Considering a Prius - Advise me!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steken @ May 28 2006, 04:51 PM) [snapback]262112[/snapback]</div>

First off you should be choosing the car for your own reasons..
*The USA models accelerate 0-60 in 9.5 to 10.0 seconds
*Top governed speed is 109 mph (at 85mph the car runs just fine )
*I would get the loaded model so it shows you are conserving gas but are not sacrificing luxury..(smug) <_<
*No one can say if your going to hate the car in three years but your self.. :huh:
*Prius's have been selling strong since 02 here in the USA and even stronger after the changed the look from the Echo to the new body style, heck the dealers have waiting lists on these cars here..
*My 04' I purchased new and love it, I would only trade it in for another one or maybe a hybrid hilander. B)
But I will never own anyother vehicle make, Im sold on toyotas releibility & safety records I wouldnt mind owning a Loaded Toyota Crown (their luxury car model) but it would just sit on blocks in the garage ..

The Lexus Rh400 hybrid is a nice SUV if you can afford it

Good Luck!

 

The best advice I've ever seen on this forum is to rent a Prius for a few days. Call around to some Toyota dealers and see if you can find one to rent. and take an 'extended test drive' over your typical driving routes to see if you would like it.

I didn't rent one - I didn't even realize that was an option at all - but I bought one after wrecking my old car about 6 weeks ago. For me, I find it very roomy and comfortable, and luxurious compared to my old car. But that's me, and I might as well be one of the glossy sales brochures in a dealership or the fancy 'flash' videos on Toyota sites on the Internet. I bought my Prius after test-driving a few other cars and less than 10 minutes test drive in a Prius - but only you can judge whether it's a good car for you.

Happy car shopping!

 

This is probably not the best place to get "totally unbiased" views. This is a Prius enthusiasts site, and just about everyone here thinks the Prius is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I personally think it's the coolest car in the universe. That said...

The "CVT" statement is misleading. What the Prius has is not a CVT. It actually has no transmission, and no clutch. The drive train is a power-split device (PSD) which allows the engine to spin over a wide range of RPMs for any given vehicle speed. But "CVT" gives an extremely misleading idea of how this happens.

The Prius will not be as comfortable as a Lexus. I like it, but my Prius cost 1/3 as much as my sister's Lexus, and for luxury the two cars are not comparable.

Many people have reported (including myself) that in a strong crosswind at freeway speeds, the Prius is skittish. In this respect, my old Civic was better.

Those are the two items that, based on your original post, I think might be of concern to you.

On the other hand, you will have the EV button standard (we don't get it here in America, unless we install it ourselves as an unauthorized after-market mod) and that is super-cool. Since you'll be getting the fully-loaded model, you'll have air bags all the way around and VSC (two important safety features -- and VSC is normally available only in much more expensive cars) and SKS, which is also cool. You'll have an excellent, roomy car, and if you are as fascinated as most of us on PriusChat are by gagetry, you will have great fun just knowing how unconventional the workings under the hood are.

For me, the Prius has a lot of acceleration (due to the high torque characteristic of electric motors). It's not a muscle car, but it's fast off the line, and still has plenty of oomph for passing a semi going 75 mph. My old Civic took a long time to get from 75 to 85 for passing. The Prius does it easily and quickly.

I cannot predict whether you will still love the car in two years. But I bought mine in January, 2004, and I still think it's the coolest car in the universe. (... Well, maybe except for the tzero, which costs US$200,000 and there's only 4 of them.)

 

No, it's not a slug at acceleration. Top speed is, I believe, 110 mph.

That said, I don't think you want to drive that fast with a two year old in the car.

And.....you may find you change your driving style to up your fuel economy as the car has great feedback in that regard.

BTW if you ever drive in to London, you don't have to pay that fee other cars do. I believe the Prius is exempt. Don't know what other perks you might have.

And the hatchback is great. The floor of the cargo area is flush with the back bumper so when you open the hatch you don't have to lift up and over to get things in the back. There is also a smaller storage compartment below the floor of the cargo area. It holds a surprising amount of stuff.

I hope you can eventually test drive one. I think you'll like it. Maybe you can find a local owner willing to take you for a spin.

 

Hi Steken,

The CVT is not like anything else on the road, mechanical CVT or other. Its like an electrical Torque Converter in its function. Torque from the engine is split into the wheel gear train and off into a generator. The overspeed of the engine ends up in the generator. The generator converts the overspeed torque into electricity for the main drive motor. This is kinda what an automatic transmission torque converter does, only instead of using oil as the fluid, its using electrons. Extra electricty not needed by the drive motor goes into the battery and can be called on later. The system is robust, and with a slight downhill slope during summer weather one can cruise up to 41 mph on pure electric drive for about 2 miles before the engine must come back on. I regularily take advantage of this on feeder roads around here. Check out this link for some good information: http://www.ecrostech.com/prius/original/PriusFrames.htm .

The synergy part of this thing (its called the Hybrid Synergy Drive or HSD) is that in doing the transmission this way, the generator does quadruple duty. Its the engine starter, car alternator, and series hybrid generator, besides providing the function of the extra gears in a transmission. The transmission only has the power splitting device which is similar to planetary gear set used in a standard automatic transmission, a chain drive and a gear set to reach down to the axle. In comparison an automatic transmission has 4 to 6 of these planetary gear sets and the clutches to switch them on/off shaft.

So far this system has shown excellent reliability - better than a standard car. Taxi Cab fleets in Washington D.C., Vancouver and Tokyo have had good life out of the vehicles. The generator is so robust in comparson to the starter and alternator in a standard car, it does not need repair for the life of the vehicle. Which is very unlike the service lifes of starters and alternators on standard cars. One Taxi Driver in Vancouver has gone through two Prii already in excess of 150 K miles. This kind of service usually requires a standard automatic transmission rebuild during the life the car.

Yes, we have other Hybrids here in the USA. But the Prius accounts for half the hybrid car sales here, by itself. Toyota has launched the Camry hybrid recently. I saw one at my local dealer when I was there to pick up oil drain sealing washers yesterday. We also have a small Ford SUV hybrid called the Escape which uses a system very similar to the HSD. Ford decided to pay patent royalties to Toyota as the system was so close. There are also the Honda Hybrids - A hybrid version of the Civic and a small (even smaller than the original Mini!) two seater called the Insight. The Insight is a series Hybrid (versus the parallel series capabilities of the Prius) system - the engine only runs a generator and all motive power is from an electric motor. It gets similar mileage to the Prius. The Civic Hybrid in its second generation gets a little less mileage than a Prius. The Civic hybrid system uses a motor/generator inbetween the engine and transmission. Its called a IMA, or integrated motor assist. Otherwise, the Honda Civic Hybrid is very similar to a non-hybrid car, and thus similarily reliable.

Hope this helps fill you in.

I was exposed to the Hybrid concept in college many years ago and have been watching things develop. Really thought GM was going to pull the trigger when I heard that the replacement for the Saturn SL2 was called the ION, but NOoooo! I plunged in and bought a Prius earlier this year. I am very happy with the Prius. I visit the gas station half as often, but do spend a little more than with my previous 1.9 liter DOHC small car. So fuel consumption is just over 1/2 of the privious car.

Here are some of the differences between the Prius and a standard car. The Prius is not a quick starter off-the line. It starts out from a stop in electric drive then the engine comes on. Which is really good for stop and go traffice (engine wont come on at all). But for a quick start it takes about a second for the engine to deliver torque from being turned on, after about a second before the Prius will decide to turn on the engine. Even though the horsepower is somewhat lower, when starting an acceleration with the engine on , the Prius above 30 mph is quicker than my previous car (1.9 liter DOHC aluminum block 125 hp small car). I attribute this to the CVT and electric motor advantages. Another thing about the car is that in really cold weather start-up, the battery has very little power, and functions mostly as a big capacitor for the CVT. The capacitor having allot of mass takes a long time to warm up in these cold conditions. The difference between -15 C operation and 30 C operation is dramatic. My experience is from about 42 mpg to 58 mpg on my daily commute. And say from 20 second 0-60 mph to 11 second (remember 1 to 2 of those seconds is just getting the engine on).

 

Only you can decide whether a Prius is right for you or not. If all that you have to choose from is a Lexus or a Prius, though, you certainly have the best options. Only the Prius and the Honda Civic hybrids are going to give you the best mileage possible but the Prius is the sharpest of the two. The Lexus hybrids are more performance enhancements to gas-only twins. Perhaps the best way to look at a Prius is its set of good points: It shuts off the gas engine when you're stuck in traffic so it's a great car to have if you get in traffic jams or snarls a lot. It's a quiet, pleasant ride that is well designed and very classy for its price range. It gets even better mileage than a compact or subcompact car (we look at a Pruis on this forum as a midsize sedan) but it rides like a Camry. It's not what I'd consider an expensive car (12 to 15 thousand pounds) but it has several features that you'd usually find in a, well, Lexus. It's a fine addition to Toyota's stable of reliable cars. It's cheap to drive because of its mileage, it's better for the environment because it uses less gasoline than most vehicles on the road and pollutes less because of that. You've got hundreds of Prius owners who can give you tips and help when you need it and we can make you laugh while getting informed. You can't get a better deal than that. Well, and, the Cool Chicks in Black Prii Club members are easy on the eye. B)

 

The CVT in the above post is not rally a CVT as it has been used in the past. It is a plenary gear set. Different. Torque at the low end from the MG2 (motor generator 2 is very good) 0-10 is OK and most of that is the MG2. The Ice is a Atkins cycle engine and provides power in its optimal range, supplemented by MG2 as necessary. You really need to drive one. The total lack of shifting is noticeable. Take care with the breaking as it is different than conventional hydraulic brakes. They have a bit of delay. Brake by wire and regenerative breaking is a bit different. Feel it out to begin with. You will not see the hesitation of hydraulic breaking. You can just drive this car, but the car will teach you how to drive it. It very much tries to act like a conventional car but it is not.

 

zzz

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ May 29 2006, 05:14 AM) [snapback]262133[/snapback]</div>

following my follower.

 

Well I studied abroad summer 2004 in London. I lived 10 weeks in Kensington just south of hyde park, so I am at least familiar with the traffic suituaton in central london, and based on that I cannot fathom why anyone (at least in london) would even want to own a car, I went everywhere for 10 weeks without driving once... I was wowed and amazed by the public transit network all over western europe (I managed to get around engalnd, wales, scotland, france, and germany without any car).

But... If you live in the UK and feel that a car is a must, then I would definitely suggest going with a prius. You cannot beat the fuel economy (I average about 50 Miles Per Gallon on the flat terrain of Northwestern Ohio.)

Also, by British standards, the Prius is a huge car, especially compared to a citeron clown car or those rediculous (sp?) Smart Cars... I dont think I would feel safe at any speed above 35 MPH in a Smart Car...

The back-up camera comes in VERY handy when parellel parking, although paraell parking spaces in Bowling Green Ohio are WAY bigger than those in the UK... I never could understand how a car could get out of a parking space with only 2 inches clearance off the front and rear bumpers... (or how the car could get in there in the first place!)

Plus, with the insanely high price of 'petrol' in the UK, the prius would save you the most money while affording you the most luxury. I drive a package 4 in the US, out of 8 packages with package 8 being the most fancy, and I have had a lot of people who have been in the car with me comment on how nice it is inside, the comfyness of the seats, and how quiet and smooth the ride is. (although I know the packages work differently in the UK)

But as others have said, the ultimate decision will be yours, although I know I could never trade away my barcelona beauty, although If i ever did it would be for a 3rd or 4th generation prius!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ May 28 2006, 04:02 PM) [snapback]262142[/snapback]</div>

This is one of the better explanations I've seen of the Prius's unique drive train.

However, I disagree with the statement that it's not quick off the line. Yes, there's a slight hesitation from engine-off to strong acceleration, and it's not a muscle car. But in my opinion, it is very sprightly. Of course, my point of reference is my old Civic.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas @ May 28 2006, 04:22 PM) [snapback]262149[/snapback]</div>

I find the braking on the Prius to be very smooth and strong. On my old Jeep CJ-5 I sometimes had to press so hard on the brakes I had nightmares about not being able to stop, and even on my Civic I sometimes had to use all my strength. Since the Prius is mostly using MG2 (motor/generator 2) as a generator for braking, and the brake pedal is really just a kind of joystick, braking is effortless and easy to control, even in an emergency stop.

 

[/quote]I find the braking on the Prius to be very smooth and strong. On my old Jeep CJ-5 I sometimes had to press so hard on the brakes I had nightmares about not being able to stop, and even on my Civic I sometimes had to use all my strength. Since the Prius is mostly using MG2 (motor/generator 2) as a generator for braking, and the brake pedal is really just a kind of joystick, braking is effortless and easy to control, even in an emergency stop.
[/quote]

I have to agree with Daniel on this one. The Prius braking is superior to standard cars. The action of the pedal takes a little getting used to, as one does not need to take up the hydraulic slack. The car starts braking at first touch of the brake pedal. Push the pedal quickly (puts both regenerative and friction brakes in action) and one will be pinned up against the seat belts hard. I am sure that the Prius test drive salepeople have had a few bruises on their chests from their clients gettting used to the brakes!

Once you get used to the pedal, which is not hard, the brakes are very nice. One can apply a wide range of braking forces in a very controlled manner.

 

Dittos, the acceleration from a standing start. It's got well over 300ft/lbs of torque, it's no slouch, though not a muscle car. Acceleration at highway speeds is pretty darn good too. It's a very curious acceleration though, very smooth and continuous and it DOESN'T give the sensation, in the cabin, of the speed you're going. BE sure to watch the speedometer until you get accustomed to it. From cruising at 70mph one is up to the governed top speed pretty quickly.

It's braking is possibly it's most under reported feature. One would need to spend possibly 2-3 times the cost of the Prius to get braking as good. It's little short of phenominal.

There are things that you can't experience with other cars, at least not safely. Like cruising down the highway with the motor off at 70mph, and have it be in gear- as I wrote, perfectly safe and it's common.

I listen to classical (not exclusively) and I find the standard stereo to be OK. Understand there is road noise so anything other than headphones probably wouldn't be REALLY good. But it's acceptable. If you need enough wattage to make cars around you bounce from the bass of your music you'll be disappointed.

It's "neat factor" is pretty high. Is it for you? Only you can answer that. Is there nowhere in the UK that has one to test drive? Heck, I'd travel to find one to test drive if you really aren't sure. Gee, what a good excuse for a holiday drive.