26th Aug 2006, 08:14
I looked at this site because I was thinking of buying a Prius. We've owned two Camry's, both for 10 years each, so we love Toyota in general. I saw the one post about looking at Priuschat.com, but when I went there, the site has been hacked. I hope someone can get that fixed.
6th Sep 2006, 06:28
Just bought a 2006 Prius package #8. My first 55 mile commute I averaged 54 miles per gallon going 66 mph. The car is a blast to drive and you really need to use your skill to get the mpg. It is not a sports car, so don't drive it like one. Car is roomy inside, comfortable, and all features are easy to use. Don't believe any of the negative comments you read about this car. It is fantastic.
24th Dec 2006, 17:08
I can buy a Golf diesel which gives better mpg (53 average, 58 best), more power, more space, better build quality, lighter weight, barely higher CO2 emissions and doesn't kill the environment with its battery manufacturing process.
28th Dec 2006, 19:03
Perhaps a VW Golf diesel does get better mpg... but diesel fuel is around 20 cents or more per gallon than the regular unleaded the Prius uses...
29th Dec 2006, 09:12
The Golf will "kill the environment" with its emissions which last the duration of its life. And you'll have to remind me how Golfs, or any car for that matter, do not have batteries that need to be manufacturered.
As for quality, at least in America a VW is the last car you would want to buy if you don't want to be your mechanic's best friend.
That said, even in America there is no economic argument for owning a Prius over a diesel car given the purchase prices of both vehicles and their mpg.
4th Feb 2007, 18:20
Hmmmm, here in New Orleans, diesel is now going for at least 55 cents per gallon more than the regular on which the Prius is perfectly happy. I'm the guy who commented about my then-new Prius last August. I've put almost 20k more miles on it now, and I love it even more. On a 20 mile mixed run today, I averaged 51.6 mpg. This is a fantastic car. If someone GAVE me a VW diesel, I'd just sell it and use the cash to buy another Prius!
7th Mar 2007, 21:13
Did you just say that the Golf has more space? Obviously you have never been in a Prius.
29th Apr 2007, 20:24
I just filled up my 2007 Prius for the first time. Unfortunately, I averaged only 43.7 mpg driving about half city and half highway. Any driving tricks on improving the mpg??
30th Apr 2007, 05:18
Yep, buy a diesel. Quicker, cheaper to buy & run, better looking (whatever it is) & you won't have people laughing at your choice of car.
30th Apr 2007, 09:02
No not really. Unless you wanna drive about 15 mph under the speed limit at all times. It may bet a bit better as your car breaks in, but my 2006 with 20k miles on it still only manages about 45.5 MPG and actually gets worse with city driving even though toyota claims otherwise. The prius is deffinitely not all it should have been.
30th Apr 2007, 19:12
I think many people are missing the point here. Yes, getting awesome gas mileage is a sweet deal, and can be found in other cars that are NOT hybrid. AND yes, driving habits greatly affect your gas mileage. (I personally have gotten anywhere between 31 and 46 mpg highway on my 1988 Corolla SR5)
The point is that fossil fuels are obviously an UN-renewable resource and eventually an alternative must be found in the future. The Prius and other hybrids are a step in the right direction, choosing technology over tradition, and being proactive rather than reactive. Getting above average gas mileage is an added bonus.
I will probably be called an radical environmentalist tree hugger for saying that, but I stand with that opinion.
There's my two cents.
10th May 2007, 14:58
"Only 45 mpg". Only. ONLY??? I'd be very happy to get only 45mpg.
I am trying to decide between a Camry hybrid and a Prius. The one thing that really BOTHERS me about the Prius is the rear view. It is TINY and split in half and annoying. I don't know if the two side view mirror can make up enough for it.
Jerry.
14th May 2007, 23:17
"The Golf will "kill the environment" with its emissions which last the duration of its life. And you'll have to remind me how Golfs, or any car for that matter, do not have batteries that need to be manufacturered."
Not if I'm burning Biodiesel or Vegetable oil. 0% Petroleum!
15th May 2007, 11:34
All I can tell you guys is that the hybrids (incl the Prius) is a technological dead end. More or less any turbo diesel will outperform a hybrid, especially on highway driving, but they may be more equal when city driving. I can easily achieve 55 mpg and I have achieved 62 mpg at best on my Ford Focus II 1.6 TDCI that has the latest generation commonrail injection and partical filter. And the Focus is a much cheaper car than the Prius and roomier too.
Regarding diesel prices in US, the reason why diesel is more expensive in the US is that demand is lower, I guess. Diesel is actually a lower grade fuel and is cheaper off the refinery. But smaller volumes probably means higher prices. If people in the US swaps to diesel prices will drop, I'm sure.
In the EU diesel is cheaper than petrol and diesel is now sold in almost the same quantities as petrol, at least here. I swapped from a first generation Focus 1.6 petrol, and my petrol cost has almost halved. Now most new cars are turbo diesels in the EU.
So stop buying obsolete technology and start investing in turbo diesels. NOBODY is buying hybrids in EU. I can't even remember the last time I saw a Prius.
16th May 2007, 03:14
Much of the media has looked through the hybrid hoax.
Look to Autoweek where they tested the Prius against a Jetta TDI where real mpg for the Prius was 42 and for the Jetta 49,9 mpg. Real world figures are much better for diesels than for hybrids. Many people are used to 25 mpg cars and think a 40-45 mpg Prius is just great. It all depends what you are comparing it to.
I think Toyota is a dishonest when hyping these cars.
Top Gear just laughed at the Prius. What they said, summing it up, was why pay a lot of money for this car when a diesel could do all things better?
If you want low mpg and still want to drive a Toyota, why not buy the Corolla D4-D. But I don't know if this car is sold everywhere. But the D4-D has a fantastic mpg and much better than the Prius.
22nd May 2007, 11:14
"All I can tell you guys is that the hybrids (incl the Prius) is a technological dead end. More or less any turbo diesel will outperform a hybrid, especially on highway driving, but they may be more equal when city driving."
Yes, diesels have their advantages, but they have disadvantages too. Generally, their engines are noisier, and the exhaust stink is foul. Even the low sulfur diesel exhaust stinks, and will quickly give me a headache.
Besides which, the hybrid is really only an intermediate step. Next comes the plug-in hybrid. Many people have already converted their Priuses (and voided the warranty) by adding more batteries, new software, and a plug. Now they get most of their first 40 miles on electric only. That means most people's mileage would increase to over 100 MPG for their daily routine. Both GM and Toyota are known to be working on these.
Go to www.pluginamerica.org for more info.
12th Aug 2006, 08:33
I'm the same guy who made the Aug 9th comment. I just busted 51 mpg previous best, getting 53 mpg, 3 better than EPA highway, on a 45 minute, steady state highway run. The Aug 7th poster is just not correct. You can, if you're willing to apply some of the techniques for Prius driving, easily beat EPA.