Just received my Consumer Reports 2006 car edition today. They have an article comparing various hybrid car costs vs non hybrid car costs. Interesting article, but, why would they compare the cost of a Prius with the cost of a Corolla? The idea of the article was to show that it still costs you more over a 5 yr span to buy a hybrid vs a conventional car - even with gas savings and federal tax credits. I am puzzled why they would compare a Prius to a Corolla. It seems to me with all the Prius features (and being considered a midsize car) it would be more in line with a Camry and not a Corolla. I know a Prius will cost more than a Corolla, but, I am getting a lot more car for my money. If they had compared it to a Camry - maybe it would not have supported their viewpoint that hybrids cost a whole lot more than non hybrid cars to operate over a 5 yr period. Springtime
Thats exactly right, if they had compared it to what it really is comparale to in interior volume and content level, a Camry which costs more than a Corolla and gets significantly lower mileage it wouldn't have supported the goal they had in mind for the peice. If the comparison had ben a $30k Camry that gets 21MPG the end result would have been pretty different. Remember that the car media is still just that, the media.
The old Prius, maybe since it was smaller but this new one has the interior volume of a Camry. Just because it's small outside doesn't mean it has a small interior.
Several years ago, the enthusiasts began comparing Prius to the "Camrolla" to avoid any type of misrepresentation like they just pulled. Prius clearly fits in between Corolla and Camry. Anyone claiming otherwise is either not being sincere or hasn't taken the time to actually check for themselves.
Some one at some point, years ago, compared a Prius (probably an 01 or 02) to a Corolla, and Everyone has insisted the cars be compared ever since. It is obviously a stoopid, lazy comparison at best. Many use it more visiously to "Prove" the hybrids make no sense. I'll have to read the article (my CR hasn't arrived yet). But they may need a talking too. :angry: Lisa
The Prius isn't based on any other car, it's a unique platform, although it shares some components. Its front suspension is from the Avensis, and its rear suspension is an "evolution" of the Corolla's, according to a European press pack I have here.
I think the stupidity is based on something like this: since the Prius gets great economy, let's compare what it costs to non-hybrid "economy" cars. Stupid! They completely miss much of the pleasure in owning a Prius, which for me includes the high level of technology and a smoothness of powertrain that is different from any non-hybrid "economy" car. For me, the Prius replaced a 5 series BMW, and I would not have been happy with any other new automobile under $30,000.
In 2004 when I was looking for a city commuter car, I test drove the following Toyota cars: Echo, Echo Hatchback, Corolla, Matrix, and finally, Prius. In terms of interior room, the Prius and Matrix are closest, IMHO. To get things like ABS you had to upgrade to pricey packages, including a sunroof I didn't want, and the price was *much* closer to my Prius then. I actually came very close to buying a basic Echo Hatchback: 2 door plus hatch, stick shift, manual crank windows, no power steering, no radio, no A/C, etc. Around $12K Cdn. I managed to rent one for a weekend and realized I could never live with it.
When did my research on the prius (back in '03 and '04) i relized that the only cars that really compaire are in the higher 20k range to 30k range. Now... i'm not compairing "economy car" I'm compairing features. VSC, NAV, etc. The prius doesn't have the body support a lot of these cars have, or the sound insulation that most higher end cars have. The prius is pretty quiet though. The prius is way better than a tc. I drove one of them. It almost seems faster too :-\ but yeah... Anyone else grasping my point of view here? I'm agreeing that it takes a higher end care like the camry. They just don't understand what you get with a prius. They just see that Hybrid badge and figure that's all it is.
ITA...the Prius is almost in a vehicle class of its own with no real non-hybrid vehicle to compare it to. Much more interior room and cargo capacity of a Civic Hybrid. Not as small as a Corolla (int. room) but not as large as a Camry (ext. size)...has a lot of features not available in a Corolla or Matrix (Navi, Bluetooth, back up camera, to name a few) but not quite as refined as a Camry. It's quite a neat car, I love all the gadgets that are available on it that you can't get on a similarly priced vehicle, PLUS the ingenious gas/electric hybrid system to boot. I honestly don't think any other vehicle would have made me as happy and satisfied to own as the Prius. I'm hoping to have this car for at least 10 years and wanted a car that could get me through that time period pretty easily...I have faith that the Prius will do just that and maybe more.
And it's interesting that the Prius draws so much attention, considering that its sales are what, one hundred thousand this year? That's such a tiny portion of the entire automobile sales in this country that one wouldn't believe that so many people who don't own one would have such strong opinions of it.
Consumer Reports, in all their infinite wisdom pretty much demonstrates why I don't trust them for anything because of how they rate and compare vehicles. There is more to any product purchase than just finding something that CR says is great. Too many people purchase on those conditions alone and pretty much ignore anything else. If CR says a product is a total dog, sure it probably is, but as soon as you get into the acceptable product range CRs best pick is pretty much meaningless. Purchasing anything requires that the buyer understand their own needs and then match them to something in the market. Plenty of CRs top picks have never met my needs in any way shape or form and as such I ignore those ratings. If it works, fits my budget and provides me the utility I desire, I buy it.
It is a 'watercooler' vehicle, like a corvette. Many folks are aware of it and many have a love or hate opinion of the vehicle. i have not run across many who ae aware that don't have an opinion.
I think the brakes and the transmission are cool features that don't get as much play as they deserve. At least, I'm not hearing too many complaints...
I just read my CR and before flipping the comparision I just knew they would pick the Corolla to compare and sure enough.. ARGH! *I* wouldn't be caught dead owning a Corolla; that would be embarassing (sorry Corolla owners) That's the beauty of the Prius. You are not making a decision to pay $3-5K more than a NON-HYBRID version of the Prius. There isn't such a thing!! For those other vehicles, I can see buyers balking at the $3-5K premium over the same vehicle with must an small increment in gas savings. For me, I have always owned sports coupes but I have a 80 mile round trip commute on busy SoCal freeways (not much joy shifting a sports coupe in traffic). My 1987 Acura Legend Coupe (best car I've ever owned) had over 250,000 miles and I wanted to get something new. For me I was looking at the Infiniti G35 Coupe, Lexus IS 300, Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Evo, Honda S2000 (not really, need a 4 seater). Then I heard about the HOV stickers. I immediately test drove a Honda Civic Hybrid (I've only owned Honda/Acuras) and was VERY disappointed! My friend encouraged me to test drive a Prius. One small test drive and I was convinced that this would be my next car! So for me, the Prius cost LESS than what I was thinking of buying, gets WAY better gas mileage, is ECO friendly, and is just the coolest techno gadget I own. That is why Prius owners are number one (95%) when asked if you would buy another one. Second was Corvette at 93%. Prius was also the most reliable car. Yup, LOVE my Prius and NO I would NOT have considered a Corolla.
