Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Prius Toyota Prius MPG-Real World Numbers
768 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 6:12 AM
You are in the Toyota Prius Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
|
|---|---|
|
Replying to: carlt1 (Mar 05, 2008 12:54 pm) |
|
|
58 mpg on short trip, winter, uphill runs. Amazing. I searched every review and message board I could find and have never heard the like of this. Countless posters get half that on cold start short trips. Go figure. Finally got the car which was not the preference of my heart or my fun side, but my sober minded economical side. Buying American was also a factor. The Focus automatic (still on my first tank) exceeds my expectations on FE. Driving very carefully, I get in the low 40's on the interstate (55-60 mph) and 29-32 in pure town driving. These estimates are from the "Average mpg" read out on the message screen. The Focus is no where near as much fun as the Prius to drive. The only "wow that's neat" feature is the audio aux jack for my ipod. Looking ahead to the lithium battery vehicles which will be introduced this year and, according to the WSJ, will revolutionize the automotive industry worldwide. |
|
|
Replying to: baron64 (Mar 07, 2008 4:41 pm) I don't own a Prius, so maybe someone else can confirm the following. The original Gen 2 Prius could not turn off the traction control. When the car into snow environment, the owner could not "rock" the car to get unstuck. My understanding is that the traction control can be disabled on the current model. The original design was meant to keep the electric motors from over heating, but it had the effect of keeping the car stuck...
|
|
|
Replying to: tiff_c (Mar 05, 2008 1:37 pm) Yep this is was/is/always be true. That differnce in price though has little to do with it being a hybrid or not. It's more what you want in a vehicle.$22-$23K gets a semi-midsized vehcle with all the safety equipment possible. $15K gets a Yaris or a strippie Corolla 5M with rollup windows. Both are perfectly viable options but the major difference in price is the size and the features. Actually the 'correct' comparo for a Prius is a new 09 Matrix with all the safety features. Both are the same size and both are 5 door hatches. Also the battery in the prius doesn't like the cold weather. In fact no battery does that why so many cars need jump starts in the winter. Sorry this is just not correct. Otherwise the Canadian owners would be giving them back enmasse. OK yes if you are talking about months at -20C. There were several reasons I didn't buy a Prius, but I like the concept however I live in a hilly area and once the Prius traction control kicks in you aren't going anywhere in the snow. This TC situation was solved beginning with the 2006 models. Non issue now or at least no more than any other Toyota with TC.
|
|
|
Replying to: stevedebi (Mar 17, 2008 11:15 am) Beginning with the 2006 model the system now allows the wheels to slip and skid somewhat in order to allow for some 'plowing' and 'rocking' in deep snow. It was a programming issue. |
|
|
Replying to: kdhspyder (Mar 17, 2008 1:33 pm) You can buy a Honda Fit which has all the safety features and gets great economy for about $15.5K The cheapest you'll get a Prius is $22K if you negotiate hard. That still buys a lot of gas and after driving the Prius and driving it in snow and up hills etc... It damn well ought to have a height adjustable seat and a few other things that you would normally get in a $22K car. My Civic Si cost me just under $22K and it has all that and more. The Prius needs a few upscale touches to really boost it up a bit. The interior is low rent and just a few minor things would improve it so much. My wife wants to drive one tomorrow so we'll be test driving cars I guess.  Gotta get a second car soon. My neighbor has a Prius and she says the battery drains when it sits in the garage for more than a day. it charges right up again but the dealer told her that was normal due to the -5 to -10 fahrenheit weather we've had lately. not the starting battery but the rechargeable one. No idea about shutting off the traction control the dealer didn't know about an switch and many cars get stuck on these hills with traction control even my civic with snow tires. With traction control off it's not a problem.
|
|
|
Replying to: tiff_c (Mar 17, 2008 6:46 pm) There are very real reasons why the Prius sells in the numbers it does well into it's 5th year. Others like me just will not consider any vehicle as basic as a Corolla or Yaris or Fit. When I was looking back in 2005 all the vehicles of that size were immediately eliminated as being too basic and too small. Your neighbor needs to find a good message board on the Prius and the HSD system in order to ask some questions. The battery always 'drains' overnight. It recharges immediately within 15 min of startup in the AM. This is normal in all weather. It has nothing to do with the outside temperature. The HSD system is designed to go to rest at about 35-40% of SOC at the min ( about 3 red bars ) then to charge up to about 90% of SOC ( 8 green bars ). It just cycles back and forth in this range. The only time it's ever a concern is when the vehicle sits for a month or more. At that point the 12v accessory battery may run down due to the SKS sensors but this is little or no effect on the traction battery.
|
|
|
You state... Sorry there is no way that a Honda Fit is equivalent to a Prius in ride, room, comfort or amenities. The Fit is below the Corolla and Civic. It's more similar to a Yaris or Scion. Yes it is far lower in price and size and amenities but that's why the price is so much lower. While I somewhat agree with your statement, and the Yaris comparison is fair, it's not as different as you have it sound. I have a 2008 Prius, a few months old at this time.. love it - as most Prius owners do. After research, just bought my son a FIT.. it's a great little car, just like the Prius. Yep, there are some differences - perhaps the FIT has more room inside - at 20.9 cubic feet (if I recall correctly) - sure the Prius gets better mileage, but there is room in this world for both cars. The FIT was $17.7K out the door, the Prius was $27.6 (Package 5)... so for the $10K difference, the FIT is a great car. Seats are good (front) - it's roomy inside, the back seats fold up or down, nice design, and Honda is no 'run of the mill' car - it's proven reliable, just like the Prius. sc
|
|
|
Replying to: scottc3 (Mar 18, 2008 7:58 am) As I mentioned in the prior post when looking to replace my Camry back in 2005 I immediately eliminated all cars Corolla/Civic-sized and smaller. The new larger Corolla/Civic are just at the lower margin for my taste. But that's just a personal preference. However Toyota seems to have tapped into this vein of buyers looking for ultra-efficiency but not willing to settle for 'econo-box'. Besides there's no way to fit a 43" flat screen TV, golf clubs, briefcase, two pizzas and two occupants in any Corolla or Civic or Mazda3 or Yaris....only the Matrix and the other 5 door hatches can do this. |
|
|
Replying to: kdhspyder (Mar 18, 2008 5:48 am) Don't get me wrong, I like the Prius and might be buying one soon. But my Civic Si is far more comfortable than the Prius will ever be and the price on my Civic is less than a Pkg 2 Prius! If fuel economy is an issue then the Fit compares well as it's very good on fuel, but down a bit on power and i have driven a 1.3L Jazz/Fit for 2 weeks and a few 1.5L Fits as well both auto and stick. The Prius is a low budget car with high tech gadgets. Comfort wise it isn't up to the level of say an accord or a Camry even tho the cost is roughly the same. So again there is no excuse for uncomfortable and non adjustable seats in a $22K+ car. not when many cheaper cars have those same and relatively inexpensive features. Your neighbor needs to find a good message board on the Prius and the HSD system in order to ask some questions. The battery always 'drains' overnight. It recharges immediately within 15 min of startup in the AM. Well he doesn't like it and not everyone is into using the Internet for their problem solving. He's unhappy it discharges overnight and feels it shouldn't do that. The dealer says it's normal but most people don't trust the dealers about anything regarding service problems any more. If you doubt me I can post a lot of forums just from here in other groups about lots of owners not trusting the dealerships.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Prius Toyota Prius MPG-Real World Numbers
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Toyota Prius
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
