TOYOTA PRIUS [merged threads]

**ghosthunter** · January 12th, 2006 12:35 PM

In the Feb 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics, they tested a compact sedan & a SUV against its hybrid twin. Their results would favor a hybrid IF you were buying a SUV hybrid. The price difference and operating cost savings in getting a compact sedan hybrid simply does not make economic sense over the estimated life of the vehicle.

**niky** · January 12th, 2006 05:16 PM

And if you really wanted to save on gas, you wouldn't get the SUV in the first place...

:lol:

**number001** · January 12th, 2006 06:33 PM

Speaking of hybrid SUVS...

A four-wheel-drive version of the Lexus RX400h goes about13 Km/li in the city and 11 km/li on the highway, according to Toyota.

**nugundam93** · January 13th, 2006 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by number001

Speaking of hybrid SUVS...

A four-wheel-drive version of the Lexus RX400h goes about13 Km/li in the city and 11 km/li on the highway, according to Toyota.

why a lower figure in the highway?

**niky** · January 13th, 2006 03:27 PM

Because the hybrid system does most of its savings in traffic, when the engine is off. Those figures are likely for US conditions, though... I'd expect it to dip to 8-9 km/l highway for the Philippines and maybe 10 km/l in traffic, due to both the heat and congestion.

**eggman** · January 13th, 2006 08:27 PM

I think mga rich guys lang ang bibili ng Prius.Sorry bibili nalang ako ng RAV 4!

**ale828** · January 14th, 2006 06:57 PM

I think the reason for the lower fuel economy of the hybrid in the highway is due to the gas engine it has. usual gas engines in hybrid cars are really low displacment models that has a hard time pulling the heavier weight of the hybrid car plus the batteries. This equates to a lower fuel economy on highway roads were the gas engine does most of its work.

**eljo3025** · January 20th, 2006 06:51 PM

IMO if I were to buy between a Jazz or a Prius given that I have the enough income to do so, I will choose DEFINITELY THE PRIUS... Even if you say the economical benefits doesn't match the economical cost, THE PRIUS is still worth it because it can mean a HIGH STATUS SYMBOL compared to other economic car counterparts... And if I have 1.5 million to buy a car I won't get a Toyota Fortuner or AN ALTIS plus 700K of another car... BUYING A PRIUS ONLY MEANS THAT I HAVE THE MONEY TO SPEND TO FEEL GOOD KNOWING I SPEND LESS GAS THAN A FORTUNER (THAT PRACTICALLY EVERYONE HAS...) BUT YOU CAN STILL GET THE SAME RESPECT FOR HAVING SPENT 1.5 MILLION IN A SEDAN...

**niky** · January 22nd, 2006 02:33 AM

The Prius is the current favorite poseur's choice... thus, Hollywood actors are going ga-ga over it. But it's merely a conceit... as soon as the first hybrid SUVs hit the market, they're going to be trading in their Priuses for those.

That's the problem with the Prius. It only sells to rich people who want to feel like they're doing something for the environment. If they really wanted to do that, though, they should just bike.

A Prius will use nearly the same amount of gas and emit the same amount of pollutants as a 1.0 to 1.3 liter supermini, with the added problem of battery disposal every eight years or so (and those batteries are toxic). Thus, I'd rather buy a Jazz or City.

The true solution to the fuel crisis is either more efficient engines, alternative fuels, or full-electric engines. The Prius, while a remarkable engineering feat, should serve merely as a springboard for technologies that should be integrated into ALL cars. Not just toys for the rich.

The Prius is merely Toyota's way of advertising its eco-friendliness... which is a lie. Toyota's corporate average fuel economy has gone way down in the last few years, as they sell more big engined cars and trucks than anyone else in the world. If Toyota were really eco-friendly, they would stop selling V8 cars and SUVs.

That's why I'm all for Honda. Even when they do make trucks and SUVs, they try to make them fuel efficient by using technologies like cylinder shut-off (standard on many US Honda V6s at the moment) and by not equipping them with high displacement V8s. Even Honda's new pickup uses a V6. Of course, their 2.0s are guzzlers at the moment, but the new Civic is getting an ultra fuel-efficient 1.8, and I'm hoping they will be getting CVTs for their CRVs and Civics soon, which should help fuel efficiency. Honda's CVTs are proving to be the most fuel efficient automatic transmissions ever.

Honda also has hybrids, but it doesn't proclaim them as world savers... they make the badging discreet, and they try to see if people will buy them on their own merits, not just because they're hybrid. And Honda has already put fuel-cell cars into production (ahead of Toyota) and natural gas powered cars (again, ahead of Toyota). They're looking at fuel-efficiency for all their cars... not just one of them.

**newbie_123** · September 20th, 2006 09:29 PM

Finally the PRIUS is available in the Philippines! I would like to know if you are willing to buy such a pricey car to save your fuel consumption for the long run... Let me know boys and girls!