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07/06/2007 10:16:28 PM · #1 |
Ok, I want one. My car has 130,000-ish miles on it, and I'm about ready to "just look" for a new car (anytime my wife and I have "just looked" for a car in the past, a new car winds up in our driveway within 24 hours).
Anyway, I saw a nicely loaded Prius on a local lot tonight, but the dealership was closed, so I wasn't able to test drive it. But I was just curious to see how people like them, and whether the gas mileage lives up to expectations, blah blah blah.
Conversely, anyone have a different hybrid we should consider? I don't want one unless it's gonna get above 45 mpg-ish. |
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07/06/2007 10:23:33 PM · #2 |
I absolutely love it. The gas mileage seems to live up to my expectations - even on the highway - and the handling is beautiful. To be honest, it's my husband's car, but I steal it every chance I get.
I've had to drive an unexpected number of miles this year, and it thrills me every time I take a long trip that I get more than twice the mileage of my family minivan ... and three times the mileage (I'm ashamed to confess) of what my husband had on his "high performance" car before.
It's a very sweet ride, and I'm not a car fanatic. |
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07/06/2007 10:25:46 PM · #3 |
I have one with almost 60,000 miles on it, and I love it. It's surprisingly roomy and comfortable, with tons of space for cargo. I've used it to go on camping trips and fit me, two friends and our gear easily.
I don't know anyone who has one and doesn't love it.
Enjoy!
~Terry
Message edited by author 2007-07-06 22:28:31.
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07/06/2007 10:32:41 PM · #4 |
| Very good to hear -- thanks for the responses! I really like the notion of going 600 miles or so between fill-ups. The dashboard looked pretty cool, too, from what I could tell. Definitely a nice step up from my aging Saturn. |
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07/06/2007 10:37:16 PM · #5 |
Gore's son was arrested doing 100 in his Prius. Didn't know the buggers can go that fast. :)
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07/06/2007 10:44:03 PM · #6 |
Yeah, and he was also caught with marijuana in the car, if I heard the news correctly. I guess he puts the "high" in "high-brid!"
Originally posted by MrEd:
Gore's son was arrested doing 100 in his Prius. Didn't know the buggers can go that fast. :) |
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07/06/2007 10:57:32 PM · #7 |
I'm still enjoying my 2003 Prius. It's an earlier model and the newer ones get even better gas mileage. However, I have had some mechanical problems that I never expected to get in any car, let along a Prius. Just a week or two ago I had to have the entire rack & pinion system replaced (my nickel, as the car has 67,000 miles on it. And it was a BIG nickel.) I will tell you it was a thrill and a half to drive that car for the couple of days it took to get it to the shop.
The gas mileage is wonderful and I still have the original brakes but the nice little beast uses tires rapidly - they say because of all those batteries.
The on-board computer had to be replaced (under warranty) and something in the reverse gearing had to be replaced (not under warranty). Folks here can relate to this one. I was parked at a wild-life preserve facing a marsh and since it wouldn't go backward and forward wasn't an option, it saw the back of a towtruck for the first - and I hope last - time.
I will also confess to having to replace a water pump and six months later the radiator went (not under warranty).
However, for the first 37,500 miles Toyota paid for all repairs and servicing.
If I had it to do over again, I would purchase the extended warranty. And yes, I'd buy another one. But I don't want to. I really like this one. |
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07/06/2007 10:58:04 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Very good to hear -- thanks for the responses! I really like the notion of going 600 miles or so between fill-ups. The dashboard looked pretty cool, too, from what I could tell. Definitely a nice step up from my aging Saturn. |
Expect to get 425-500 miles between fill-ups, closer to 425 in the winter and 500 in the summer. Gas tanks in the US use a flexible bladder inside the tank. It reduces evaporate emissions (read: keeps your gas from evaporating) but reduces the tank capacity somewhat -- more in the cold when the material is less flexible.
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine.
~Terry
Message edited by author 2007-07-06 23:03:01.
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07/06/2007 11:02:25 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by MrEd:
Gore's son was arrested doing 100 in his Prius. Didn't know the buggers can go that fast. :) |
They can... I did it once to prove it could.
~Terry
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07/06/2007 11:08:32 PM · #10 |
You had to bring up this thread!!
I have been debating from last 2 months if I want to get the Prius. I keep looking for other cars but after having driven a Prius and knowing that it is the most technologically advanced car on road at the moment I can't seem to lock on anything else!
My friend has 2 of these and simply loves it!
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07/06/2007 11:17:53 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine. |
What if I run out of the plutonium... how will I achieve the 1.21 jigawatts of power to run the flux capacitor?
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07/06/2007 11:20:19 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine. |
What if I run out of the plutonium... how will I achieve the 1.21 jigawatts of power to run the flux capacitor? |
Ask Google.
~Terry
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07/07/2007 03:05:28 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by sfalice:
Just a week or two ago I had to have the entire rack & pinion system replaced (my nickel, as the car has 67,000 miles on it. And it was a BIG nickel.) |
Check with your shop! I believe there was a notice (I think it's called a "Technical Service Bulletin") out about a problem with the steering system on some models, and I think mine was fixed/replaced for free.
I bought a used 2001 model at the beginning of 2005 with 37k on it -- I just passed 65k and am happy with it. On this older model I am consistently getting over 45mpg -- newer ones should do better. As Mr. Gore III proved, it has plenty of zip.
Don't expect to do any work on it yourself ... |
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07/07/2007 03:10:50 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine.
~Terry |
Uh, I've been told that in "emergency all-electric" mode (there's a turtle-shaped icon on the dashboard) you can drive with no gas, but should not exceed about 20mph.
I once got the out-of-gas error, but I was parked on an upslope, and when I turned around, there was still enough gas to start it up and drive to the dealer (gas line must be at the front of the tank) ... it takes a computer hookup at a place which can service them to "clear" the error message.
Also, there are some people who are (illegally) retrofitting them to "voluntarily" run in all-electric mode around town, instead of letting the computer turn the gas engine on and off.
You need to get used to the quiet -- one reason they are rated for higher milage around town is that the (gas) engine turns off when you are idled for a few seconds, like at stoplights. If you have a light foot you can cruise down a level or downsloping street at 25-30mph on the electric motor alone.
Message edited by author 2007-07-07 03:15:32. |
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07/07/2007 03:21:58 AM · #15 |
2001 Prius did have a recall for May - July production, 1772 vehicles affected - had to do with a torque sensor failing that would cause higher than normal steering effort.
2004, 2005 & 2006 Prius have a recall for vehicles produced between Aug 2003 through Nov 2005. Had to do with the intermediate shaft in the electric power steering assist cracking and could result in a loss of power steering. A call to any Toyota dealer can verify if a vehicle had it corrected, and any other TSB's / recalls done, simply by providing the VIN number to the dealer.
Edit to add:
I service a number of Toyota Prius and have found them super reliable and real basic in it's maintenance needs. Nothing scary under the hood that a consumer can get into trouble with unless being stupid and taking things apart that one doesn't know what it is. Oil changes are no different other than KEEP THE KEY in your pocket when changing the oil. The engines can start on their own to recharge battery(ies) if the voltage monitoring system see a decline in voltage just sitting there, not running, key in. Can make for a really messy oil change. Brakes, A/Transmission service, maintenance tune-ups, etc are all the same as a Corolla, nothing different.
Message edited by author 2007-07-07 04:38:28.
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07/07/2007 03:23:18 AM · #16 |
| I almost put "You should ask Brad ..." in my original note ... : ) |
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07/07/2007 03:58:35 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine.
~Terry |
Uh, I've been told that in "emergency all-electric" mode (there's a turtle-shaped icon on the dashboard) you can drive with no gas, but should not exceed about 20mph.
I once got the out-of-gas error, but I was parked on an upslope, and when I turned around, there was still enough gas to start it up and drive to the dealer (gas line must be at the front of the tank) ... it takes a computer hookup at a place which can service them to "clear" the error message.
Also, there are some people who are (illegally) retrofitting them to "voluntarily" run in all-electric mode around town, instead of letting the computer turn the gas engine on and off.
You need to get used to the quiet -- one reason they are rated for higher milage around town is that the (gas) engine turns off when you are idled for a few seconds, like at stoplights. If you have a light foot you can cruise down a level or downsloping street at 25-30mph on the electric motor alone. |
Technically, yes, the car will let you do it. In the 2004+ Prius, you get the red-exclamation-point-in-a-triangle light, or what I refer to as the General Car Fault light.
The problem is that when attempting to drive without gasoline, the hybrid battery will deplete rather rapidly -- since it has to use battery under conditions that might normally be more efficiently handled by the gasoline engine, and of course it can't force a recharge. If the hybrid battery depletes completely, the car would need to be taken in to Toyota for what I understand is an expensive and time-consuming repair. Since the condition is caused by user error, the repair is not covered by warranty. For that reason, though I have done it, I do not recommend attempting to drive the car without gas unless you are VERY sure of what you are doing and EXACTLY when to stop pushing your luck. I probably wouldn't even recommend it then.
Under normal driving conditions, the hybrid control system will prevent the battery from becoming anywhere near depleted (2 bars on the battery screen is, I understand, actually much more than a 25% charge) by charging from the gasoline engine, if needed. Without gasoline, there is no way to force a charge, so the computer can't protect the battery.
So yes, technically, you can drive the car, but I would not recommend using that feature to do any more than pull over safely. That's still much more "grace" than you get in a non-hybrid.
WARNING: Serious Prius "gearhead" stuff follows. You don't need to know any of this to drive and fully enjoy a Prius
As to the electric-only retrofit, there are two aspects to it.
The first, simplest, and definitely-legal one, is installation of an "EV Mode" switch, which "encourages" the car to run in electric-only mode. This can be done as a "do it yourself" mod, or by purchasing a kit from Coastal Electronic Technologies. I've actually done this mod with the CoastalETech kit.
The EV button is actually available from Toyota on the Prius in Europe and Japan, but not in the US. Speculation is that this is either due to marketing considerations (overcoming the idea that you would have to "turn on" and "turn off" electric mode) or warranty/battery life considerations. Since the car is designed to support the feature, though, the logic exists in the computer -- there's just no button to activate it! The mod simply consists of installing a button and connecting it to the proper pins on the wiring harness.
Note I said that the EV button "encourages" electric mode. EV will not activate, or will automatically deactivate if running (pressing the EV button will produce three quick beeps, or, if EV mode is already active, it will deactivate with three quick beeps) when:
* The battery charge is at three bars or fewer.
* You attempt to accelerate more rapidly than EV mode supports
* You exceed 34 mph
EV mode can also not be activated (and pressing the EV button will produce three quick beeps) if the gasoline engine is in a warm-up cycle.
In any case, when EV mode deactivates, the gasoline engine starts if needed, and the car reverts "on the fly" to normal driving mode.
The second mod is installation of an additional array of batteries and charging kit to convert the Prius into a PHEV (plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle). Some enthusiasts have done this to increase electric-only range and to take advantage of the fact that grid power is much less expensive than gasoline power. I have not seriously considered doing this myself (the kits are currently too expensive), so I can't speak to the legality of these kits. In any case, when using these kits, the car is still protected by the hybrid computer, which will activate the gasoline engine when appropriate.
All of this is a really long-winded way to say that when the car has gas, it protects the battery. When it doesn't, it can't.
~Terry
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07/07/2007 06:47:56 PM · #18 |
Well, remember earlier in this thread when I mentioned the fact that when we go "just looking" for a car, we normally just buy one instantly without bothering to shop around, etc.?
Well, here's a picture of my driveway, taken 5 minutes ago...
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07/07/2007 06:54:13 PM · #19 |
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07/07/2007 06:54:43 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Well, remember earlier in this thread when I mentioned the fact that when we go "just looking" for a car, we normally just buy one instantly without bothering to shop around, etc.?
Well, here's a picture of my driveway, taken 5 minutes ago...
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I'd take it back, that shirt clashes with the car.
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07/07/2007 06:58:54 PM · #21 |
Congratulations, Alan! Don't let anyone tell you that the car is cooler than you are. :)
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07/07/2007 07:01:41 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by L2:
Don't let anyone tell you that the car is cooler than you are. :) |
LMAO! We can think it though, right? hehe... Congrats Alan.
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07/07/2007 07:02:05 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by jbsmithana:
I'd take it back, that shirt clashes with the car. |
We wanted the "silver pine" one, which would have matched, but they didn't have one in stock... :( |
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07/07/2007 07:15:33 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by L2:
Congratulations, Alan! Don't let anyone tell you that the car is cooler than you are. :) |
Even if I had gotten a 1976 Pinto, that would probably be the case... |
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07/07/2007 07:53:32 PM · #25 |
| congratulations! I have wanted a prius since they first came out, but just haven't been able to do it. I have test driven two different years and love how quiet they are, half the time you don't even know they are running. |
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