Toyota Prius in Italy

AlbertoC67 · Aug 25, 2006

[attachmentid=4622]<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000 @ Aug 24 2006, 10:46 PM) [snapback]308996[/snapback]</div>

The reason gasoline cars in Europe get better mileage than those is the U.S. is because they are smaller on average. UK Prius posters have said that it is considered a large car. Here it is a small mid-size (inside. Outside measurements classify it as a compact).

Alberto,
Thank you for starting the 'clean movement' in Italy
With respect to the auto review highway mileage. The ONLY way they could get ANYWHERE near that low would be to go as fast as possible. I drive 67 MPH (108 KPH, it will do 175 KPH) and get 48 - 49 MPG (~20.5 KPL). We have some fairly steep sections on the highways. My ~20,000 mile average is 46 MPG (19.6 KPL) due to the fact that once the temps drop below freezing, the mileage drops. The engine runs more to stay at peak operating temp reducing pollution and provide heat to the cabin. In the summer, I average 52 MPG ( ~22 KPL) or better.

I agree with people who say make sure there is a Prius mechanic available. Not for normal maintenance, but in case there is a service bulletin that affects some part of the hybrid system. If a mechanic can measure the right amount of oil for a diesel or gas car, they can change it in a Prius as well. There are no maintenance items related to the hybrid system other than changing the transmission fluid (after 105K miles I think) which is no different than changing the trans fluid in any car. There is no timing belt to change at 60K miles or any of the other things most cars need.

As others have said, maintenance is almost ZERO. Every 5,000 miles (8000 Km) : Change the oil, check the brakes (for no apparent reason At 20,000 miles (32 Km) my front pads were at 80% usable remaining and the rear at 90%), rotate the tires. Replace engine and cabin air filters at 25,000 miles, earlier depending on how dirty the air (seems like you will do this more often than most). You can do these yourself, it is VERY easy. You can change the oil too. There is nothing special - remove the drain plug, put it back with a new washer, replace the oil filter, add oil. There are NO lubrication points other than hinges and they aren't in the maintenance schedule, probably never need to be done.

You are very lucky in a way. Here, many people buy a Prius without having the chance to drive one, they are all sold before they get to the dealer. I was also lucky. In July 2004, Enterprise Rent a Car had Prii to rent. Toyota has since bought them all back to sell. I rented one for a week, drove it locally and round trip to Boston (425 miles - 680 Km). I was SOLD, SOLD, SOLD. This IS the best car on the planet.

As an 'early adopter' there will be people who think you are crazy and there will be a lot of misperception since there are few on the road there. After you have your Prius (or even the one borrowed for a week) and you show it to them, they too will be convinced. MANY people here still have no idea what hybrid cars are or how they work. "Do you have to plug it in?" is still asked. Also, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini aside, I think people in Europe are not as obsessed with POWER. I suspect you will find people amazed at the combination of fuel efficiency, POWER and size. You will not find another car that has such flexability for carrying items. You will be going skiing with the equipment IN the car, not strapped on top.

People don't change easily. Just remind them that people used to deal with a manual choke to start their cars. I will bet not 1% of people under the age of 40 in the U.S. know what a choke is or what it does. Heck, way back (and way before MY time) one had to crank the engine fron outside the car to start it. My father added seat belts to the 1950's Buick. Before long, people will forget turning a key, starters that crank the engine, surge and jerk transmission shifting, shifters that have to go through reverse and neutral to get to Drive and back to Park, shifters that must be pushed differently depending on the currently selected gear, turning off the headlights, etc. I don't know if the European Prius has the Smart Key system, but if it does, they can also forget about digging something out of their pocket to lock, unlock and start the car as well.
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Thanks a lot for your reply.
A car like Prius is considered a medium-large car in Italy.
This is the Yaris in Italy, for example:
12 feet 4 inches long (previous version was smaller), prices from 14000 $ to 19000 $.
Here the cars are smaller and can get a better mileage because of they are lightweight and hand-gearbox equipped (automatic gears decreases mileage of 10-15%), but the big traffic keeps you stop and restart many times: the 6 miles trip I do to go from the place I work and my home takes 40 minutes and force me to stop and start 5-10 times.
Imagine many cars stopped on the road with their engines running... they become guzzlers.

Prius is the right answer.

Thank you for considering me as a man who wants to start a new style of movement.
The review I red used to squeeze the cars and always obtains less mileage than the normal use.
But testing the Prius they did worse than they generally do.
My suspect is that they are â€œfriendsâ€ of their sponsors (Total, Shell, Agip, Q8, Fina, Esso, Api, BP,Tamoil, ERG,... more consume of gas and more they earn... do you know what I mean?) and italian cars: beautiful but not modern as like as Prius (more Prius=less italian cars).
They used to write about new technologies: this is the future... but I ask: when this future becomes reality?
They test acceleration, speed, comforts,... with a lot of details, oh boy, they are maniacs!
Not a word about carbon dioxide.
Global warming doesnâ€™t exist.
Oil is endless.
Gasoline is very cheap.
It seem they live in a fairy tale.
Only in the last times they write bad about SUVs.
They say: the government must reduce the price of gas... how much? 40 cents per gallon? Thank you, weâ€™re RICH!
And so italian people become as like as I described in the first post I did.
We are not stupid but someone wants us to be.

You are completely right saying they think Iâ€™m crazy, but also they say Iâ€™m too much in the future.
Itâ€™s not truth, Iâ€™m in the present and they are in the past.

I sometimes imagine their faces and comments when Iâ€™ll buy an hybrid car (Prius or Corolla hybrid, as Toyota Italy has annouced in 2008/9), what an amazing day it will be for me!

Bye

jmccord · Feb 18, 2007

I have a Prius equipped with the navigation system. Here in California it works pretty good. Some newer streets don't show up, but for the most part the maps and points of interest are clearly and accurately represented.
Is the navigation system available in Italy, and other parts of Europe? How useful is it there, and how well does it work?
Anyone?

Oxo · Feb 18, 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jmccord @ Feb 18 2007, 10:14 AM) [snapback]392337[/snapback]</div>

I have a Prius equipped with the navigation system. Here in California it works pretty good. Some newer streets don't show up, but for the most part the maps and points of interest are clearly and accurately represented.
Is the navigation system available in Italy, and other parts of Europe? How useful is it there, and how well does it work?
Anyone?
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Yes, I have a Nav system (2005) in mine which also works well (at least it does in southern England but I haven't tried it elsewhere). It uses a Europe DVD. You can get some routes in other countries but judging from the small-scale map of Europe which is said to show which areas are on the disk, some countries are very patchy. Germany and the UK seem to be there completely and France is nearly all there but Ireland, Spain and Italy do not seem to have many mapped areas on the disk. There is now a 2006 upgrade to the Europe disk but I haven't seen it yet. I'd be interested to know if anyone has got it and what the coverage of France, Spain, etc is like.

If you buy a Prius in France, Italy, Spain or Ireland with the Nav system, does the dealer warn you that the coverage is incomplete? I suspect they don't even know!

jiepsie · Feb 18, 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 25 2006, 07:19 AM) [snapback]309216[/snapback]</div>

close.... it's 10,000 miles or 16,000kms[/b]
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My manual says 15000 km (we don't do miles). I've had mine for 26000 km now with only an inspection and oil change at 15000 km. Changing the oil is not something you want to do yourself here, many rules and regulations about doing it in a special garage with a sealed floor, disposing the oil properly via a regulated recycling company etc., to prevent pollution.

jmccord · Jul 29, 2007

I've been in Northern Italy for about 2 months now and have only seen one Prius. I believe it belongs to an American. Curiously I did see one for rent at Venice (Marco Polo) airport at the Hertz rental lot. I did not inquire as to the rate. As previously mentioned on this thread - the Prius is a large car by Italian standards.
Current price for gasoline about 1.34 Euro/liter, or around $6.81/gal at todays exchange rate.
Ciao!

mnish · Dec 15, 2010

I am moving from Texas to Aviano in North Italy. I have a 2006 Prius with about 75,000 miles. It has performed extremely well, and I have not had any major problems. I do have an extended maintenance warranty. Can anyone tell me what the availability of Toyota maintenance is in that region? I will bring plenty of air and oil filters if necessary.

Toyota Prius in Italy

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