Quote:
Originally Posted by tashier
So is the allure of buying a hybrid because it's environmentally friendly? Or because it gets great gas milesage? Or to save money? I can't see that it does any of the three. You pay more for the car, have batteries and tires to discard and could really buy a gasoline car that gets nearly the same MPG.
Just curious, hope I'm not getting myself in trouble.  |
The original tires do wear out quickly, but running through them in 10,000 miles is pretty unusual. 30-40K is more common. It is probably the most common complaint about the Prius. I’ve owned other cars that rip through the OEM tires, so I don’t really care if the Prius’ first set don’t last long.
Batteries have an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty. Some taxi companies have put over 300,000 miles on a Prius and not had a problem with the battery. I’ve only put 100,000+ miles on one car I’ve owned in my life (own it for 7 ˝ years). The batteries are not a concern to me. All battery parts are, currently, recyclable (they are nickel metal hydride).
For me, the “environmentally friendly” aspect was far down on the list. All my other cars were little sporty cars (my last car was a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T). I wanted something completely different.
The things I like about the Prius:
The car has no alternator, no starter motor and no clutch (in fact, the transmission doesn't shift gears). Acceleration is perfectly smooth. You start the car by pressing a button. It starts the electric motor. The gas motor doesn’t start until about 8 seconds after the start button is pushed, and, in most cases, it only starts that soon to get the catalytic converter warmed up.
The electric motor generates 295 ft/lb of torque from a standing start. If I wanted to, I could beat just about any gas-only-powered car in a race from 0 to 30 mph. Even at higher speeds the combined engines generate about 110 hp. Not great, but certainly enough for nearly everything most people would want to do. I have no problems driving down I-75 at over 80 mph (even though I’m not supposed to).
When at speeds lower than 42 mph, on flat terrain (like we have in S. Florida), the gasoline engine turns off. The car is completely silent. It’s a very unique sensation. Prius owners call it “stealth mode”. You have to be careful running in “stealth mode” in parking lots, because it’s easy to sneak up on pedestrians.
Bottom line…
I like the car because its engine design is completely different from any car I’ve ever owned before, and it does what I need it to do (even haul around 15 bags of mulch). The fact that it’s inexpensive to run is just an added benefit.
