The New Prius

[david j starkie]

Not posted for a few days as i have started a new p/t job delivering cars last wednesday i dropped a new prius off to a nice gent in Dunstable. What a car it was

one of the nicest cars i have driven the outlay of all the controls was spot on,only thing was this one i delivered did'nt have sat nav i liked the way when in a tail back on the

motorway you can switch to electric mode so its free driving as soon as it gets to about 30 mph the engine kicks in to eco drive There is also a sportier setting

which i only tried once( as it was a customers car was very responsive) if i had 20 grand id get a prius tomorrow it cost me £15 to get to dunstable from manchester

not bad.

[Bibbs]

£20k .. and you'd seriously by a new Prius?

[david j starkie]

And why would that be?

[Leeky]

I like the new prius. And i liked the mk2. But in all honesty its a pointless car.

It causes more pollution to manufacture than what a normal car does so therefore cancels out any environmental benefits.

Its good that manufacturers like Toyota are trying to get the formula right, but its no where near there yet.

The FCX Infinity from Honda (apologies if I got the name slightly wrong) is the only car so far that made me think “Yes, that’s the future”.

Zero emissions and far lower manufacturing emissions compared to the prius as it doesn’t have a boot full of batteries. It’s the production of the batteries that is so very harmful to the environment.

The new Prius is a cracking car, but your not going to save the environment with this one. And for that reason I wont be investing, I’m out

[Mkuk0]

Why does it always have to be about saving the environment for goodness sake!!

50+ to the gallon, no congestion charge, loadsa toys, and company car tax rules means I pay virtually bugger all compared to the big dirty smell diesel I had before, smooth refined, quiet, an auto to boot. Ticks every box for me, and I am hardly a green eco friendly nerd either!

All that crud about causing more pollution that it saves is pretty much Top Gear antihype too IMO. Initially that may have been the case, but Toyota recycle a huge portion of Pruii including the HV batteries to make the next gen ones. bear in mind the 1st gen pruis was about 10(?) years ago and I reckon the mats used have been through the recycle process a few times now :)

[Bibbs]

I just think that for £20k there are better alternatives.

Most modern diesels give better overall economy. Especially over longer distances (where the eletrics don't get a chance to recharge).

I agree with Leeky, I think the future is in the Honda. A car you fill up like usual, get similar MPG etc. It's just on a cheaper fuel source, with NO emissions.

FCX Clarity -

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

And also the Honda is a nice looking car. It would blend in and you'd not know it was anything special. The Prius looks like it was dropped on it's face as a child.

Obviously - it's all my opinion.

[Red diesel]

The reason its all about the evironment with the Prius Mkuk0 is because thats what the Prius is supposed to be about - its supposed to be more friendlier to the enviroment being a hybrid - then a normal car - also the Prius does not outclass normal cars ie the Focus when the eviroment is excluded from the equation. And the modern diesels are very close behind in terms of the evironment to the Prius - and they drive a lot better. However they are not without their faults either - what :censor: clown thought DPFs (diesel particulate filters) were a good idea - they are causing bother appearently on cars used a lot for urban driving. Id like to see a hybrid version of a car thats actually really excellent to drive - why they need to be boring to drive is completely beyond me.

Im sure the new car is a huge improvement on the old one - but i still think they are hugely overated - oh for sure they are a start in the right direction - and hybrids will get better - but i think in terms of the environment the Prius as it stands is overated.

Red diesel

[Bizarra]

See my post of 10th Aug describing the environmental damage caused by Mining the materials for the Battery.

In "Environmental Question " :(

[Leeky]

As i said before...

I like the new prius. And i liked the mk2. But in all honesty its a pointless car.

And i used to have an Aygo, now THATS economical at 70mpg extra urban.... No congestion charge and zero road tax.

[PaulT]

I agree with Leeky, I think the future is in the Honda. A car you fill up like usual, get similar MPG etc. It's just on a cheaper fuel source, with NO emissions.

The problem with hydrogen as a fuel is that you have to get the hydrogen in the first place, which requires fossil fuel power usually.

I know Honda have demonstrated that you can run a car on hydrogen produced by wind power or sunlight, but I don't think that is currently feasible for the number of cars we have on the road.

Paul.

[Mkuk0]

I just get a bit ticked when I am labelled 'an environmentalist' just for driving a nice sized car (Aygo waaay too small) that is cheap as heck to run. fair point on the price, If I had to buy my own I would probably think twice, as 20k IS a lot for a car of that size.

The Honda Hydrogen car is a GREAT idea and I would be all for it, but it needs a huge investment for the hydrogen supply to make it viable as an alternative IMO.

[Bibbs]

I wouldn't worry about the tag. I went from one of the highest polluting 2.0 liter engines (which I then supercharged) to a big lazy glorified tractor engine.

I like where the Prius is headed, but for me it's not there yet.

Too expensive (this will change, and older models will be available 2nd hand).

Too slow (but then it's a 4 door saloon).

Too small.

Ugly.

Too heavy.

They really need to put the drivetrain into things like the Yaris, and the Auris etc. Just make it a Petrol/Diesel/Hybrid choice for the engine.

I need a Lexus RX300 with a bit more land cruiser thrown in, and an eletric Elise.

Both for about £10k.

(or think %$( it and get something hairy and V8 powered)

[KPARRIS-JONES]

The Mini Cooper D seems to be a good choice for economy.

Also, I don't understand why in the Prius advert, it says; the new full hybrid.

Since when were Hybrids full theyre a bit of both arent they?

The Honda Insight is the way forward, no question about it, but we need more Hydrogen refill stations.....

[duncerduncs]

The Mini Cooper D seems to be a good choice for economy.

Also, I don't understand why in the Prius advert, it says; the new full hybrid.

Since when were Hybrids full theyre a bit of both arent they?

It's a "full hybrid" because it can move under Battery power alone

The Honda Insight is the way forward, no question about it, but we need more Hydrogen refill stations.....

Do you mean FCX Clarity? (The Insight is the same as the Prius!)

There is one slight problem with hydrogen powered cars... They cost about £1million to buy!

Toyota have managed to get a hydrogen powered car to do over 400 miles on a single tank CLICKY