My 12 Month Experience with the UK Plug In - TOYOTA NEVER Again!

The brochure shows .. Recommended fuel 95 unleaded .... So premium gas
For the UK pip ?

 

That is a 95 Ron, not Oct.

 

The UK has different scales not just for distance, weight, temperature, money, and fuel economy, but for octane rating too.

 

95 Ron is equal to our 89 plus gas.

 

First, sorry to hear of the death of your mother; picking up the car that you had bought partly because of the time you expected to be spending with her on the day after her funeral must have been very difficult. Also recognise your comments about driving the car your Dad drove - with mine it was a Rover, and I drove them for a while in the late 1980s, which shows how committed I was...

With the exception of, (so far, deo gratia), the heart attack, I'm very similar to you: a year younger, a short horizon to retirement. When planning the purchase I also factored in regular visits to my Mum who is in a local residential home. It's true that, because we don't have a government body in the UK commenting on things like electric range (it just approves the mpg figures for all cars) there was more of an emphasis on "up to 15 miles". You don't say how you drive it; as has been said a lot here that makes a big difference, plus the range figure displayed is by no means the EV range you are actually going to get.

I've been very happy with it, particularly because I do also have some longish drives, and that's where the Prius really comes into its own. I came back from Hereford to Guildford last week having not been able to charge before leaving, though I picked up about a 80% charge stopping on the M4 for a break on the way back - 85mpg (UK) for the whole trip. You'll be hard pressed to do that in a 4x4! That's what swayed me to a Prius rather than an Ampera (Volt), plus the missing fifth seat (my daughter is beginning to make broody noises, I thought I'd better plan for a grandchild seat)

But I can see that going from a Jag (sorry, a Ja-a-a-a-g ) must have been a culture shock; I was Mondeo man after I gave up waiting for the AA in my Rovers (that's the AAA for those across the pond).

 

Obviously not the car for the op. Enjoy filling up your 4x4 with petrol at £1.30 a litre (over $8 a US gallon).

Will a hi tech Japanese small hatchback ever compete with a nice large V6 petrol or a big 4x4 if you're not bothered about the fuel costs? No. The nicest car I ever drove was a CL600 and I'd drop the Prius tomorrow for one IF I could afford the 5 mpg fuel economy.

Personally being a cynic, I'd love to know where the IP address of the OP was from. The use of MOM instead of mum just doesn't sit right for me. Said I was a cynic.

 

Thanks.

This appears to be a UK regulation issue rather than Toyota being intentionally misleading. The fact of the matter is that it can do 15 miles per charge under certain circumstances. The fact is that the UK doesn't appear to have any (or at least, very lenient) guidelines on what can be advertised for EV range.

I note that the Nissan Leaf is rated at 75 miles per charge in the USA, yet is advertised with "up to 124 miles per charge" in the UK.

 

The brochure fine print says:

These are numbers from the European efficiency test regulations known in English as NEDC. Like the Japanese tests, they are possible for conservative and efficient drivers but unrealistic for the way most people drive. These numbers are also reported in Imperial gallons which are 20% larger than US gallons.

The 135.5 mpg includes running down a full battery during the mileage test. The 78.5 mpg is gas-only hybrid mileage. The 15.5 appears to to be the NEDC EV range result (I thought it was originally going to be 14.3 when the plugin first came out).

For contrast and comparison, the equivalent UK numbers for the 2011-2012 Volt/Ampera would be 235 combined EV/HV mpg, 56 mpg gas-only hybrid, and an EV range of 52 miles. I'm not sure what the numbers are for the 2013 model year but they would be a bit higher due to a slightly larger battery.

 

Yup, so this is a result of the testing used, not Toyota being deceptive. The OP's anger is misplaced.

 

Apologies, I must admit I hadn't realised we had any official figures for EV range. Always good when someone in a completely different country knows more about your rules than you do!

 

Been thinking about this post and I'll cut the op a little slack.

The PIP in the UK is priced at £33,245 before the £5,000 grant. That's $54,000!!?!?!?! That is a LOT of money for what is a £18,000 car that can do upto 15 miles on EV.

No wonder he's upset. Toyota are selling the PIP as a premium car but it isn't. It's a standard car that can do 15 miles. For £33,000 you can get a wide selection of premium cars such mid to upper range BMWs, Audis and Mercedes. The fit and finish in those cars is excellent. The Prius has always been criticized for its interior even before adding 50% to the cost.

Stick to what you know Toyota. The PIP is a Prius with extended range. It is NOT a BMW, Audi or Mercedes.

 

We must also remember that this is still a experimental vehicle and will continue to be until the zenith in MPG is reached. Or: will it ever be? I use my PIP as a EV, with free charges. So I absolutely cannot complain. My other car, a Prius C is a significant improvement over my 2005 Prius ( since sold ) But, for all the strange quirks the Gen 2 had, I was willing to put up with these for the 50 mpg plus. At the time, I thought the car quite comfortable even luxurious and certainly thought provoking. Seeing that no car is perfect I am always ready to make accommodations. If researched, one will find that many members within the first year group actually initiated a post THANKING Toyota for building the Plug in Prius. I was among them.

 

And I'm sure the op wouldn't be complaining if the PIP was priced as it is in America (even taking duties and vat into account). You do not pay anywhere near $54,000 do you. At that money you would expect more.

 

Why would someone purchase a car if they weren't happy with the price?

The economics would not change in any significant manner were he getting 15 miles per charge rather than 10.

 

Unfortunately, the real reason for the PIP purchase sounds like it was his "main passenger", (his mom). Now that she's passed (my condolences), he's having second thoughts.

 

Perhaps. Also there are significant tax incentives for hybrids and EVs (of all types) that could influence purchase of such a vehicle. The accountant sells the benefits and the V8 owning businessman reluctantly gives one a go.

 

OP says he dislikes the petrol-driven economy which ruins the environment, but yet is ready to go back to a vehicle which consumes petrol at a substantially higher rate.

 

A very significant point Grumpy, but the prices the Europeans must pay are the result of many factors: Duties, Vat, Governmental Greed, local taxes, plus higher shipping costs. I would definitely have thought twice at $54,000.

 

Observe: the OP, Pete Higgins has not reposted. We are talking to ourselves. ( again ).

 

Ah yes - the proverbial first and only post - claiming (to their dismay) that their PiP (or Prius in general) has simply turned out to be the ol' "pig in a poke" - complete disappointment. And thus ... in disgust, they must necessarily return to their sport car ... or their 4x4. Then ... after that one & only post - they disappear . . . never to be heard from again . . . except maybe on rare occasions to read the 1st few comments and maybe put one or 2 (at the most) other comments in the same vein. Yep . . . . could'a knocked me out with a feather . . . . never heard of THAT type of disgruntled (imaginary buyer) 'buyer' before. Gee plastic interior eh? and you didn't even notice that when you bought it either.

Now I suppose it is possible that despite the regularity of this scenario over the past 10 years, that maybe 1% of these supposed 'owners' are truly owners. But then there's the likely reality. What really make it obvious is - as with THIS case, are the stated scenarios that NEVER differ from the ol' standard. "I gave up my '71 chevelle' ... I gave up my pick up ... my Porsche ... my Vett. Here, we have the UK standard ... the Jag. BTW, my wife's grandfather had a '50s & '60s Jag. As with so many others, they couldn't keep their POS's together ... always broken down. Either fuel delivery or electrical. Then their was the horrible 'comfort' issue. I had a Porsche, so I know you at LEAST have to get past the expectation of comfort is some sport cars ... because you don't buy a, "look at me" car, for comfort necessarily ... especially one that's decades old.

As for the OP switching to a 4x4 ... we used to have a Range Rover. Our 2001 RR got 13mpg-14mpg. Never mind its "break down all the time" factor. I must admit ... when we unloaded it, I couldn't help but think, "dumbass" ... when I looked at the buyer. But ... yes, they too have the "look at me" factor. But ... that's all you get. A wood steering wheel ... and fake wood veneer. We got over that need & never looked back ... not that it's wrong.

That's ok. That works for some folks. Only thing is ... if that's what floats your boat - you won't really need to come back here to state it ... just like folks that sell their sport car or RR .... they don't have to go back the those web sites and say what a fail their old "look at me" type of car was. You just move on. But 99% of the folks who DO post such things? It just means one thing. And most here on PC know why they do it. So .... hey thanks for coming out from under the bridge to visit us happy folk, and have a nice day:



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