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Hybrid Vehicles Hybrids - News, Reviews and Views in the Press
567 messages, Last post on Oct 30, 2009 at 9:21 PM
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2010 Prius, more of a "driver's car" for all the whiners who for some reason like to drive a car like they are 16 again: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius a miser with new moves As for the suspension, it actually has some roll control now, and the whole car feels tighter than ever. In fact, if anything, it might be a bit too tight in terms of damping. Small road inputs (on the rare occasion that you can find such a thing in Michigan) are transmitted a bit too directly to the driver's back side. While the ride and handling balance is certainly more geared to enthusiasts than before, it could still use a bit of tweaking. The Prius still understeers at the limit like most mainstream front-wheel-drive cars, but it never feels out of control. The new Prius is no longer just an appliance for commuting. It's almost fun to drive. Toyota just needs to apply some more of its Kaizen philosophy of continual improvement to the ride and handling and we can call it good. |
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TCH is highest rated 2009 Hybrid: Consumers' Top Rated for 2009 Hybrid Hybrid: Toyota Camry Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid The Toyota Camry Hybrid may not have the pop culture appeal of the Prius, but our consumer reviewers have rated it as the best hybrid in the 2009 Consumers' Top Rated Awards. We have a good idea why this car is so popular among owners, who rated the Camry Hybrid quite a bit higher than our editors have. The Camry Hybrid is easy to drive, has a quiet ride and offers plenty of high-tech features. In a recent road test review, our editors wrote: "Unlike the Prius, it never gives you the sense that you're driving a science experiment. The Camry Hybrid is every bit a Camry, except it uses less gas." Although its fuel economy isn't the highest in the hybrid segment, many owner-reviewers noted that they were able to get fuel-economy numbers well above 40 mpg. A few owners considered buying a luxury sedan, but ultimately decided on the Camry Hybrid. All of them were happy with their decision. |
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On May 28, we paid $24,250 for a 2010 Prius and on the way home, running bi-directional, cruise control runs, we got: 67 MPG 50 mph; 62 MPG60 mpg; 55 MPG65 mph; 53 MPG70 mph; 49 MPG75 mph. We sold a 2001 Echo for part of the 2010 costs and have never looked back. The 2010 Prius has more room, quieter, and more power. The body is stronger and includes multiple airbags. It fact, it includes pedestrian collapsing hood, quarter panels and bumper to make pedestrian accidents survivable ... something missing from just about any other vehicle. We've looked at the Prius-pedestrian accidents and from 2001-2007, the years we have accident data and the Prius, there have been only 11, Prius-only and pedestrian fatalities. Near as we can tell this period covers 5.8 billion Prius miles. The raw accident data suggests the Prius from 2001-2007 has had about 0.9 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles compared to 1.6 fatalities for all USA vehicles as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When Prius skeptics don't have facts and data, a common problem, they just make them up. That is OK since it gives Prius owners an opportunity to get the facts and data, the truth, and smite the skeptics with a clue-by-four. FYI, our other car is a 2003 Prius with 120,000 miles getting 52.1 MPG after the 70,000 miles I've put on it in three and a half years. The battery, transaxle and engine are fine and I'm looking forward to driving it until the wheels fall off. So in a time of poor vehicle sales, we paid $24,250 for a brand new 2010 Prius and know that we got a great deal. We have a car whose mileage off the dealer lot can not be beat; whose safety features are outstanding; and will due to the lack of stress and strain, run quietly and efficiently long into the future ... certainly longer than the Hummers recently sold to China. Bob Wilson Huntsville, AL
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Replying to: bwilson4web (Jun 06, 2009 11:54 am) PS The trim level 5 that Toyota says will be $32k will cost a CA buyer well in excess of $35,000.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jun 07, 2009 5:56 am) When supply comes into balance with demand in a few months normality will return and everyone will be happy....even the ones who paid $35000 and got theirs first. Isn't this a great country? |
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This looks cool: Ford Develops Ford Escape SUV Plug-In Hybrid To Deliver 120 MPG
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Replying to: larsb (Jun 10, 2009 7:50 am) |
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As hybrid cars gobble rare metals, shortage looms Wed Sep 2, 2009 2:08am EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods. That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells. Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tons annually in several years unless major new production sources are developed. One promising U.S. source is a rare earths mine slated to reopen in California by 2012. Among the rare earths that would be most affected in a shortage is neodymium, the key component of an alloy used to make he high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion, as well as in generators for wind turbines. Close cousins terbium and dysprosium are added in smaller amounts to the alloy to preserve neodymium's magnetic properties at high temperatures. Yet another rare earth metal, lanthanum, is a major ingredient for hybrid car batteries. Production of both hybrids cars and wind turbines is expected to climb sharply amid the clamor for cleaner transportation and energy alternatives that reduce dependence on fossil fuels blamed for global climate change. Toyota has 70 percent of the U.S. market for vehicles powered by a combination of an internal-combustion engine and electric motor. The Prius is its No. 1 hybrid seller. Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, calls the Prius "the biggest user of rare earths of any object in the world." More to the story |
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| The 2010 Camry really looks like a great update to an already outstanding Toyota vehicle. Has anyone test drove one yet? I'm hoping to schedule a test drive at my local CT Toyota dealer - Gale Toyota. Please let me know anything you can about the engine responsiveness and gas mileage. | |
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