Well said. I saw somewhere that technology advances enough every 18 months where it's cost-effective to upgrade at that point. No one wants to buy 'last year's technology' but it's simply not possible to wait forever in the hope that whatever's bought won't be instantly outdated. I recently bought a 2010 Prius, and just discovered that Lexus is coming out with a sporty ('the darker side of green') 5-door version of it next year, the CT200h. From the photos of the Euro version, it's pretty nice. Immediately noticable differences: 1. It has a traditionally-styled, round gauge instrument cluster located in front of the driver (although the gauges are still electronic). 2. The NAV system is a dashboard, pop-up style rather than being in the center stack. 3. It has a BMW iDrive, mouse-style controller for the NAV rather than a touch-screen. 4. The sunroof buttons are located on the center console rather than the traditional location on the headliner. But is the CT200h a viable alternative for the Prius and should someone wait for it rather than buy a Prius now? My guess would be it will be substantially more expensive than the Prius and the improvements, although nice, probably won't be worth the extra coin, so I don't feel so bad about my purchase. As to the Outback vs. Prius question, if you have an overriding need for AWD, the Outback would be better. OTOH, if you can get by with FWD, well, the Prius is insurance against a significant jump in gas prices. I suspect that, more than anything else, is what continues to drive hybrid sales. The Katrina-era, seemingly instantaneous $4/gallon, gas-price run-up has not yet been forgotten by many consumers. Unfortunately, if something like that doesn't happen again, the added cost of any alternate propulsion system to fossil-fuels is not a cost-effective expenditure. OTOH, if it does happen, hybrid/EV/fuel cell/etc. owners will all look like prophetic geniuses.
u have it so so so WRONG!!! how about this one: its TODAY, not 4 years from now, on July 15th the Moto X cellphone will come out. should i get it now since its a HUGE leap over what i am using now or should i wait until next spring for the 4 G model which would be another huge leap (and would provide world coverage??) or maybe i should wait.... so it will ALWAYS BE A WAITING GAME. and why should it not?? we do not have the perfect car, cellphone, TV, computer, nothing!!. another thing; if it were true, think of the hymotion drivers TODAY Getting 150 MPG... that would really burst their bubbles and force them to recalibrate their mileage calculators besides your headline is all wrong anyway.... what your headline WILL READ; "It's the year 2014, and the brand-new Prius plug-in is sweeping the nation. Thanks to its new Lithium-Ion battery, gas mileage has soared to 100 mpg. Priced to target the low budget consumer, its the only model in the top ten THAT STILL BURNS GAS
Wait if you already have a hybrid. If you don't, the time to get a Prius is right now. Your ICE car won't be worth beans in a few years.
Funny thing about vacuum tubes. Years back, a Soviet pilot defected to Japan complete with his current-model MIG. Japanese & US began taking it apart bit by bit. They laughed and joked about the obsolete radios ... still using vacuum tubes instead of transistors not only in the radio, but also in some other places. Wasn't quite as funny when it was pointed out that the MIG wouldn't be crippled and un-flyable (as our planes would be) if a nuclear blast sent out an EMP.
Run the spreadsheet. Look at the original and each successive generation Prius - original price then resale price per year as well as your current vehicle - costs to purchase/lease, insurance and other factors to include - average price of gas in your area, mileage you actually drive. the efficiency (mph) of your current vehicle, of each Gen Prius (and dont forget the III/2010) - and the estimated insurance of the Prius. Look also at the time line - the initial hybrid introduction and numbers sold v average gas price, the electric vehicles - Tesla, and each iteration and even the other hybrids. The all electric vehicle requires your commute/drive be within the range and/or availability of charge points or battery exchange depots for longer drives. How do you intend to use your vehicle. Only you know those variables for your situation. How long do you usually keep a vehicle?
Well I admit that to a degree your very scenario is part of the reason I'm currently driving a 2010 Honda Fit instead of a 2010 Toyota Prius. I do think Hybrids, Electrics, Plug Ins are all on the verge of a big leap in marketing, technology and viability. 5 years from now? 10 years from now? What is the "Top Dog" technology being used in alternative automobiles? Who knows? I kind of wanted to sit back the next couple of years and see what happens. But evolution in the auto industry is never ending. Even with The Volt, or The Leaf, or The Plug in Prius, I don't think Hybrids are disappearing over night. To an extent my logic was admittedly flawed. To avoid having a "Dinosaur Prius" I went with even older technology. So which is worse? If plug ins, or lithium does drastically change the landscape are you better off trying to sell or trade in a suddenly old technology hybrid or better trying to trade in a standard ICE. I tend to think the Hybrid will still hold it's value because again, while I think we are on the verge of some pretty massive change, ultimately 1 million PLUS Nickel Metal Battery, ICE/Battery Hybrids don't vanish off the face of the earth. But I guess to an extent I whimped out. To avoid the angst of worrying about the change, I put myself in the boat with the majority. When and if I make the leap to a Hybrid or Plug In, I will be in the same place as a lot of people...trading in a full ICE. My advice? Get what you REALLY want today for today. ICE, todays available hybrids or whatever, because even though a car purchase is big, nothing is written in stone. You can always sell, trade or make a change in the future if you REALLY want to do it. Even though to an extent I'm guilty of what I'm warning against, you really shouldn't be held hostage by a fear of upcoming change or evolution. That's like riding a wave that is really not ever going to crest.
Well if you keep waiting for the next greatest tech before you make the jump, you will be driving your dino forever. Yes lithium is the next generation wave. But there are leaps being made right now on fast charging lithium. Think minutes to charge instead of hours. This is already being tested, but it wont be in any of these new autos. So when the lithium comes out, do you wait another 5 years to get the fast charge? What about ultracaps? More efficient for startups and easier to charge, dramatically increase mileage but are too expensive now. Well in 10 years they probably wont be, so do you wait another 5 years for that? It is rediculous. Buy the best now, upgrade later. Support the technology and do something instead of sitting at the sidelines.
(Eye Twitching, High Stressed tone to Voice) I get 31 mpg..31! That's efficient...it is! it is! Believe me....
BTW i came from 5 Subaru's in a row. my last one was a outback sport i had a 2 year lease on, awaiting the gen 3 prius. Subaru's are good dependable cars. gas mileage (stop & go) 19 mpg highway 32 mpg (using cruise control) do i need awd for bergen county nj.....no i had stock tires for the 2 icy road winter days and i got home just fine. the prius is adequate for getting on rt 17 or any other road. i drive 8 miles to work through stop and go traffic which yields me 42 mpg winter and 51 mpg summer . on the highway with cruise i can get 60 mpg. the car fits 4 adults more comfortably than the outback sport it may not corner as well but i could fix that with better tires. the Subaru is the dinosaur....until they sell the hybrid version in 2012
Cant wait for the Jeep Wrangler hybrid. I can see it now, 4 MG's with 400 ftlbs of torque, huge 44" mudders, Dana 60's front and back and heck throw in a supercharger all while providing 40 MPG. I want it.
I wanted that high fuel mileage hybrid Wrangler, too. Chrysler even built a prototype. Unfortunately, Chrysler has no plans to actually produce it and are extremely slow to change/improve the wildly outdated (but good-selling and highly-profitable) Wrangler. For 2011, the Wrangler gets some sorely needed interior changes. For 2012, the Wrangler gets a sorely needed improved V6 engine. So it won't be until 2013 (at the earliest) that a hybrid might be built for mass production. If you want to talk about an automotive dinosaur (but it still continues to sell), there is really no better example to cite than the Jeep Wrangler, a vehicle whose core design construction (chassis) dates back over half a century.
I suspect your 18 month bit is referring to Moore's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sorry, for that's transistor counts doubling on chips, not automotive technology. Cars tend to go through a 3-5 year lifecycle for a given generation before being redesigned. As a corollary from Moore's Law, per http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/51/facetime.html: #1-3 has been available on the Lexus HS 250h for awhile. I won a free one week test drive of one. It gets gas mileage similar to the HyCam since the powertrain is a carryover. Its starting MSRP is $34,650 which is higher than the highest priced 2010 Prius (V with Advanced Technology Package). Yep, I'd guess that the CT200h would also be substantially more than a Prius.
I wasn't going to comment but..... This has to be the one fo the more stupid threads. Electric cars are only going to be hitting the road this fall/winter. I seriously doubt in 2014 they will have taken so much of a foot hold on this country. People (myself included) like BIG powered V8 engines. Big cars. Either buy the damned Prius or don't. You can't go wrong getting one except maybe you will get better fuel economy in the mean time.
It is much more complicated than that. First I'm guessing that you are comparing the "peak" efficiency of the Prius with power plant efficiencies (maybe 40% for coal with 5% line losses, or maybe 50-60% for NG, etc). This makes no sense because power plants operate at their peak efficiency almost all the time. Cars do not. Everyone knows when you drive a Prius for 5 minutes or so it gets about half its "peak" mpg, for example. This is EXACTLY when a plug-in hybrid would be running in EV mode. 3PriusMike
I would fear kids or yobbos pulling out the cable while it was charging....how are they going to stop this I wonder.. kid gets zapped while messing with a Prius charging ... must happen
Well unlike a lot of the earlier adopters of the Prius technology I took the wait and see attitude. I rarely purchase anything that has been on the road for less than ten years and that included my Prius. I just purchased her and I waffled on weather or not to wait for the Nissan and/or Chevy. There is a good chance that the technology will work, but I want to wait and see what the real mileage is going to be on these vehicles, maintenance and reliability issues before I make the commitment. The Prius is tested and many of the original models are still out on the roads. 2012 is two years away and during that time I can save a lot of money....continue to do so past 2012 and get ready to make a purchase when the technology is proven.
The 10 years thing is sort of arbitrary and rediculous. The prius was built in 1995, and testing started shortly thereafter in 1996. It was then sold to the public in 1997. So even using the magic 10 year number, you are a few years late to the party. I would agree on passing on the first model year of a new generation on the "wait until it is proven" methodology, but that's about it.
Arbitrary or not it is my criteria before I select a car....and let's face it. I would prefer to be a little safer than most when it comes to investing that much money into a vehicle. I want to be sure of the technology.
Dig it! My old 1968 Ford F250 gets the same mileage since it just sits in my yard! I'm going to donate it to charity!
