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2010 - no plug-in = big disappointment

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Zack, Jan 17, 2009.

  1. Zack

    Zack New Member

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    Aren't you people pi...d off at Toyota?
    It suppose to be best Prius ever and I can't see anything better than existing 2008. Oh yes, there are some solar cells on the roof. I wonder how much that is going to cost? No plug-in, MFD reduced and more ... of less ... and expected.
     
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    No, because we knew plug-in wasn't coming yet when we walked into the reveal...

    It's hard to get pissed until we have all the data. Until then, it's a waste of my time or energy to be pissed about costs, features or options we just don't know about.
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Nope. Sure they could've pushed the boundaries but that'll cost a lot more than instead of being pissed at the car, you'll be pissed at Toyota for making it so expensive.

    I'd like a PHEV but I can see how they're trying to broaden the appeal of the Prius. I just hope they don't lose sight of the core people (e.g. the GenI folks) who bought the Prius for its mpg, technology and low emissions.... mostly mpg.

    If you don't like it, then go buy an 09 before they run out of stock. I'm happy with the 05 but the 08 is a definite improvement. Of course, I'll save my final judgement after I've taken one for a test drive.
     
  4. Zack

    Zack New Member

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    I'd say you are right, whoever is holding off and not buying now doesn't have any more reasons for that! Buy '09 sounds like good advice. The fact is Toyota failed to dramatically improve the '10. Changes are minor, cosmetic, and minor in every respect. Not even close to be called Gen III. It looks like other people will do that part (Golf Hybrid, GMC Volt, Ford ...).
     
  5. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    Golf Hybrid? :).

    How about that Chinese phev? did you check it out? sounds very cool...

    as to the prius, they said at least a year ago that phev will be released years after 2010 Prius... so it would be pretty hard for anyone that follows prius to expect phev.
     
  6. Zack

    Zack New Member

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  7. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Perhaps folks screaming for a plug-in ought to put their money where their mouth is by doing a Hymotion conversion to a 09-

    Thought I overheard the Hymotion warranty is only 3 years, hope I'm not wrong.

    If the above 3 year figure is true, and let's say Toyota put out a 2010 HEV and PHEV Prius in 4 months, where the PHEV would have a 3 year Li-Ion warranty, and would cost, oh, I do not know, $36k sticker price ...

    would you, Zack, buy the PHEV?

    ... and a replacement battery costs $5k+
     
  8. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Do you have any idea how many "planned" hybrids have come and gone over the past 9 years?

    Toyota actually delivers something in large volume at a reasonable price, then continues to improve it.

    The plug option is coming. Li-Ion still has a few quirks that need to be dealt with (like cold weather operation). In the meantime, the platform which will use it is being rolled out.
    .
     
  9. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Oh no, it only has

    improved styling,
    gained 24 HP,
    improved Cd,
    much improved driver's seat,
    10% improved overall fuel economy,
    improved handling,
    quieter interior,
    roomier inside,
    improved rear seat headroom and legroom,
    fixed/removed bladder from fuel tank,
    improved Hybrid Synergy Drive / new exhaust recirc system
    beltless gas engine
    etc...

    2010 ... Best. Prius. Ever. :cheer2:
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah.. so is the S400 Hybrid, Cayenne Hybrid and EfficientDynamics from BMW.

    They're supposed to be on sale really soon (09? 10?). Either way, I'm not gonna be able to afford those vehicles. The VW Golf Twin Drive... we've seen it before. Go check Flying White Dutchman's thread on it. We were excited.. until VW decided there wasn't a good enough reason to bring it over (let alone build it).

    I fail to see (no pun intended) how Toyota failed to dramatically improve the 2010 model. You're not going to see a Camry go from 268hp to 400hp so you're not going to see a Prius go from 4.1L/100km to 2.5L/100km.

    Whenever you launch something new, you better be damn sure it works as well as it does now as it does 10 years later. That takes time and money to develop.
     
  11. hxiong

    hxiong Junior Member

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    Sounds really good, can't wait to drive it
     
  12. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    P'd off? No. I'm disappointed in the car, and don't see enough advantage in it to trade in my 2004. But I'm not angry at Toyota. I believe they are doing what they can with the technology presently available. I want an EV. A PHEV-60 would satisfy me. But I recognize that with present lithium technology and the corrupt and criminal Cobasys patent limiting use of NiMH, 60 miles of EV range is more expensive than the general car-buying public would pay right now, making it uneconomical for Toyota to build the car I want.

    Note that nobody else is doing so either. How can you get mad at Toyota when no big-volume car company is building an EV or PHEV? Tesla, Zap, Zenn, HyMotion, are all small-volume companies catering to niche markets.

    Another concept car that does not exist with no certain date for when or if it will ever exist. How does that translate to "not joking"? All it says is that they're serious about jumping on the vaporware bandwagon.

    The HyMotion PHEV conversion is (to borrow a term from John) a mild PHEV: While it does plug in, and does use a significant amount of grid energy, and is a very real step in the right direction, it does not ever drive without gasoline, other than extremely low speed or under extremely-low power conditions (the same conditions when a normal Prius would shut off its engine). It can extend such times longer than a non-modified Prius, but just like a regular Prius, it must run the ICE any time you give it throttle.

    What this means is that, unlike a full PHEV, the HyMotion Prius burns gasoline on every trip.

    What I want is a car that will burn no gasoline at all on my daily trips around town (like my Xebra, which is a full EV) and only burns gas on longer trips, when my EV would have to stay at home anyway.

    Since my Xebra will go 40 miles on a charge, and is therefore safe to take on a 35-mile planned trip, the car I need before I'll trade in my Xebra and my 2004 Prius is a PHEV-40 that drives 40 miles with zero gasoline before the ICE comes on. The HyMotion conversion, nice as it is, does not meet that requirement. Until then I'll stick with my trusty old 2004 Pius, and my EV.
     
  13. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

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  14. ken1784

    ken1784 SuperMID designer

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    Toyota's messages are very clear to me.
    The 2010 Prius is the best in the gas-electric hybrid vehicle market.

    A plug-in Prius is for a different market.
    "Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers."
    Toyota's messages

    Ken@Japan
     
  15. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    I agree with John. Until you can actually order/buy one, I don't really consider plans that can be scrapped a car. Toyota is, with the release of this 2010 model, about 1 1/2 to 5 years ahead of other car companies. IMHO.

    :D
     
  16. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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  17. statultra

    statultra uber-Senior Member

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    The prius needed a power increase since the last generation, the fun factor wasnt there from the NHW20 prius, oddly enough the first generation prius in my opinion is more "fun" to drive.
     
  18. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Fun is a want. Need is a minimum requirement, not a desire.

    Both are quite relevant with respect to purchase, but the difference shouldn't be mixed up.
    .
     
  19. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    The Prius was never marketed as a "fun" car. It was marketed as a clean, fuel-efficient car. For many of us here on PC, it was (is) "fun" to drive the technology in the Prius. But we are a small part of the market. The average Prius buyer just wanted a car that burned less gas, and in some cases a car that pollutes less. A few wanted the HOV privileges in CA, which are a function of its low pollution. People who list "fun" as their criterion for picking a car don't generally buy a Prius.
     
  20. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Depends on what one means by "fun". If by that one means kiddie stuff like burning rubber and squealing around corners, then the Prius is definitely not "fun".

    But if one defines as "fun" all the techie stuff one could do with the Prius, then definitely very few cars in its price range can compete (if any at all).