How Toyota is the new Apple

Well It is like Apple in the sense that folks who would never buy one feel a need to come online and tell how bad it is, getting all the facts wrong.

I was amused by today's 'disappointed' "It gets no better gas mileage than a Fiesta and why is it so large?" sounds to me like they were watching the larger car announcement for a smaller car and are stunned it was larger, just like the hype said it was.

Far more disappointing to me is the lack of a level load floor with the rear seats down.

Toyota won't make every driver happy with every car, that is why they make more than one.

 

I don't think the hype was Toyota's fault at all. They played this one very close to the chest and the 2 photos we saw on the site were pretty much spot on. I had myself believing that this was going to be a Venza that got 50 MPG. So I hyped myself. What we got was basically what Toyota showed us. So I really don't see that they hyped us at all, but rather we hyped ourselves.

 

And we have the Toyotagate and Antennagate.

 

lol

 

Well I am also one that is very disappointed in the gas mileage numbers. After all, the Prius name is synonymous with great mileage and when that disappears, it's no longer a Prius. So call it something else, but not a Prius.

 

It's like in love : we need to be two.
If one is bad how could the second be good ?
With the Prius, the game is the same : if the driver is bad, how could the Prius be powerfull ?

 

No better fuel economy than a Fiesta? This statement harkens back to the old complaint about the iconic Prius...

'Why spend all that money when you can get a Hyundai Accent which will still get you from A to B at a lot lower cost.'

The Ford Fiesta is equivalent to the Yaris or the future Prius c. It's tiny. 2011 Ford Fiesta Car | Great MPG. Cool Tech. Fun to Drive. | Ford.com The Prius c will kill it in fuel economy.

The Prius v is not in the same class as the Fiesta, it's two levels above it in both size and amenities. The 'v' is a lot larger and heavier than the current Gen 3 so it should get lower fuel economy. There's no way to avoid the laws of physics. More weight = lower fuel economy.

However when the Prius v is compared to the other vehicles in the same class it kills all of them dead with regards to fuel economy.
Ford has no entry in this class
GM has the HHR
Honda had nothing
Mazda had the Mazda3 hatch
Chrysler has nothing ( had the PT )
Hyundai has nothing
Toyota IMO may ditch the Matrix in favor of the Prius v

None of these competitors' offerings can come close to 40 mpg day in and day out. Like the original Prius and the iconic Gen2 Toyota is carving out ( taking over ) a niche that nobody else wants to serve. Put gas prices at $4+ for the rest of the decade and this will make a lot of young families very very happy.

The

 

Since when 40 MPG was not great mileage? Who said it takes a minimum of 50MPG to earn the name "Prius?"

 

I'm sorry, but it's not great for a Prius Hybrid. Apparently the Prius has gone the way of the Honda Insight.

 

Some one remind me of a vehicle with over 30 sq feet of cargo room that gets 40 MPG? I am not seeing the failure here. Had this version been available in early 2009 there is no question I would have bought it over my current Prius.

 

Also, keep in mind that it hasn't been all that long since the revised epa MPG accrediting measure have taken effect - the Prius V may well have been released with 45 mpg numbers not so long ago...

 

If people are able to achieve 60 mpg in the Prius, they will be able to get 50 mpg in the v. So that's your 50 mpg Prius v.

 

We cannot comment the mpg numbers of the v until we know exactly how much it weighs...so being disappointed without knowing the facts simply because the number does not look pretty, and as far as we know is not a final number, it is a bit nonsense. Then the public will determine whether the numbers are pretty or not, by buying or not, the v...

 

Ok maybe not exactly, but the forums sure look similar these days. hype, hype, hype, hype, hype, announcement, disappointment.
-----------
Demin Martin

 

Sorry but you're just not being realistic. You cannot get 50 mpg in a vehicle the size of a Prius v with the current THS technology. It's impossible because it's against the laws of physics.

The Prius v is larger, heavier and has a bigger cross-sectional area than the current Gen 3 Prius. Since the current Gen 3 gets 50 mpg combined then the new Prius v must get some lower number. The laws of physics cannot be ignored.

The Pruis c concept which is smaller and lighter than the current Gen 3 will get more than 50 mpg ( upwards of 60? ), again because of those same laws of physics.

You may have misunderstood what Toyota was intending to do here. They were not introducing new technology to increase fuel economy. They were introducing a new larger, heavier vehicle to serve a segment of the market which is currently stuck driving vehicles getting 25-28 mpg on average. By doing this they sell more units, reduce production costs and make more money.

That's the reason first and foremost for being in business.

 

2012 Toyota Prius V Comparison - Motor Trend

A nice comparison chart for those of you who think 40 MPG is a not competitive.

 

Maybe using your limited version of the laws of physics. But 50 mpg is attainable, with current technology. It just may cost the consumer more money, that's all.