Ignoramuses driving/buying Prius

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wiyosaya @ Dec 13 2006, 12:12 PM) [snapback]361571[/snapback]</div>

You're absolutely right. I just thought the story read far better than some casual post from a clueless person should read.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Dec 11 2006, 11:31 PM) [snapback]360766[/snapback]</div>

I'm sorry, but the statement keeps popping into my head, WHAT A MORON YOU ARE!!!

when have you EVER in your FREAKING live purchased a car that was 100% reliable???? EVER???
and, THE ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO SHUT OFF YOU IDIOT!!

I'm very happy you sold you Prius. You should not have been allowed to purchase one anyway. BTW, how did you get a driver's license?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Dec 12 2006, 01:22 AM) [snapback]360793[/snapback]</div>

Sorry... I think it is possible, especially for folks who live in colder places and drive short distances without giving the ICE a chance to warmup.

How do I know that? Heck, if I neglect to use a block heater then my MPG's will be that low (and worse like 7.8 MPG) for the first 5 minutes. Besides the article was dated Feb 2006 which may pretty much fit the driving conditions I describe.

Unfortuntely or not, Priuses are not sold just in California.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Dec 13 2006, 11:47 PM) [snapback]362028[/snapback]</div>

Last week we had highs in the 20s here. I mostly drove short distances (5 miles or less), and where I live it's rather hilly. I can't think of a worse set of driving conditions for low MPG. Even with those conditions I managed 27 MPG (until I went on a few further trips, now it's up to a whopping 38 MPG, which I'm actually not going to complain about because that's still better than I'd get with any other vehicle).

They must be lying (even if they did leave the engine running all the time, how did they "start" the car? And if they thought it was just a magic "Get in the car and drive (without hitting power)", why were they complaining the engine turning off?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Dec 14 2006, 12:54 AM) [snapback]362031[/snapback]</div>

Highs in the 20s? Hummm... That is cold alright, but the mileage I get is in -10F (highs, lows in the -40F). My average for the tank still orbits around the 40mpg mark but I have to drive a little longer (and work hard at it) to get out of the low MPG zone. Fortunately I do drive longer in my city commute.

They are certainly not lying if they drive in conditions like mine (or worse).

You are right though. Despite lower MPG figures in colder weather, we definitely get better mileage than what we would get on most cars.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Dec 13 2006, 11:47 PM) [snapback]362028[/snapback]</div>

Well, maybe you could get it that low if you were doing 5 minute trips everyday. However, this person said her husband drives over 100 miles a day! I'm sure the engine has plenty of time to warm upl

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Dec 14 2006, 12:08 AM) [snapback]362037[/snapback]</div>

I'm from Winnipeg. The first winter I had my Prius, at -40 my tank average was 9.8 l/100km. I have heated underground parking at my condo too, I can only imagine if it was parked outside in the elements.

Make a winter front. Not only do you stay toasty warm it seems to help the fuel economy. It also helped out when I started using Mobil 1 0W-20 in winter.

Similar conditions last winter (-35 C) my tank average was 6.8 l/100km. So far this winter we've hit -27 C and the tank average has been holding at 6.5l/100km. I'm running studded Goodyear Nordic snow tires, that alone has been a big fuel economy hit for me.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusRos @ Dec 14 2006, 03:03 PM) [snapback]362356[/snapback]</div>

Well, maybe. My first winter with the Prius I didn't have a winter front, and especially below -35 C it appeared the car would not warm up no matter how far you drove.

 

I am convinced it is an intentional fraud for another reason:

Here on Prius Chat we get all sorts of owners and would-be owners posting. Some have a strong grasp of HSD and want some clarification, or to discuss some arcane point. Others have no idea how the car works and ask questions that show a complete lack of understanding.

I've been around PC a lot since I bought my Prius in 2004, and I've never seen a post where someone says, "Help! My engine shuts off at stoplights!" We get people worried because their battery never gets "full" or because it stays nearly full, we get people upset because they don't get EPA mileage. We get people who think they have to do something to get the battery charged when it seems to them that it's too low. We get questions about the climate control and the NAV and the audio system and what kind of oil to use and, well, pretty much every aspect of this car. But we've never had a poster concerned because the engine shuts off.

Toyota makes a big deal of the fact that the engine stops at stoplights, and that the car can move under electric power with the engine off.

A person who is oblivious of the fact that the engine is supposed to shut off at stoplights, and who furthermore sells her car, apparently without asking a service department about this supposedly faulty behavior, is, in my view, simply not being honest. I therefore believe that she never owned a Prius at all, and for whatever reason, decided to post a fraudulent review.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Dec 14 2006, 06:31 PM) [snapback]362523[/snapback]</div>

Good to hear from another Winnipegger. Yes, having heated parking is a godsend when the low temps hit us. So far we've had some bitter cold temps and our Prius really got hammered on the mileage front. My HCH-2 was also hit the same way (you can see the GH milleage graphs for both below). But as I said before, the low mileage figures mentioned are not impossible in our circumstances.

Now Daniel does have a point. What's with the complaint about autostop? It is suspicious alright but still does not mean the reported mileage is unrealistic.

By "Winter Front" you mean a "radiator grill cover"? I've thougth about that, but I cannot find something that looks good and is easy to install and remove - especially when washing the car in the winter months. I wish I could get one for both cars.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Dec 11 2006, 11:31 PM) [snapback]360766[/snapback]</div>

I bought my '06 new. It has 12,500 miles on it, has never required service for a defect, always gets between 50-54 MPG in city driving. Of course the engine shuts off when you stop or are traveling under 37 MPH on a flat road. It's supposed to. So what was your real problem with the car? I dumped a gas hog Hyundai to get the Prius. I also have a $3150.00 tax credit coming in Feb. And I have peace of mind knowing a Toyota holds its value and brings high resale. So, what did you really not like about our gas sipping Prius's?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Dec 15 2006, 12:53 AM) [snapback]362638[/snapback]</div>

I agree, the entire article smells stinky, like something Art Spinella would dream up. Even the Prius brochure mentions the auto-stop as a gas saving feature. I realize that probably more than a few Toyota salesjerks are clueless about the Prius, but to not have a ready answer for why it "stops running at red lights" c'mon now.

I think the reported fuel economy may be possible here in Winnipeg in the middle of winter, but outside of places like Montana, the Dakota's, and perhaps areas north of Duluth, MN, where else does it get cold enough in the continental U.S. to cause such poor fuel economy?

You can bet I wasn't thrilled using 9.8 l/100km the first winter I had my Prius. I also wasn't too thrilled using 47 l/100km in my 2000 GMC Sierra, my previous vehicle. I really can't think of a weather situation where the Prius would use MORE gas than a comparable car or truck, especially stop-and-go city driving at -40

Yep I mean grille cover. To cover the lower grille I used a medium black rubber felt material that is commonly used to transfer wood pulp onto pickup rollers of paper machines. Have part of a roll out at the hobby farm. I'm currently securing it with black electrical wire through the grille slots. You have to be right up to the car to even notice it.

The two upper slits had me stumped. A fellow Canadian Prius owner - Frank Hudon - suggested the black foam pipe insulation for 1/2 inch pipe. It already has one slit in it, just use a knife to cut it in half. Poke the foam into the slit, trim to fit, and again you can't even tell it's there.

As far as washing, I usually wash the car with the winter front on.