Co-Worker's Toyota Prius, first impressions

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

one of my co-workers just got a brand new Prius today, and it’s the first time i’ve been inside one, i’ll be taking it for a spin after work, but overall, here’s my first “sit-in” impressions…

seats are comfy, good forward visibility. however, rearward visibility SUCKS, the thing has a large number of blind spots (this coming from a Dodge Neon driver, and the Neon, with it’s high-sitting rear end/trunksill is no bastion of rear visibility itself, but it has better rear visibility than the Prius)

the pushbutton start thingy is interesting, can barely tell when the engine is running, and the dashboard is rather cool, digital gages and all, the center multifunction display thingy strikes me as rather extravagant, what is this, a car, or a video game? :wink:

popping the hood and looking at the engine…dear Og, looks like a mechanics nightmare in there, i imagine oil changes will be a pain…

what’s wrong with building a simple, basic car around a hybrid platform, the whole “Cartendo” thing seems a waste of resources, just 4 wheels, an engine, and the most basic gauges and controls, not everybody needs all the bells and whistles, at least i don’t…

since it’s a Toyota, it’s pretty much a given for reliability, overall seems to be a nice car, looks like it’s got potential…

…that said, i won’t be buying one, for a few reasons…

1; i’m skeptical about hybrid technology, especially in the cold New England winters, and how will the car handle in the snow with those skinny little tires (slap a set of snows on that puppy ASAP)

2; it’s only available with a sludgebox tranny, major negative points for me there, that’s enough to take it out of the running, especially since the Honda Civic Hybrid IS available with a manual

3; i prefer diesels anyway, they make that cool “chug-chugging” sound at idle, the engines are built to industrial standards to stand up to the stresses of compression-ignition and last forever, and they can be converted to run on vegetable oil (Biodiesel), drastically reducing dependence on gasoline

4; i’m really waiting for hydrogen fuel cell technology, the fact that the exhaust product is simply water vapor is a major advantage, as is the complete elimination of reliance on gasoline/diesel fuel, if i understand correctly, a fuel-cell motor is essentially an electric motor, so you may not even need oil to lubricate the engine, totally cutting off dependence on the oil companies

the Prius is a nice car, yes, i finally understand what all the hype ofver it is, that said, it doesn’t fit my needs, so i won’t be buying, but i won’t make fun of them anymore…

i hope my co-worker gets some enjoyment out of his new videogame-on-wheels…errr car, damn, i told myself i wouldn’t make fun of them…

although, the looks of the car does remind me of a quote from the character of Marv in Sin City…
“Modern cars, they all look like electric shavers”
damn, i did it again…
:wink:

2

Yeah, I’ve heard rear visibility isn’t so hot. However, my Golf (by the way, it’s a diesel!) has a small back window, especially when you factor in the 3 headrests for the back seats, so I figure it won’t be TOO much different.

Funny that you like the sound of the diesel engine. That’s one of the things I think will be my hardest adjustment. When I first got the TDI, I really noticed the sound difference (it’s not as loud as a Dodge Ram with a big diesel engine, but it’s still louder than I was used to), so going from the diesel to the hybrid will probably be super noticeable to me.

signed,

playing the waiting game

3

We were riding in a Prius while trying to get out of the mess at the end of the Coachella Festival. The car was so quiet that people did not hear it and therefore kept walking in front of its path (maybe they had sampled the chronic a bit too much). The driver told us that the gas tank is really small, I forget how many gallons. I love my Subaru, but if I needed another car, I’d wait in line for a Prius.

4

Narrow tyres actually give more grip in the snow. The weight of the car bears down on a smaller area, crushing the snow down more.

This pic shows how narrow the tyres the WRC cars in the Swedish rally use:

http://www.swrt.com/cpimages/676981.jpg

5

BMW is talking about making cars that burn hydrogen. They will be selling a 7-series that can run on both gasoline and hydrogen in the near future. That will be interesting…

I agree with your points about the Prius. I would rather have a diesel, myself. They actually get better mileage than the Prius, and have more power to boot.

Mercedes and BMW will be bringing diesel models to the US, when we switch to low-sulfur fuel. They have been selling them in Europe for ages, and the technology has advanced far enough that they are almost indistinguishable from a gas engine (except for the increased efficiency and power, of course).

Mercedes is actually selling an E-class diesel now.

6

Well, i took the Prius for a spin and was actually quite pleasantly surprised (well, aside for the lack of a manual tranny option thing…)

i was expecting the thing to be an absolute slug, no power, crappy handling, no performance to speak of, all sacrificed at the “Altar of Fuel Efficiency”

i was wrong, no, it’s not a performance car by any means, but it’s torquey (thanks to the electric assist motor) and has crisp handling, has enough power to get out of it’s own way, and a nice little kick to it, rear visibility still absolutely sucks though, and my Neon would totally decimate it in a drag race (but he’d destroy me in a fuel mileage competition, so it’s all relative)

the multifunction display thingy is too much of a distraction though, i’d hope it could be turned off when you really need to concentrate on driving

if the Prius was available with a manual transmission, i’d consider it, but since it’s only available with a sludgebox, i’ll pass…

7

The multifunction display has different screens, some of which are considerably less distracting than that neat arrow diagram. There’s also some people developing ways to tap into the system so you can have the screen display whateve you want.

What weirds me out is that the damn thing has a power button, just like my computer.

– Dragonblink, whose girlfriend drives a Prius

8

The transmission is NOT a typical automatic. In fact it lacks a transmission in the conventional sense. The electric motors and the gas engine are hooked together in a planetary gear system.
This page descrbes teh 2003 Prius, but the 2004 uses a similar system.
http://home.earthlink.net/~graham1/MyToyotaPrius/PriusFrames.htm
(click “understanding the Prius”)

Brian

9

Isn’t there an S class diesel too? Mercedes to me always go hand in hand with diesels, automatic gearboxes and accountants/bookies :wink:

I get what the OP means by a video game car, if hybrids are to sell well, they should package them like the other big selling cars Toyota and Honda make. A Civic or Corolla with a hybrid underneath all the packaging would surely seem a little less of an unusual purchase to someone not too sure whether or not to make the plunge.

But if I were to emigrate to the US, I’d rather wait for turbo diesels to make an appearance. More economical in and out of town, relaxed cruising and a fair bit of poke when you put your foot down.

10

Well, Mercedes makes at least one diesel version of nearly every model. But the E-Class diesel is the only one they’re selling in the US at the moment, as far as I know.

That’s wasn’t always the case - there are many old S-Class diesels sputtering around the US. But no new ones. As I said, that will change in a few years.

11

And the models BMW brings to the US will be turbodiesels.

Supposedly the 535d, with a 3.0 liter twin-turboed diesel costs less, and gets better performance and better mileage, than the 545i, which has a 4.5 liter V8.

12

MacTech, can we make a quick trip to Hijackistan here? What don’t you like about automatic transmissions? I’ve driven both manual and automatic over a period of many years, and don’t find much to complain about one way or the other (except that embarrassing fumble for a phantom stick shift that you do when you drive an automatic after having driven a manual).

13

The problem with diesels has been primarily that of fine dust emissions, which are very bad for your health. The newer ones have better filters installed, though they are often disabled by people who ‘chip’ their diesels for more performance.

But there are certainly amazing advances in diesel engines, and the bio-fuel may well be the solution that will bridge the gap from traditional gas to hydrogen power.

14

Not that you asked me, but I personally prefer manual transmissions.

You have more control over the car, it’s more fun, and more rewarding. They are also cheaper, lighter, and more reliable.

Versus standard automatic transmissions, they’re more efficient because they’re lighter, and use a direct mechanical connection rather than a fluid-based torque converter.

CVT’s probably erase the efficiency gains, but not the others.

15

Same here, I drove an automatic Yaris once, never again. It felt… odd when driving it. Simply the lack of control or the feeling of a lack of control.

16

There is a hybrid Civic. Looks exactly like the regular Civic. I don’t think anyone knows it’s there. IMHO, the different styling is part of the Prius’ success–that, and the fact that the Prius is a ‘strong’ hybrid (can run on electrics alone).

17

You get used to the blind spots. The driver- and passenger- side mirrors provide some of the best visibility to the rear of any car I’ve ever driven, so I’ve been more than able to compensate. Weaving about in traffic is not a problem.

The new Civic Hybrid is more like the Prius, and will only have an auto, if what I was told is correct. Then new Accord hybrid, Escape, RX400, Highlander, all are autos. There’s no getting around it: Gear boxes make no sense when some of all of your power comes from an electric motor that provides as much torque at 1 RPM as it does at 1500. I was not thrilled about the idea of an automatic, either, at first, but this one feels radically different. You press the gas, it goes, and remarkably quickly in the low RPMs for an “econo” car. There is barely any hesitation in the continuous variable transmission, and the car blows my wife’s corolla’s doors off in the low end. This surprised the hell out of me. Granted, things get less zippy as you approach 60, but do you want to win drag races or get to work?

As for New England winters, I am the second person to have a Prius where I work, and the first guy has been through one. Not an issue. Handles in snow just as well or better than his Camry did. There is degradation in milage, but that happens in any car. Unless the conditions are so horrible you shouldn’t be on the road in a mid-sized car anyway, there’s no cause for concern.

It is a video game on wheels! And, what you may have heard is true: You learn how to squeeze out a few more MPGs by making slight alterations to driving behavior using data the car continuously feeds you while you’re driving. Nothing major, just avoid jackrabbit starts, make prudent use of braking (including engine braking, a feature I appreciate as a five-speed lover), accellerate more gradually if you don’t need to stomp on it, etc. In general, I’ve learned not driving like an idiot can improve engine efficiency. The car’s got a ton of space in the back, too, with one seat down, so I’m loving it. It’s the nicest car, just as a car, I’ve ever owned (which, admittedly, isn’t saying a great deal, in terms of luxury), it’s saving me a ton of money at the pump these days, and I literally get pulled over by the arm by little old ladies and guys with big belt-buckles asking me how I like it. One guy was so earnest and enthusiastic, I said “fuck it” and let him drive it around a supermarket parking lot (after he gave me his wallet and car keys as a security, of course). It’s weird! I never had total strangers just walk up to me and demand information and my oppinion about anything, but I drive up to some crowd with the Prius, and I have to give a small presentation every other day.

I’m a fan of the potential of biodiesel, too, but I don’t see much of that happening here in New England. So the Prius was the natural choice, and one I’m extremely happy with.

18

lets see, where to start, i could write a Pit thread on my hatred of the sludgebox, but i’ll refrain from a full vitrolic rant, instead, i’ll write a controlled, reasoned response as to why i hate the frakking piece of dren sludgebox…oops, sorry, lost control momentarily there :wink:

first off, sludgeboxes are BORING, you have no control over the gear ratios of the car, which directly affects performance, i want to DRIVE my car, dammit, not just steer it…

secondly, they’re mechanically complex, more to break down (potentially)

thirdly, they’re criminally inefficient, due to the sludge-filled torque converter, you can lose up to 25% of your power to the tranny, manuals also cause a power loss (all transmissions do), but you lose far less power to a manual than a sludgebox, and when you’re dealing with a small car like mine, you need all the horsepower you can get, losing it to the tranny is unacceptable

fourth, a manual forces you to actually concentrate on driving, you use both feet to work the pedals, and both hands to actually drive the car, having to shift the car makes it more difficult to yak on the cell phone/eat/drink/shave/put on makeup/check your e-mail/read the newspaper, in other words, do something other than driving your multithousand pound projectile, it forces you to concentrate

fifth, manuals are simply FUN, and since i spend a lot of time behind the wheel, i want to enjoy that time, a manual makes me feel connected to the car in the way no sludgebox could ever do, i have full control over all aspects of the car’s performance, acceleration, braking, and gear ratios

just my opinion, YMMV…