18th Mar 2007, 18:47

18:18 shouldn't be posting here since he obviously would never like the Prius, no matter what it was like. He still refuses to explain why the Prius is bad, and then is going to trade it in on a Denali.

I'm surprised he didn't criticized the Prius for not being able to go off road.

Let's get some REAL comments from REAL Prius owners.

18th Mar 2007, 22:59

Seems like 90% of the failed Japanese cars experiments make their owners go out and buy Suv's and not cars. How surprising.

23rd Mar 2007, 14:15

Can you really blame us? And to the other guy saying I never gave evidence why the prius is a bad car. It doesn't get anywhere near advertised gas mileage unless you drive dangerously slow and that's enough evidence for me.

24th Mar 2007, 09:57

Please explain again which REAL WORLD domestic vehicle gets 48 mpg or more (as my friend's Prius does in MIXED driving including 80 mph on the highway).

Yeah, the Prius is a real failed experiment.

Do you REALLY think when gas is going to edge to $4/gallon or more people are going to rush out and buy SUVs? I mean, they just announced that if the US invades Iran gas will go to $100/barrel, meaning something like $5/gallon or more at the pump.

Suggest you look at the SUV market in detail, and see how sales are DECLINING since no one wants them unless they are severely discounted.

2nd Apr 2007, 22:32

Read my previous posts over again. Then ask yourself if you think I really care.

11th Apr 2007, 14:31

Responding to the real world gas mileage issue between the prius and other diesel cars etc. All I have to say is that the prius is in the world of its own. If you do mostly city driving, you will be using mostly battery power if driving under 40 miles per hour. No diesel car can use their battery under 40 miles per hour for that purpose. The prius on the highway is obviously going to use more gas...44mpg on the highway for any car is great gas mileage... but if you also consider not using any gas while driving in city conditions... well no vehicle can compare except other hybrids of the same type. Which means this whole conversation from last year regarding the mpg comparison of diesel versus prius is irrelevant and is like comparing apples to oranges...

I am actually considering buying a prius myself. I live 3 miles from work and live in an area where most places I go to are less than 5 miles from me. So a prius for me would be awsome as the speed limit in most areas here is under 40 miles an hour. Yes I could speed like others, but to save gas, I could live with battery power. I currently own a 2005 avalon, it sucks around town, 18mpg. And that's what I mostly do. On the highway though the avalon gets 29-33mpg which I can live with, but not 18-20 intown... So the prius right now is very appealing to me..

18th Apr 2007, 07:54

"Diesels will unfortunately always smell like diesel, even without the sulfur and there will be no emulation of gasoline exhaust "aroma"."

Not my diesel. I haven't put petroleum diesel in my truck now for almost a year. Biodiesel, and straight vegetable oil. I lubricate with AMSOIL. My truck smells like an afternoon at the fairgrounds concession stand. The only downside is the cravings for fried food. ;)

Now, if Toyota, Honda, Ford, or GM would make a full size pickup with a diesel/hybrid power-train, I'd be the first to buy one. I've written all three manufacturers requesting this, but only Ford has replied, directing me to their link to an Ethanol/hybrid escape they are manufacturing. Well, they're getting close.

"The diesel engine can run on Vegetable oils which will help considerable with the development of agriculture in the countries which use it. Vegetable oils as fuels may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present" - Rudolf Diesel 1911.

Engine debuted to the public at the Paris world's fair in 1907 running on peanut oil.

-Tired of Financing Terrorists

-Tired of making oil companies rich

-Tired of polluting with fossil fuels

-Tired of American Farmers going broke when we could be giving so much energy money to them for Soy or Canola production and boost our own economy.

27th Apr 2007, 23:09

This has been a very interesting column to follow, having lived in Europe and now Canada I think I can safely say that Europe is light years ahead in both car design and technology.

Last year we vacationed in Europe and the UK (myself, my wife and our two children) and for much of the time we had a hired Renault Megane (we owned Renaults prior to moving to Canada).I am not a slow driver by any means and the French roads allowed my to indulge my right foot a little.

I can tell you that with all four of us and our luggage we were getting about 65mpg with the turbo diesel! The car was super smooth to drive, great acceleration (just for the heck of it on one excellent and quiet section of motorway I took the Renault up to 165kmh and felt that it could still give me more) and did not smell.

It really frustrates me the protectionism of the big 3 here in North America, we should be allowed access to these great vehicles. Audi has a people carrier (looks a bit like a Honda element) that can carry eight and has a claimed economy of 80mpg (a diesel of course)...the vehicles are out there, we are just not allowed access to them.

28th Apr 2007, 11:23

It's not so much the fact that the companies don't have the ability to catch up its more the fact that these companies don't HAVE to advance in order to make a profit. What they're doing now makes perfect business sense in North America, you give the customer exactly what they want. They don't want what Europe has.

28th Apr 2007, 15:22

Yup, the diesels here in Europe are incredible. We own the 7 seat MPV version of the Megane you hired, with the 1.9 litre dCi common rail diesel in it. This tiny engine makes 220 lb/ft of torque from 2,000 RPM and returns anything up to 50 mpg in a 7 seat MPV.

BMW have recently launched a 3.0 diesel with 286 horsepower and over 410 lb/ft of torque, yet still capable of over 40 mpg in some driving conditions.

Our bugbear in Europe is the limited rev range (few diesels will exceed 5,000 RPM), but in North America where big, low revving engines are common, this will be less of a shock.