FIRST DRIVE REPORT: 2016 TOYOTA MIRAI

I was at that event last week. Nice to see the car and drive it and hear different folks from the state and air resources board speak. The quality of the car is at the Lexus level no doubt. I hate the new "buttons" that everyone is going to and the screens were very busy to keep track of while driving but I'm sure that will go away in time. The acceleration wasn't spectacular by EV standards but was nice not having an engine kicking on like the Prius.

 

the car is the least of my concerns.

 

Pretty damning but that's the takeaway whenever hydrogen FCVs are given an honest analysis. Toyota doesn't walk on water.

 

This is one review, don't get too excited yet! From what I took away from the test drive, when I drove it, is that it does everything it needs to do, and does it well. It is a well built car as expected from Toyota.

However, remember its still a 4 door sedan, that was designed to achieve exceptional MPG, and work on new technology. Technogy that is creating new jobs for our country.

But, you really cant get too excited about it......... other then it looks cool, runs on Hydrogen, gets great MPG, and is the future, like it or not. Yea your tax dollars are helping fund it , but if not this then your tax dollars would go to some other use!

Look at this way, your GEN II was WAY more expensive then the price that Toyota sold it to you for, so they helped you out and now you can help them out!

 

Last I looked, Toyota builds more cars in the USA then Tesla or Nissan, and there was talk of the next Prius being built in the USA.

 

The jobs would be created building the hydrogen infrastructure.

 

Yeah, the author owns a RAV4 EV so I can see how this might be a somewhat biased review.

However, the author brings up points like SUV class weight, 4 passenger seating, high price, the need for financial incentives, high fuel pricing, etc. that have been used in the past here on PC against the Volt. Also, the reviewer literally asked, "Who is the car for?", a question used (by one person here) against the volt.

Oh the irony........


I think H2 has a future in the commercialized transportation field.

 

Nice to hear a first hand report!

Fairly disappointing, but not surprising, except for the noise factor. I was hoping the drive quality would be superior, and the performance at least be better that ICE vehicles, which it apparently isn't.

I know the water was mentioned before, but I was a bit surprised at this section...

So it is suggested, when returning home, to stop on the street, and tell the car to ... "relieve" itself of this brownish liquid? Yes, the neighbors will love this.
Talk about a change to driver behavior

 

There is no brown liquids, it's the same as if you parked your car with the A/C being on, you would have some water drain out. There is a fan you can turn on when you park that disapates the water into the air.

The drive quality was Lexus like, it's a very quite car, and it performs with enough power to be safely driven.

 

So hydrogen is over $13/kg. There is going to be over $7000 on that hydrogen fuel card at the end of a typical lease. I wonder if you can use it at gas stations to fuel your other car when you have to go beyond the hydrogen network.

The Corolla comparison is interesting. Guess this makes a Volt one more appropriate.

 

Fuel cell's real future will likely be in renewable power storage, or primary power generation on a less centralized grid.

For vehicles, the real hurdle is the hydrogen. Get the auto reformers down is size so the cars and trucks can use some liquid fuel, and then FCEVs might have a shot by using those fuels more efficiently, and eliminating the majority or all of the non CO2 emissions compared to the ICE.

 

"But when we asked for a cup to try the brownish liquid dripping from the car, sales staff did not oblige."

The reviewers words.
Could the reviewer be lying? Sure, and I agree more reviews will be a good thing.

 

If the water was brownish it was probably from road dust/dirt. The water I've personally seen emitted from the Mirai did not look obviously brown although I didn't capture it in a drinking glass either....

 

Most likely, that or from the exhaust pipes, although I am skeptical that should discolor the water.

 

I don't understand why Toyota would have all this extra stuff. Wouldn't it be easier to have the water continuously drain at 4oz/mile and then when you pull in to the garage there will be some drippage, but it should be similar to an AC condensor (as someone says above).