Prius rant

[baadboy11]

I just got done driving a prius to vegas from colorado, and let me just say it was not designed for the highways. If you put that car on anything more then a 2% grade it just barely hits 50. They may be good in the city, but on the highway they are not any better then any other 4 cylinder.

 

[hihoslvr]

I commute 75 miles round trip to work each day. Mostly rural, about 1/2 two lane highway and 1/2 four lane.
Today there was a lady in a Prius that had BOTH south bound lanes of the highway down to almost 55 mph. The speed limit is 65 and traffic usually runs 70-75.

what's the old saying about everyone who drives slower than me is an idiot, and everyone who drives faster is a maniac...

Out here on the left coast, we got ourselves a split speed limit: 55 for the truckers, 75 for the 4 wheelers. Yeah, it can be a pain,and dangerous too, I won't argue that, but the reason is fuel consumption goes up exponentially above 52+ mph.

 

[lifeissomething]

Ok, sorry, I was meaning to say not many V4's, I was mostly referring to the domesticated vehicles available in North America. I know that there are a few bikes out there with the V4 configurations, and outboards with the V4 configurations, hell, even my air compressor at work is a 4 cylinder in a v4 configuration. I'm just meaning, You don't see them on the every day car.

And as for Saab, I don't classify that as a car, they should have stuck with making planes, I hate them even worse then I hate Volkswagen, I never thought I'd say that.

Hey, saabs aren't bad to drive. Just terrible to own. I had a friend with a 9-3. It was fun but one day he came into starbucks and showed me pieces of his engine block.

 

[Will]

50 on hills in a Prius? Something wrong with it. My brothers goes like any other small car. you can set the cruise at 75 and it easily maintains it. But yes, I agree it's a city car. it does get 49mpg on the highway but that is from it's aerodynamics. Toyota worked really hard for that number. The other hybrids that were based on existing platforms do not do better on the highway than their gas-only counterparts.

And there is a new BMW diesel that beats the prius on the highway and it isn't an aerodynamic ugly marvel.

 

[triumphrider-1]

Since the topic is on hybrid/fuel consumption:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=457882

I would like to it in the US in '09 like they say, but the crash testing will probably put it off. Although, now that I think about it, the twotwo and twofour are here in the states...

 

[DeanMoriarty]

what's the old saying about everyone who drives slower than me is an idiot, and everyone who drives faster is a maniac...

George Carlin.

 

[mhughes165]

Since the topic is on hybrid/fuel consumption:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=457882

I would like to it in the US in '09 like they say, but the crash testing will probably put it off. Although, now that I think about it, the twotwo and twofour are here in the states...

0-60 in 16 seconds......thats enough to get u killed on the highway, and the GT will go 0-60 in 10 seconds.....


is it just me...or the more "fuel effiecient" everything becomes the slower it moves

 

[philS]

Part of the problem (on highways at least) is that Prius' get better mileage at slower speeds. So they poke along .....

 

[philS]

"what's the old saying about everyone who drives slower than me is an idiot, and everyone who drives faster is a maniac..."

Or the Dennis Leary: "everyone who's not me sucks"

 

[MAKG]

But the price is more then I want to pay. Isn't it like $250,000. But then again you could b***h at the prius drivers for getting worst gas mileage then your car, and it can outrun a ferarri.

No. It's in the $80K range. Still too pricey for me.

But I spotted the prototype driving the Skyline (like a wimp) last weekend. One doesn't often see dealer plates up there. Though IMO if you're driving a high performance Lotus chassis with massive acceleration, I really shouldn't be able to keep up in a stock Exploder with twice the weight and unsophisticated suspension and steering.

It's a HELL of a vehicle. It was demonstrated right outside my office. Creepy; the thing outruns aircraft taking off (easily, even giving the aircraft a mile to get its speed up) and it's completely silent.

 

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
My dad's little 2001 hyundai accent, 1.5l gets 40MPG, and only cost him $3000. It would take many many years to justify buying a prius over that little car.

 

[KELLY88]

These Tesla cars are awesome. Yes they are pricey but they are high performance and purely electric. They're also a lot less complicated than some electric cars in the past and a hell of a lot less complicated then gas/electric hybrids. All the details are right on the website. http://http://www.teslamotors.com/ If this kind of technology can catch on and become mass produced then the purely electric car could be pretty popular. Just wonder how much it runs up the power bill each time it is charged?

 

[Hahnsb2]

Yo,
My dad's little 2001 hyundai accent, 1.5l gets 40MPG, and only cost him $3000. It would take many many years to justify buying a prius over that little car.

 

[Jason]

is it just me...or the more "fuel effiecient" everything becomes the slower it moves

Congrats!! You figured out that it takes more fuel to make more power. Genius.

 

[mhughes165]

Yo,
My dad's little 2001 hyundai accent, 1.5l gets 40MPG, and only cost him $3000. It would take many many years to justify buying a prius over that little car.

Congrats!! You figured out that it takes more fuel to make more power. Genius.

i bet it doesnt take 16 seconds to get to 60 mph either does it

40 mpg is REALLY very good consider u still have enough pickup to merge into traffic and cruise at highway speeds, versus these new cars that move slower then molasses, everyone should start ridin bikes in the summer, would save everyone a whole hell of alot money on gas...