Featured Three hybrid engines make 2016 Top 10 List

There are some technical errors in the Prius engine write up but nothing to 'set your hair on fire.' But they claimed to have 'driven the cars in ordinary service' and we only know of the Nov. 9th, press drive event. It begs the question of Toyota loaned them a 2016 Prius independent of the Nov. 9th event. I'm OK with that but just wondering.

Bob Wilson

 

I assume toyota loaned them a gen IV prius.

The only technical problem I see is it said this is the first prius with cooled egr, but that was the gen III.

 

Well unlike the "Green Car of the Year Award," this time the judges are planning (or had) some seat time.

Bob Wilson

 

was that the lyme green japanese prius?

 

This will only be interesting to me when electric motors are evaluated instead of explosion containment devices.

 

The gen IV prius is not widely available for the 2016 green car of the year. It is able to compete next year, but its likely the bolt or gen II leaf will win given the rumors of those cars

 

So Diesel is no longer Green?

 

"Volkswagen Group automakers were barred from participating this year because of its diesel emissions scandal."

Smoked Green not allowed, I guess...

 

So the judges who might have voted for the 'efficient' diesel are now faced with a 40%, thermodynamic, gasoline engine. Will they vote what they used to claim was the diesel advantage?

There in lies the rub. Total vehicle efficiency is how the Prius hybrid skunked diesels in the past. Yet their diesel bias hung on the claimed, engine efficiency. But the legal diesels burn fuel to be legal. It is a character test . . . whether they will still cling to 'diesel efficiency' by somehow ignoring the emissions burn needed to be legal.

Bob Wilson

 

Bob this is not a "green" competition, efficiency is just one aspect. VW diesel did not qualify (DNQ) this year, because they didn't meet the minimum EPA requirements.

Efficiency and innovation are important parts of the award, but if it was simply green there is no way the 5.2L ford V8 in the mustang application would win. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) are also key. NVH is often worse in a diesel making them not finish high here compared to gasoline engines. Wards says toyota did improve NVH on the gen IV engine (1.8L I4) versus the gen III. Throttle response is also considered. Here the prius doesn't do well but diesels and turbo engines as well as high displacement do well. Here one diesel combined efficiency and good throttle response and stayed on the list the Ram 1500 di turbo diesel 3L V6. The other engines that did well here but probably much better in NVH are the previous mentioned mustang V8, the bmw 340i with a 3L di turbo I6, and the Cadillac ATS and Camaro 3.6L di normally aspirated V6.

I do agree with you that for america the pollution and costs of diesel make it a very tough sell unless it gives a boost epa fuel economy. For mid size and smaller cars, even vw own hybrid does better than its diesel.

 

This is where an engine-only competition should be aimed at efficiency and that needs to include fuel burned for emissions. Just last night, I saw a diesel forum where someone claimed they are 40% more efficient and some impossible thermal dynamic values. Don't these people understand BSFC?

Still the ignorance of a diesel fan-boy forum poster will hopefully not be shared by these writers.

This is why I'm amused at the 'TDI forum.' So many of the diesel, fan-boys don't understand that it is total vehicle performance that counts. But then so many confuse plug-in versus hybrid performance, which is still poorly understood.

Bob Wilson