When gas dropped a few years back I kind of thought maybe it wasn't because of excess capacity being produced but an effort to try to kill off the electric car AGAIN. It seems nowadays there is always a hidden agenda.
About 6 weeks since my last fill up, it took 21.37 litres. Even at $1.58 (CDN) a litre, that's only $33.75. Good fuel economy and low usage, the price becomes trivial.
On another forum where I mentioned the Prius somebody said they heard there was a problem finding a place to plug it in. I had to explain most Prius cars run off gasoline and do not plug in.
I had 2 friends - father and daughter (in her 40s) in the PRIUS last week, neither had been in a PRIUS, he had a clue how it worked. After 15km or so, with the ICE on and off, she asked "when do you have to plug it in?".
They really get mixed up with the PiP. Even Prius owners. I'm sure it's the same with Prime. I often get asked, "What do you do when the battery runs down?" I usually say, "I keep going till I reach my destination, unless I have to pee before I get there. Or it's a really long drive and I have to fill the gas tank. It is a HYBRID, ya know."
(GBP)£5.90 per imperial gallon = (USD)$6.36 per US gallon at today's exchange rate = (USD)$1.75 per litre. In Canadian dollars that's = (CD)$8.21 per us gallon = (CD)$2.25 per litre. (A UK gallon would cost (CD)$10.22)
Yeah, that caught me by surprise too. Mazda 3's 2.5 l engine apparently is a gas guzzler. It performs well, but I'd rather take the gas sipping and yet quite capable Prius for my bumper to bumper commute, than the ability to ZOOM through the narrow gaps in traffic. On a separate note, I was remarking to my SO this morning - how happy I am indeed to be back in the Prius. I got it tinted with Formula One Pinnacle 30% all around last weekend. My only regret - I didn't keep the Prius all-weather mats from the '16 I traded in. Bleh.
Thanks. My Gen 4 was leased, so doubt I could have stuck a pair of Recaros in it Interesting. I now get the pain instantly in the Gen 4 even driving shorter distances. The Merc was a pain free drive back home today. Hey Alan - I'm going to be in Brisbane in 2 weeks, maybe we can meet up and we can compare and contrast UK vs Ozzie Gen 4 specs (I still have mine for another 3 weeks) Yes. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad you found yourself back in a Prius Gulp. I had to fill up the Merc today. Despite wafting on air suspension and enjoying the Burmeister sound system, the fuel light came on, and I realised I was getting around 37 mpg UK (31 mpg US) after a 75 mile drive at 70mph. Wth. My Gen 4 would get 60-65 mpg UK (50mpg US) The Merc is a different driving experience in many ways, but whilst my passenger today said it was super smooth, as a driver, it felt agricultural compared to the Gen 4. I think that's more about how bloody well engineered the Gen 4 is, full stop. The steering feels so much purer and connected to the road, and with it's tight turning circle, it just feels more chuckable. I can't squeeze through gaps in traffic with the wider merc that I could with my Gen 4. You notice a big difference closing the door of the Merc vs the Prius. I felt safe in the Prius but the Merc has a solidness that makes the Prius doors feel like they are made out of cardboard! I know I used to hate the droning noise when giving lots of gas in my Gen 4, but the powertrain in the Gen 4 is buttery smooth, and genuinely silkier than any modern car I've tested recently. Anyway, I spoke with my Toyota dealer today who said the new Auris (Corolla) launching here this year may have vastly improved seats compared to the Prius, so I may have a route back in Oh, and whilst I was waiting for the Merc to be prepped at the dealer, I sat in the new A class and tested the new voice interaction system. You say "Hey Mercedes, and then say your command in natural language" - For example, "Hey Mercedes, my feet are cold" and the car will immediately route hot air to your feet. Seriously impressive tech, and pretty much like talking to Alexa except it's the car. I reckon Toyota will add this to the Gen 5 Prius, it's where the industry is going. Hey Toyota, crank me out some more mpg from this journey!! Can you imagine asking your car to do that?
Toyota is adding Alexa to the car in the United States (currently in the 2019 Avalon). We're also getting the A-Class some time this year after a testing the waters with the GLA-Class a few years back. (Although, I was walking beside a GLA250 and the engine was noisy as heck. We don't have diesels here so it's a gasoline engine). The new Auris will have two hybrid powertrain options - the same 1.8 litre as the Prius and a new 2.0 litre engine for more "powa!".
