Findings Confirm Consumer Complaints

Gwarsh! Duh Prius only gets 45 MPG! I guess dat means I should go back to mah Hummer!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Dec 19 2006, 10:43 PM) [snapback]364463[/snapback]</div>

Why the aggravation over things the writer (and possibly mislead readers) don't understand? It really doesn't matter what they say or think. When the EPA rerates the Prius, it will proportionally be rated as high as it actually is over other cars, so the difference in economy will be just as distinctive. The Prius demand is greater than it's supply, so there is no concern that Toyota will diminish support for the program. I read, today, that Toyota plans on bringing out Li-On powered Prii in 2009 that are being estimated at >100MPG (113). Why get bent out of shape when sitting in the catbirds' seat, just because the majority of the planet is misinformed? If the Prius backlog is huge now, think of how that (and general perceptions) will be multiplied by 2009 when the nay sayer's crow feathers will be flying (lol). By then, Toyota will doubtless maintain the technological lead over the other sadly lagging manufacturors, plus the Prius shortages will be exacerbated by what will surely be much higher fuel prices. The Prius program really speaks for itself. Nothing really for us owners to worry about, as our benefactor, Toyota, has the game well in hand. I'm already putting money aside for the 2009 and, when necessary, for upgrading my 2006 to the new Li-On batteries, when those upgrades become commonly available. Enjoy the ride Prius owners! Our good sense and judgement will continue to rewarded us, handsomely.

 

Let's see what my complaint would look like.

"The Prius sticker promises me overall 55 mpg but I'm only getting 47 mpg on a regular basis. My old car promised me 28 mpg and I got at least 23 mpg on a regular basis.........uh.....wait a minute......"

Yeah. A lot to complain about there.

Wow, the EPA is going to revise their numbers for the Prius. Just the Prius? Or are they going to revise the way they calculate mileage for ALL cars. Didn't we already read about this?

Articles like this don't matter. They're not that influential. Very few consumers are going to base their purchases on this alone. Call it fodder for the naysayers. But slowly over time the naysayers will be reduced to a small, hardcore group. Someone posted elsewhere that despite gas going down people are still concerned about mileage. Good. 45 mpg is better than 25 mpg. And most people are smart enough to see that. Most people are also smart enough to know that no car gets what the sticker says EPA gets. But no matter how "bad" the mileage of the Prius is, it's still usually double whatever car it replaced. I owned a Saturn SC2 coupe and only got between 20-25 mpg. Of course if I drove it like I now drive my Prius I might be consistently on the high side of that. But I'd still never get close to the Prius. And the Prius holds more cargo, is a four door that seats 5, etc, etc.

Hybrids have become like Global Warming. There will always be those in denial. And slowly, everyone else will embrace the concept and adjust accordingly.

(And one of them is going to be more than happy to buy my used 2005 when I replace it with a new 2009.)

 

The writers attitude is shown in the way he refers to a Prius as "little cars" & "little hybrid".

Being the season, I shoved a 3 metre (10 foot) Xmas tree in my Prius the other day. I would like to see him do the same with one of his 'big' cars.

 

At the bottom of the article is a link to report a complaint against a company or product. This is mine:

Mr. Benton recently wrote an article posted on ConsumerAffairs.com about the EPA changing the Prius' MPG estimates and owners' gas mileage complaints. Sadly. Mr. Benton is either a shill for the SUV manufacturers, or a severely incompetent author as he has simply regurgitated the same old rhetoric the Detroit manufacturers used years ago in his article. This nonsense has been disposed of for some time now. The perfect-world shortcomings of the EPA estimates is known, as well as the effect of the most important part of mileage: the driver. The point of his article is clearly to stigmatize the Prius. The facts are these: the EPA is lowering estimates on all vehicles, not just the Prius; Prius owners regularly achieve, and even beat, EPA estimates. Real consumer organizations have surveyed car owners and found that Prius owners have the highest owner satisfaction rate of any vehicle ever recorded. While it is true that this minor site and minor author will not have any real impact on Prius owners or Prius sales, some people will believe this nonsense and it is those people that will be hurt the most. They will go on thinking that there is no vehicle with superb mileage, there is no vehicle better for the environment, there is no vehicle that can make a difference.
--A lead-footed Prius owner that gets, misses, and beats EPA estimates.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VaPrius @ Dec 20 2006, 05:22 AM) [snapback]364498[/snapback]</div>

Mr. Benton is a Shill for the Class Action Vulture Lawfirm that publishes the Consumeraffairs.com website. There's been much discussion on here about it in past threads. If you look at their other articles on other subjects they are all geared toward getting people to sign on for Class Action suits.

He's also got a plagiarism problem

But, you gotta love the spin:

"The government fuel economy estimate also confirms ConsumerAffairs.Com's road test of the Prius in July. That test drive concluded that the Prius got 45.2 miles per gallon in VIGOROUS city driving."

(Emphasis Mine)

Don't bother to point out that the EPA Estimate isn't based on 'vigorous' driving.

Anyway, nothing new for these low lifes.

 

EPA estimates for all cars will be revised. City MPG for our Dodge pickup will probably go from current 14 to about 11, or about 20%. If the Prius goes from 60 to 45, it will be about the same percentage, but still the best mileage in town! Consumer Reports is a much better comparison than EPA, since they actually drive the cars, although I find theirs somewhat conservative. Personally, I think the new estimates will benefit the Prius and increase sales (benefit Toyota?). Most anybody can get 45 MPG in the city, and with some work, you can better it. As far as a Prius shortage, there is none. Each of our San Antonio Toyota dealers have at least a dozen Priuses last time I checked.

 

EPA rated at 60 MPG for the city? I have been consistently getting between 70-80 mpg during my "city" type driving with am temps from 28F to 42F.

Is mine defective?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tempus @ Dec 20 2006, 08:22 AM) [snapback]364539[/snapback]</div>

This is their "feedback" option description:

"Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now. "

I think I'll report my bad experience at their website :lol:

 

Any Prius sites like this site from a guy that beat his Insight to death?

To put it in perspective, imagine if it was a kid that claimed his Prius got 35mpg and ran up $20,000 in repairs - supposedly from defective workmanship.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Dec 20 2006, 03:36 AM) [snapback]364486[/snapback]</div>

Except there is no way I'd ever get 31 mpg out of that Saturn, unless I really pumped up the tires, really coasted to stops, gentle starts and did most of my driving on the freeway at 50-55 mph. Then maybe I'd get that 28. I'd probably have to remove the spare tire and maybe even the back seats to lighten the car too.

But I see where you're going.

What's the average mileage of an SUV driven by one person that never goes camping and is only used for commuting to work that could be replaced by a Prius?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Dec 20 2006, 09:35 AM) [snapback]364665[/snapback]</div>

Real world comparison: My Ford Sporttrac (a SUT) got 17MPG on my 80 mile round trip commute, which includes about 20% city and 75% highway driving, and includes many hills on the freeway portion. My Prius gets 45.5 to 45.8 MPG on the same route.

Conclusion: I get better mileage in my Prius.

I will not be joining a class action suit. Even if I were eligible, I would not, as it would force me to associate with lawyers and other unsavory types.

 

Man, if I should be upset over my Prius missing the government projections for mileage (49 real hwy vs 51 epa) by 4%...I guess I should be irate about my previous vehicle (Jeep Wrangler), it only got 16mpg on average (and frequently 12-14mpg) when the sticker claimed 19...that is a 15-35% window of error! Now, if you factor in that the odometer/spedometer exaggerated by 5-7% that even makes it worse, suddenly I am seeing 15mpg on a good day and 11 on hot sunny days.

I sure am upset, this stupid Prius still only gets better gas mileage than any other car out there.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: fell out of my chair with Tony's complaint! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Dec 20 2006, 11:35 AM) [snapback]364665[/snapback]</div>

There is some truth to that. Every vehicle I've had before I was able to beat the EPA, just by smart driving (easy on the acceleration, staying in or close to the speed limit, coasting before stops). With the Prius, I am not getting the EPA, except a few times in the summer (primarily due to a short commute, but I've always made decisions to get short commutes, so it didn't affect the other cars as much). I'm not doing bad, my lifetime is about 49 mpg, but relative to the EPA, it's the worst of any car I've had.

Okay, it's still 30% better than any other car I've owned (my previous best car, a 1987 Sentra, averaged about 37), so it just comes down to what kind of point I want to prove with my numbers.