Edmunds InsideLine Publishes False Statements

wow that was well written

 

What's next for them? Fit vs. Accord and declear Fit as the winner?

 

Gee! I don't understand.:noidea: I didn't see your response among their comments listed for the article.:suspicious:
Prehaps he did't get back from being off yet.

Great email!:cheer2:

 

Statements like "Toyota will be needing a new $2,585 battery pack when the odometer shows 100,000-150,000 miles" was debunked by several Taxis fleet (e.g. Canada, Australia) and Gen 1 results.

 

You gotta wonder why they didn't mention about the cost of changing Fit transmission after 5 years / 60,000 miles (warranty expires).

The fact that Prius' HV battery has twice longer warranty than Fit powertrain was not mentioned. Instead, they choose to go the FUD tactic.

 

In
Motor Authority Toyota Prius taxi tops 340,000mi, dispels battery myth

A fleet of 32 Prius, each car racks up about 200,000km (125,000mi) each year. Two of the older examples have managed a lifespan of 350,000km (218,000mi) and 550,000km (341,000mi) before needing replacement of their nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.

 

I was going to tell you that if you didn't like the Edmunds review you should NEVER look at what Top Gear has to say. These are reviewers who prefer gold plater Lamborghini's and Mercades with jet engines attached but check out their Prius Review.

Toyota Prius New Car Review - Car Reviews - Top Gear

 

Another thing they fail to mention is comfort -- especially in the back seat. The Fit might be OK for kids in the back, but adults will be "less than comfortable" -- even on the short trips. It reminds me of our '05 Beetle -- you can sit in the back seat if you don't mind your knees hitting the back of the front seat. And that is with the front passenger's knees against the dash! We looked at the Fit and the Matrix before we looked at the Prius and decided that we didn't need another "Beetle backseat". We wanted a car that our family of three (plus three dogs) could ride in on long trips and not have to sit in each other's lap.

 

I hang out in an s2000 forum, some are even saying Fit > Corvette. So don't be too serious.

I need Prius sales number to come down so I can pick up a 2010 Prius without having to wait and/or pay at/above MSRP.

Edmunds and other hybrid-hater writers are helping me make it happen. So don't rock my boat, people.

 

???? From you're posted link:

"Verdict 4/5 stars

Proof that you don't need to drive a wacky little Noddy car to save the planet. The Prius is very practical, versatile and has excellent road manners... so treat it like a normal five-door hatch which is extremely cost effective to run. "

And:

"Despite its extremely complicated hybrid technology, the Prius still has Toyota's typical rock-solid reliability. Even the earlier 2001- 2004 model has proved to be hassle-free. That said, only buy a car from a Toyota dealership and ensure it comes with a full Toyota service history to make sure you're buying the best."

How is this anything but a good review?

 

ATTA BOY! We need more people to point out the Emperor's new clothes.

 

That Top Gear review seems full of contradictions. 3-star rating on build quality, yet it says "This is a very well-built car - just not quite as robust as other Toyota models". And they fell victim to the same syndrome I've seen other review sites fall to: "It doesn't perform like a sports car". Well, DUH! The Prius isn't DESIGNED to be a jackrabbit off the start! It's designed to get you from point A to point B using as little gas as possible!

If reviewers would start paying attention to what the car was actually DESIGNED for, maybe people would see the Prius as more than a novelty. These reviewers also need to realize that the majority of people who are interested in getting those nice, sporty cars that can do 0-60 in 5 seconds live in areas where they're unlikely to get up to those kinds of speeds very often (traffic slog), and/or where accelerating like that would be considered reckless driving. I'm perfectly happy with my 10+ second 0-60 time, thank you - because I know how to drive safely and effectively where I live, I'm still doing freeway speeds by the time I get on the freeway anyway.

 

Other than the fact that the Prius and the Fit really aren't of the same class of car, and the battery concern appears to be false, my biggest problem with this type of analysis is that they never seem to take into account residual value. I would guess a 3 year old Fit with 50,000 miles would get maybe 50 - 60% of original value at retail if in excellent condition, whereas the Prius might get 75 - 80% of original value. Once that is accounted for the Prius is cheaper to own and is still a nicer car.

 

Indeed it is a good review. I read the article, expecting it to mirror Jeremy Clarkson's view on the TV program of Top Gear...then I realized the article probably wasn't written by him.

This is what Jeremy actually had to say:

 

I think it's a great review and worth a lot from a source I wouldn't expect a Prius to get fair consideration from

 

At least you didn't show this one....Billy Bob and the Prius

 

I have one question: What kind of idiot calculates investment return on a car? A car is not an investment. If it were, it would be a lousy one. It's a tool. Some people can afford nicer tools than others. Some tools run off of elbow grease, some plug in, some use batteries, others use air or internal combustion engines. No one calculates "investment return" (what a joke) on those. They just look at the job they want to accomplish and select the appropriate tool.

 

How about 'cost of ownership'?

 

Clarkson has a reasonable point re: gas mileage as the brits have the diesel available to them that can get very good fuel efficiency at a reasonable price. If we hade to pay over $30,000 for a Prius here and could get a Volkswagon Diesel that got 50 MPG for $20,000, then the Prius would be in a different light in the U.S. Not sure what Prius he was driving that took over 13 seconds to get to 60 though.