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Sedans Midsize Sedans 2.0
13221 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 6:41 AM
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Replying to: explorerx4 (Jan 03, 2009 6:06 am) maybe enough to pull over to the side of the road, if you run out. **** Maybe - but you're dead as well in a normal car if you run out. The differences are: 1 - The generator can use any number of fuels, and can be of any kind. I suggest a small turbine engine burning diesel fuel. Or that can run stuff other than petroleum based fuels. (say, already designed to run vegetable oils as well as diesel) 2 - vastly less weight and parts to fix. Said small engine could easily be air/heatsink cooled as well, meaning that you could eliminate 90% of the things that typically break and require fixing in a car. No coolant system(huge), plus not needing things like an alternator or transmission. Think VW Bug or Go-Kart simple. The vast majority of the vehicle is empty space as a result. 3 - tons cheaper to buy. Instead of a battery pack that can run 20-30 miles on its own, you have a smaller set of 2-4 batteries and some capacitors. BAttery replacement every 5-10 years is closer to $500. 4 - less weight (1000+ lbs lighter than a Prius) also means much quicker acceleration and less power needed to move it around. Less expensive components as well. This should save 10-20mpg right here. The problem is that nobody is making one because they all worship speed instead of efficiency. I'd happily deal with a 1980s era Civic CRX sized small car with 100mpg and 0-60 times in the 10-15 second range.(same as most older cars, so traffic isn't going any quicker anyways).
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Replying to: backy (Jan 03, 2009 7:22 am)
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Replying to: elroy5 (Jan 03, 2009 9:08 am) The only reason to buy a Prius is to show people that you have a hybrid, since it doesn't look like any normal midsize sedan. |
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Replying to: akirby (Jan 03, 2009 11:31 am) You forgot the most important part. The Prius cost about $10k less. That's one heck of an incentive to be greener. 
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Replying to: elroy5 (Jan 03, 2009 12:19 pm)
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Replying to: jeffyscott (Jan 03, 2009 7:55 am) Usually, there is. Hybrid models from most automakers include some of the more popular features, optional on lower models, as standard equipment. It helps to soften the price difference. |
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Replying to: akirby (Jan 03, 2009 11:31 am)
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Replying to: akirby (Jan 03, 2009 12:33 pm) The only reason to buy a Prius is to show people that you have a hybrid, since it doesn't look like any normal midsize sedan. Quoted for truth! Having been behind the wheel of a Prius, I can agree with everything here, especially the driving experience. To me, Toyotas are a close second to Buick in terms of putting me in a coma when behind the wheel, but the Prius is beyond pathetic. The low rolling-resistance tires squeal at every corner, WITHOUT being pushed hard, and they also contribute heavily to the numb steering, miserable braking, and the overall disconnected feeling you get. I can see why tree-huggers love it, and why anyone with a soul doesn't. You forgot the most important part. The Prius cost about $10k less. That's one heck of an incentive to be greener. It may be $10K less on paper, but you're going to have a hard time finding ANY Prius at that base price, since they were (and in some cases, still are) going at a premium over MSRP. I've seen listing of USED examples going for higher than that. That's not the most important part to me. Styling, features and driving are more important to me than the price. Quoted for agreement. Kudos to Ford for the excellent press and praise they've been getting for the Fusion Hybrid, which seems well-deserved.
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Replying to: bpizzuti (Jan 03, 2009 12:47 pm) You mean the Mazda6, right? 
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Replying to: mz6greyghost (Jan 03, 2009 12:56 pm) We are forgetting one thing though comparing the Prius to the Fusion hybrid. The 2010 Prius is coming very shortly (will be unveiled officially in Detroit in a week or so). It should be an evolutionary improvement over the current Prius, and is expected to offer more power and also better fuel economy than the current Prius. As for interior room and handling improvements, we'll have to see about that. But I personally consider the Prius, and even the Insight, to be competitors to the likes of the Fusion and Camry hybrids. I don't need as much interior room as those sedans provide, I prefer a hatch configuration, and the 2010 Prius at least (don't know about the Insight) should easily exceed the FE for the hybrid mid-sized sedans--as it should as it's smaller, lighter, and lower-powered. I also like the swoopy looks of the 2010 Prius and Insight better than the mid-sized hybrid sedans. And the payback proposition is better with a lower-priced hybrid like the Prius or Insight. Especially for people like me who don't drive a lot, maybe 10k max per year for my wife's vehicle, which is what I am looking at a hybrid to be a few years out, once we are done with minivans. Now, if gas stays around $2 a gallon and Ford et. al. are forced to offer discounts on the mid-sized hybrid sedans to move them, e.g. a base Fusion hybrid for the low $20s, then that could be compelling. But at $28k and up? I'd probably pass. Or maybe buy a 2010 Fusion hybrid in 2012 or 2013. 
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