Prius owners?

[jdogric12]

Hey gang. I'm thinking about getting a Prius rather soon and was wondering if anyone here either owned one or had some anecdotal advice for me. Thanks! J

I found a forum called PriusChat that seems a lot like this forum, by the way. Pretty cool.

[dr_bob]

I've got one. I've had it since January of 06. I love it. I drove Audis for 10 years before the Prius and was tired of burning premium gas and getting 17 MPG. Note, however, that the "real" MPG that I get in the Prius is between 46 and 48, not the advertised 56 to 60. Those test drivers must be driving downhill with hurricane winds at their back.

I also got the navigation package and upgrade sound system. It's definitely not as solid as the Audi, but I didn't expect it to be. The only thing that I miss is that "passing" gear you have in a V6 or V8 that you hit when getting on a highway or passing.

What else can I tell you?

[wints]

Very PC Jdog...Nothing wrong with that either.

What about one of these?



Now were talking "statement!"

[jingle_jangle]

The South Park "Prius" episode is a hoot!

Where I live, two-car families now have a HUGE SUV in the garage, next to a Prius, so it's a "conscience car".

And I mean about 1/3 of all the locals. It's important to be relevant, I mean...much more important than considering TRUE carbon footprint or instinsic value.

Things will begin to change when we also consider how much energy it takes to manufacture a hybrid car vs. a fossil-fueled one. And in this category, we're still in the last century.

[bitzerguy]

For "green" cars, I like this one. 92MPG on regular gas (they recently claimed 112mpg on tests this summer), 30% CO2 emission reduction without a cat converter, and it looks kind of cool. 0-60 in under 5 seconds, 160HP in 1400lbs dry weight, and the only passenger sits behind you. I like it.

http://www.fuelvaporcar.com/html/the_car.html

It would be very difficult to cart the gear to a gig in though. It seems to me like the energy to build something like this would be pretty similar to any other fossil fuel small car.

...Dean

[brammy]

Prius is a nice little car that will save you some gas money.
But if you think you are doing anything to help the environment, think again:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Green_Car_News/Prius_Versus_HUMMER_Exploding_the_Myth.S196.A12220.html

[jingle_jangle]

That's the study I was reading about in another blog...thanks for the post, Brammy.

Dean, that's a very cool-looking creation. Three wheels are the kiss of death except for geek appeal in the USA, however...and I couldn't imagine riding in the jet-like narrow cockpit for more than and hour or so at a time. But--wow! What eye appeal from the front 3/4 view.

[dr_bob]

Yes, that was an interesting and highly disputed article. CNW Marketing Research, the publisher of the article, is a privately owned firm with only a (I think) a PO box as an address. There have been many discussions around who exactly are the clients for this firm. I might suspect US automakers might be an important client that asks CNW to track buyer behaviors and manufacturing trends. As reported in the article you cite above, there have been no additional reports to support these findings and some folks dispute the article's findings. This is a quote from the report:


- - - -
David Friedman, research director of the Clean Vehicles Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, thinks that CNW's results and apparent methodology bring red flags. "This study has been completely contradicted by studies from MIT, Argonne National Labs and Carnegie Mellon's Lifecycle Assessment Group. The reality is hybrids can significantly cut global warming pollution, reduce energy use, and save drivers thousands at the pump," commented Friedman.

CNW's figures, for example, show that the Civic Hybrid can cost nearly $165,000 more over its lifetime, "dust to dust," than the standard Civic, which is a difficult figure to swallow, even considering the extra development, materials, and disposal of the Hybrid variant. Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system is a mild hybrid system and many engineers have admired its elegant and simple design and function, considering the efficiency gains.
- - - -

[brammy]

CNW Marketing aside, the author, Bengt Halvorson, is a long standing automotive writer with contributions to publications such as Automobile, Car and Driver, ForbesAutos.com and Sports Car Market. But it is true that the claims made should not be accepted as gospel:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/04/17/the-car-connection-tackles-prius-vs-hummer-controversy/

[charlyg]

So, I guess my F350 V10 (gas)4 door long bed dually is not your cup o" tea? {:^)

[ken_j]

Toyota: number one in sales, number one in recalls.

[dr_bob]

Thanks Kent. I hadn't seen that one. I would caution people to be sure to read all the comments associated with your link not just the headline. It seems that most of this talk about the environmental footprint of the Prius goes back to a single study -- you guessed it, the CNW Marketing research report.

But I think there is some truth to the argument that driving a Prius is more of a social statement than a solution for our environment. For me, the Prius might be a way to rationalize the two other cars that I have. The MPG for each approaches single digits. The Prius is my daily commute driver so it may just make me feel better and not actually helping environmentally (or hurting it less).

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

The sooner we develop different technology for transportation the better. The world's oil supply is dwindling.

(I would like to imagine this has nothing to do with one's political preference, but that's probably what will inform most people's response to this comment.)

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

And Dr. Bob, now that it costs $50 to fill my tank, the mileage you get sure sounds good to me.

[marc61]

Last year I bought a BMW 5 series. Drove 35,000 miles. I estimated that if I owned a Prius I would have saved 3000 gallons of gas, at $3 per, that's $9000.

It cost me about $475 per month to fully finance the car(not a dime out my pocket)and pay for the insurance. Car has navigation, satellite radio, leather seats. Nice car. Worth every penny.

PS - I've owned 5 Toyotas, all purchased new. Never had a problem with any of them.