Prius - any good?

[Kaido]

Been reading up on the hybrid Prius cars. Are they any good?

The biggest complain I've seen so far is the crappy Traction Control feature. That's a huge issue for me, I don't think I could survive in the snow without it; apparently it doesn't work so well (causes both wheels to stop moving). I'm not going to switch my tires out for snow tires every winter, either. I've read mixed results though, so I'm not sure what to think yet.

Looks interesting. I like the idea of computers and batteries in the car. Plus you can hack it :evil:

 

[sniperruff]

friend has one, very comfortable, spacious car. gets real life 42mpg is a huge plus. that's most than double my altima.

 

[swtethan]

save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: swtethan
save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

Why is he selling it?

 

[swtethan]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: swtethan
save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

Why is he selling it?

it sucks, and every single service, you have to take to the dealership. A car that is controlled all by computer = you cant work on yourself.

 

[Tempered81]

you can add a lithium polymer battery to the spare tire storage area, and a few charging components for about 10,000. The process can be done in colorado or california, but is legal to own operate and drive in all 50 states. It gives you 100-190mpg depending on driving habits & circumstances. here is a guy with 171mpg. I love the prius.

the battery installation process in the prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=icRjfaeoQnE

the guy who got 171 mpg filling up at the pumps. (prius holds only 10 gallons as well):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=I5WmcnSkUTw&feature=related

a guy who claims to get 2000 to 2100 mpg in cross country road trips with a prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
you can add a lithium polymer battery to the spare tire storage area, and a few charging components for about 10,000. The process can be done in colorado or california, but is legal to own operate and drive in all 50 states. It gives you 100-190mpg depending on driving habits & circumstances. here is a guy with 171mpg. I love the prius.

the battery installation process in the prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=icRjfaeoQnE

the guy who got 171 mpg filling up at the pumps. (prius holds only 10 gallons as well):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=I5WmcnSkUTw&feature=related

a guy who claims to get 2000 to 2100 mpg in cross country road trips with a prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

I'm hoping to do something similar with my Insight this summer. One or two used Prius packs at $300 - 400 each, and a plugin booster charger. In all should give me about 4 X the battery capacity (including the original battery). Whole project should come in at under $1k.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
you can add a lithium polymer battery to the spare tire storage area, and a few charging components for about 10,000. The process can be done in colorado or california, but is legal to own operate and drive in all 50 states. It gives you 100-190mpg depending on driving habits & circumstances. here is a guy with 171mpg. I love the prius.

the battery installation process in the prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=icRjfaeoQnE

the guy who got 171 mpg filling up at the pumps. (prius holds only 10 gallons as well):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=I5WmcnSkUTw&feature=related

a guy who claims to get 2000 to 2100 mpg in cross country road trips with a prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

I like the idea, but not the price. I checked out their website and it says the 100mpg mod is oriented towards early adopters; the price for the 15-mile upgrade is $24k and the 30-mile upgrade is $32k - both more than a brand-new 2008 Prius goes for. Here's the link:

http://www.hybrids-plus.com/ht/products.html

I think the key to the Prius' success is that it's a $20k hybrid that "just works". I did find another mod, however - a solar-panel roof conversion, priced at a much more reasonable $1595:

http://www.solatecllc.com/

The only problem with this mod is that it only gives you an increase of about 2mpg (which isn't even guaranteed, depending on your environment). You can increase your MPG savings by more than double that by doing some simple driving-style changes:

http://mboffin.com/post.aspx?id=1906

The only real turn-off I see for the car right now is the Traction Control issue. I live in a snowy area, so not having a functioning TC system is a major downside.

I just think it'd be cool to have a hybrid car

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: swtethan

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: swtethan
save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

Why is he selling it?

it sucks, and every single service, you have to take to the dealership. A car that is controlled all by computer = you cant work on yourself.

So the main reason he is selling it is because he can't work on it himself because of the computer controller? Any other specific reasons why it "sucks"?

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: swtethan

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: swtethan
save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

Why is he selling it?

it sucks, and every single service, you have to take to the dealership. A car that is controlled all by computer = you cant work on yourself.

So the main reason he is selling it is because he can't work on it himself because of the computer controller? Any other specific reasons why it "sucks"?

Some users in the Insight forums have commented that the Prius drives like a golf cart, and has very little character, while others have liked it.

Here is the thread

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: swtethan

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: swtethan
save your $$ and get a small sedan


btw my bro and his has one, he's selling it

Why is he selling it?

it sucks, and every single service, you have to take to the dealership. A car that is controlled all by computer = you cant work on yourself.

So the main reason he is selling it is because he can't work on it himself because of the computer controller? Any other specific reasons why it "sucks"?

Some users in the Insight forums have commented that the Prius drives like a golf cart, and has very little character, while others have liked it.

Here is the thread

I have 3 family members with Priuses (Prii?). They love them - they're more roomy than you might think and the hatch holds a lot. I took a road trip (about 300 miles each way) with my brother-in-law, and he was driving 85 almost the entire way and we still averaged 50+ MPG. It also has a very nice stereo system and is quite comfortable. I always called them "Corollas with batteries" but if you're looking for a commuter car with excellent mileage, it's worth a look.

 

[Thump553]

Just got a new one last month. Very happy with it, running about 42 mpg right off the bat, which is very acceptable. We live in CT and have a very steep driveway, it has performed perfectly so far in several storms (I didn't spring for traction control-too much $$). Price right now is very acceptable, dealers are dealing on it.

My cavaets:

1) Highway ride is a tad rough, nothing horrible.

2) Stock radio is OK (fine for my wife, I'd like something with a bit better fidelity).

3) Ground clearance is low (5 inches I think), so deep snow could be a problem with unibody construction (this is a problem with many cars).

4) Rearview camera is essential. Styling concerns (design idiots) make back visibility poor.

5) Option packages, with the exception of the first one, are overpriced in my view.

priuschat.com is a nice forum about them.

One additonal bonus-my state doesn't charge sales tax on hybrids (for now). Check your state laws. Also, many insurance companies give discounts for hybrids.

 

[Uhtrinity]

The Prius is really the only choice atm for a 5 seater. My parents are close to buying one, my recommendation is to buy one now, or wait 1 - 2 years for other alternatives that are hitting the market in 2009 / 2010. It is sad that the Insight, Prius, and to a lesser degree the Honda Civic hybrid have been the only choices (mpg wise) for the last 8 years.

edit - As far as traction control, I had a Saturn SC2 that had traction control. It was great on slick roads, but when under any condition where both front wheels would spin, the traction control would completely cut power. So essentially if you were on much snow you had to turn it off to even move. I found it to be rather annoying.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: jaredpace


the battery installation process in the prius:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=icRjfaeoQnE

hope he doesn't need his spare

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Thump553
Just got a new one last month. Very happy with it, running about 42 mpg right off the bat, which is very acceptable. We live in CT and have a very steep driveway, it has performed perfectly so far in several storms (I didn't spring for traction control-too much $$). Price right now is very acceptable, dealers are dealing on it.

My cavaets:

1) Highway ride is a tad rough, nothing horrible.

2) Stock radio is OK (fine for my wife, I'd like something with a bit better fidelity).

3) Ground clearance is low (5 inches I think), so deep snow could be a problem with unibody construction (this is a problem with many cars).

4) Rearview camera is essential. Styling concerns (design idiots) make back visibility poor.

5) Option packages, with the exception of the first one, are overpriced in my view.

priuschat.com is a nice forum about them.

One additonal bonus-my state doesn't charge sales tax on hybrids (for now). Check your state laws. Also, many insurance companies give discounts for hybrids.

I'm just outside Hartford right now so that's good to hear! I'm a little worried about rear-window visability...does the camera operate while the car is in forward motion?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity
The Prius is really the only choice atm for a 5 seater. My parents are close to buying one, my recommendation is to buy one now, or wait 1 - 2 years for other alternatives that are hitting the market in 2009 / 2010. It is sad that the Insight, Prius, and to a lesser degree the Honda Civic hybrid have been the only choices (mpg wise) for the last 8 years.

edit - As far as traction control, I had a Saturn SC2 that had traction control. It was great on slick roads, but when under any condition where both front wheels would spin, the traction control would completely cut power. So essentially if you were on much snow you had to turn it off to even move. I found it to be rather annoying.

They seem to have fixed it in recent models...my '94 didn't have it, but my '05 Ion sedan has it and it's perfect. It does an amazing job...it's almost like driving on non-snowy roads, that's how good it is. I can keep my foot on the gas around corners in the snow nd it adjusts the wheel spin so that it turns like normal without sliding out or fishtailing. Plus it gets about 26mpg on average right now, which is pretty decent.

 

[Squisher]

Getting back to this thread, we bought our '08 Prius in September. We replaced our Trailblazer with the Prius. Seating is actually just as roomy. The only difference is a decrease in storage. Since we don't do family driving vacations anymore so I don't think there will be any shortcomings in this regard. As for winter traction I really haven't seen any issues, although when driving in snow I seldom actuate the anti-lock brakes or traction control in any vehicle I drive. I'd say we usually get about 42mpg which is a step up from the 15mpg we got with the Chevy. All in all we are pleased. I will say that when the domestics start making something comparable I'll probably move back to a domestic.

btw-If we were to ever get socked with a lot of snow I do have a 3-door F150 4X4 to fall back on.

 

[Kaido]

Another solar option that looks promising:

http://www.solarelectricalvehicles.com/products.shtml

 

[CptCrunch]

My friend has a prius and he loves it, gets great MPG. I have a corolla and average 33-35mpg on a mix of driving AC on, 75mph on average speed. I think it's a great alternative for the prius if you can't justify the 6-10k difference. As far as hybrids go, at this time, Prius is a great vehicle. GM is coming up with some interesting stuff, but no other company has a solid hybrid vehicle like the prius.

 

[Kaido]

Here's another 100mpg option, priced at a much more reasonable $12.5k:

http://www.hybridcars.com/news...-100-miles-gallon.html

 

[Kaido]

And their website:

http://www.oemtek.com/

Some very interesting statistics here:

http://www.oemtek.com/products.html

Our four validation prototype vehicles (Prius + BREEZ) have 90-days of testing/10,000 miles of test driving.

RANGE RESULTS - A fully charged battery delivers:
Zero-Emission Miles of ~30-35 all-electric miles per full charge;
PHEV range of 50-60 miles per full charge;

PEFORMANCE RESULTS - We have consistently:
Averaged 147 MPG in urban driving; (<34 MPH, 30 miles per day, 90+ days and ~3000 miles)
Averaged 102 MPG in highway driving. (cruise control at 65 MPH, 45 miles per day, 90+ days and ~4000 miles)
Averaged 125 MPG in combined urban and highway driving (~7000 miles in 90 days)
Range of 1000 to 1500 miles to ?empty? the fuel tank

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Been reading up on the hybrid Prius cars. Are they any good?

The biggest complain I've seen so far is the crappy Traction Control feature. That's a huge issue for me, I don't think I could survive in the snow without it; apparently it doesn't work so well (causes both wheels to stop moving). I'm not going to switch my tires out for snow tires every winter, either. I've read mixed results though, so I'm not sure what to think yet.

Looks interesting. I like the idea of computers and batteries in the car. Plus you can hack it :evil:

If you can't drive a FWD car with skinny all-season tires in the snow without traction control then you probably shouldn't be driving in the snow. lol

 

[Dman877]

My mother bought a 2004 Prius (first year for the second gen) and she loves it. In the summer in New England, it gets 50 mpg, in the winter it gets 40. However, it handles like an arcade racing game. There's no communication between driver and road. It's also slow as molasses.

They've had several recalls on it and once, it died on the highway because of a throttle sensor issue. Overall, it's pretty reliable though. I think they have 50k+ on it now and that was the only time it broke down.

Cargo capacity is good, it's also a light car in modern terms, like 2900 lbs. My dad's soon-to-arrive 135i is smaller and much heavier.

Even with snow tires, the Prius isn't great in the snow but getting places in the snow is more about how you drive than what you drive anyway.

If all you need is basic transportation, get a Prius. Frankly, it's a car that makes sense for about 70% of people driving in this country.

 

[TigerMonsoonDragon]

indeed. instead of a prius get a honda crx. better car and gets 50mpg non hybrid

 

[misle]

Personally, I find the Prius to be very ugly. I just don't like the look of it. I would rather have a Honda Civic Hybrid (do they still make them?).