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Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Prius Toyota Prius Test Drive - What Do You Think?
50 messages, Last post on Apr 27, 2007 at 2:03 PM
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Replying to: jonnycat26 (Oct 07, 2005 12:22 pm)
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Replying to: falconone (Oct 07, 2005 1:51 pm) I think it was the car I came from. My old Jetta was tomb quiet on the highway. With the Prius, I can hear the road and wind. And if there is sound insulation, I don't think there's that much of it.
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Replying to: jonnycat26 (Oct 08, 2005 10:20 am) |
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I rented 2005 for a week - and have driven about 3 of the 2006 vehicles. Power is similar to our Saturn LS1 (With 5 speed). The passenger room is spacious and comfortable. The hatchback is convenient. Remember that the 16 cu ft is measured from the cargo floor to the roof. Handling is a "soft" - not real crisp - creates a little uncertainity. 1 week of driving the rental resulted in 47 mpg, mostly at highway / interstate speeds and A/C running (temps in the upper 80's - low 90's) Total mileage about 600 miles. It was interesting how much flucuation in MPG with A/C and winds as low as 12 mph. This spring drove a Prius that was considering purchasing - on I-70 in rain - wind,  75 mph felt twitchy. I decided to hold on purchase, in retrospect - I think the drive by wire steering gives different feel and car stable. A little concerned about battery disposal costs when car is older (usually drive vehicle to 200K) and reliability of switching gear after 4-6 years of use. Not purchased yet - considering currently with the $3,150 tax credit. Without credit, hard to justify the capital cost for the hybrid. |
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Replying to: gmctruck (Oct 07, 2005 1:31 pm) |
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I am considering a Prius purchase, and tonight drove 'them' for the first time. Both were package 2, one Standard, the other Touring. The drives were brief, about 7 miles. I took the Standard out first, and drove a bit cautiously. I felt the ICE cut out a couple times, and overall felt good about the ride, noise levels, steering feel, etc. I was not autocrossing of course, but the car came across just fine. With the Touring, I immediately noticed 'feedback' through the steering wheel, not the sort I was looking for. While not feeling like an out-of-balance condition, there was a definite sensation through the wheel that was not present on the Standard model. I was thinking perhaps the lower profile tires and the shock / spring differences were the cause. In addition, the engine was quite a bit more audible than in the Standard. That one made no sense to me, since the drivetrain is identical in both. I sure doubt Toyota opted to give the Touring a "sporty" sound. The ride was a bit harsher, with a trace of jiggling. I did not mind that, since I enjoy driving. It's just that the Standard model was much smoother. For the brief identical drives, the Standard reported 44 mpg, while the Touring returned 40. I was probably driving the Touring a bit more briskly. The HID headlights were nice, but not as effective as those in my Mazda Tribute. Does anyone out there with more time behind the wheel of both think what I experienced in the Touring is normal? Or might there be an issue with that particular car? The dealer does not have any other Tourings for me to try.
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Replying to: rcinmd (Feb 19, 2007 5:38 pm) The plus you get with the touring is slightly better handling, particualrly in corners. You also have 16" tires, which should give more choises when tire replacement time comes around (15" tires are going out of favour, so aren't available in as many styles/sizes). Further, the OEM 16" tires are much better than the 15" Goodyear Integrities the standard model comes with. |
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My wife and I test drove a 2007 Prius yesterday and found a nice riding, nicely equipped (except for lack of quality sound system), reasonably quiet, reasonably comfortable (though not as much leg room as an HCH)extremely efficient car for everyday driving. One notable lack(and the only reason I found that I would not buy a Prius) for those who do their own home improvement and do not want to own two vehicles is the lack of towing ability of a small light utility trailer for hauling the long Home Depot items home like an HCH can do. (No one is talking about hauling heavy loads here, so please save the comments.) The techy info panel is great for most of the types who would be shooting for max mileage. One possible negative is that it is also used for the HVAC - requiring a button push just to get in the mode and more button pushing to change settings. I suppose most owners would get used to this and not find it a negative. An obvious advantage over the HCH is a split fold-down rear seat back -- something we are almost expecting as standard nowadays -- and where Honda puts the NiMH battery pack. If it weren't for the trailer hitch issue I'd trade my 23MPG V6 Sonata in a heartbeat.
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Replying to: dncb (Apr 07, 2007 7:58 am) for the receiver hitch. |
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I bough it from Coastaletech.com and installed it myself. I use it mainly for a bike rack. Works fine. |
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