III has moved the game on. Considerably.

Its not all about MPG. IF one were to buy a non hybrid car of equivalent size & spec, its purchase price would be significantly less & would quite possibly be worth more than the hybrid after 3 years too. So taking this significant saving into account, the hybrid doesnt make a huge amount of sense.

In relation to the new prius having moved the game on, I would just look at a gs 450h & think the best use for hybrid technology is to get a 3.5L v6 petrol on the road here within the €600 tax bracket while still knowing that the official co2 figure is a bit of a fudge.

zilog_jones

JHMEG wrote: »

I'm not sure, but does the extra urban require accelerating from zero, and at the end decelerating back to zero?

Yes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_European_Driving_Cycle
As you can see it bears little resemblance to real driving.

JHMEG

zilog_jones wrote: »

Yes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_European_Driving_Cycle

I had read in EVO magazine about fudging of figures using auto boxes with specific ratios, but I'm surprised to read

"research from two German technology institutes found that for diesel cars no 'real' NOx reductions have been achieved after 13 years of stricter standards."

Leonard Hofstadter

JHMEG wrote: »

Prius III has moved the game on. Considerably.

Going from 65.7 mpg (Prius II) to 72.4 mpg (Prius III) is hardly "consdierably moving the game on" it is an improvement of just 10%:)!

I wouldn't buy a Prius not because of what it can or can't do for the planet, but because it is a horrible car, I was in a Prius II recently(it may have been a taxi but had ~90,000 km clocked up, taxi driver says it does 50 mpg no matter what, meaning that it is much better than an ordinary car around town but a modern diesel would trash it on Motorways etc) and it is just nasty in every way possible, materials that would feel cheap in even some cheap Korean car, it rides badly, it looks weird, so not a car for car lovers IMHO. I also don't like the way in order for it to make any kind of an effort to go anywhere the engine has to rev very hard, it feels like a car with a slipping clutch(I know it is CVT) and is not very fast either.

The one very good thing about hybrids is that as far as I can tell they are no less reliable than a standard petrol car, given the complexity of modern diesel engines with Dual Mass Flywheels, turbos, swirl flaps, injectors, DPFs and other complicated stuff this is obviously a massive advantage.

The big problem with hybrids is that they cost so much, the second biggest problem is that there is not one single hybrid that is in anyway affordable that you might actually want to buy.

The Prius is simply not a good car, the Insight is hideous and the cabin materials look as though they came from an 80s Lada or something, it is meant to be worse in almost every other measure compared to the Prius(and goodness knows the Prius is bad) and the Civic IMA is not available as a hatchback.

Jip

captainspeed wrote: »

I wouldn't buy a Prius not because of what it can or can't do for the planet, but because it is a horrible car, I

I agree, IMO they'd sell a lot more if they could make the car at least look half decent. Then again currently Toyota aren't particular good at design these days.