2004 Prius question

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

While the 2003 Neon is nice, I don't like the mileage I am getting on it (average of 25).

Been looking at the new Prius and wondering if anyone has had a chance to drive it yet? Opinions, etc?

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you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[PhreeZone 15]

Check out the Civic for milage. I'm getting 32 city and 48+ highway. Long distance trips I'm getting 52+ easy on it.

I looked at a 2003 Prius and just got the feeling that it was "cheap" and plasticy. I had nothing to back that up but I got the same impression of the Focus and the ZX3.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

Check out the Civic for milage. I'm getting 32 city and 48+ highway. Long distance trips I'm getting 52+ easy on it.

I looked at a 2003 Prius and just got the feeling that it was "cheap" and plasticy. I had nothing to back that up but I got the same impression of the Focus and the ZX3.

I wasn't a fan of any of the first generation cars. The Civic may be an option - but check out the 2004 version here Phree:
http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/look_ahead/

It looks like they may have fixed their mistakes.

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you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Kris 0]

Bo, shoot a PM over to JYorkster. His wife Annika has one (a 2003 I believe) and she loves it. It's like a personal contest with her as to how efficient she can get her Prius hybrid to run.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[Fast 0]

Man, you guys suck!!!


I think i get like 16 mpg at the best, using non-ethanol gas.

Sheesh!

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[billvon 2,487]

I've driven the 2003 Prius. It didn't drive as well as the Honda Civic Hybrid; more body roll in turns and less road feel. The Civic isn't a performance car but has the same very competent handling that most of the other Civics have, and with the battery pack in the back the rear end doesn't tend to let go early.

The 2004 Prius is all new though so its handling may well have changed. Its drivetrain definitely did.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

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I've driven the 2003 Prius. It didn't drive as well as the Honda Civic Hybrid; more body roll in turns and less road feel. The Civic isn't a performance car but has the same very competent handling that most of the other Civics have, and with the battery pack in the back the rear end doesn't tend to let go early.

The 2004 Prius is all new though so its handling may well have changed. Its drivetrain definitely did.

My main fear is the pickup from a dead start. If its worse than my old Tempo, or say a Kia...there isn't a chance I will get one. I don't want to race - I just want passing power.

However 50mpg, 550mile to the tank is a nice incentive.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Gawain 0]

Quote

My main fear is the pickup from a dead start. If its worse than my old Tempo, or say a Kia...there isn't a chance I will get one. I don't want to race - I just want passing power.

However 50mpg, 550mile to the tank is a nice incentive.

For tooling around town, the pick-up will work fine. Most times, the electric motors will either supplement or take exclusive duty from a standstill. Electric motors peak their torque at 0-rpm. Test drive them both. I'm partial to Honda.

Edit to add: One of the editors of Car & Driver wrote a column about a long term experience with the Honda Insight (the 2 seat hybrid). This guy is used to driving any kind of high-performance machine. Anyway, he noted that he enjoyed the challenge of really thinking about how he was driving and what he would need in order to pass someone if needed. Of course, he thought it was an adventure.

Also, in terms of "passing" power, expect to spend most of the time to the "right" of Lane 1.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Viking 0]

anyone think about the new mini? (not the S model)

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[Gawain 0]

Quote

anyone think about the new mini? (not the S model)

A bargain with no options. Once you start adding stuff, not enough bang-for-the-buck. A Civic Si will give you everything the Mini (and Mini S) in terms of power and features.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Viking 0]

this is true partly b/c of BMW and there pricey options ($1300 leather seats and $1700 nav system) but the mini just can't be beat in terms of handling, even by cars above its price range (to a certain extent)

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[yardhippie 0]

Im impressed by your desire to be fuel efficient. Im w/ honda, b/c of past product longevity. My wife has got a 1994, Del Sol w/ 185,000 miles on it and still gets nearly 40mpg.
I, OTOH, have a 91 Mitsu that gets 20 and a Dodge Ram that gets 13.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[Gawain 0]

Quote

this is true partly b/c of BMW and there pricey options ($1300 leather seats and $1700 nav system) but the mini just can't be beat in terms of handling, even by cars above its price range (to a certain extent)

Well dude...you already made up your mind! You take your Mini, I'll meet you in my Acura and we'll have somebody time us going through the Ortega highway. All that fancy handling everyone raves about is usually in the Cooper S.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[MarkF 0]

Quote

I've driven the 2003 Prius. It didn't drive as well as the Honda Civic Hybrid; more body roll in turns and less road feel. The Civic isn't a performance car but has the same very competent handling that most of the other Civics have, and with the battery pack in the back the rear end doesn't tend to let go early.

The 2004 Prius is all new though so its handling may well have changed. Its drivetrain definitely did.

I get to use a 2003 Prius. As a straight out car it's a POS - way too many perfect compromises[1]. Assembly is not up to the usual Japanese standards either - a few annoying rattles and bits of the interior that don't quite fit.

Around the city it's a very good option. Where speed is low with a decent percentage of time spent at a standstill is where it really shines. Compared to a Range Rover the fuel bill is negligable - around 1/8...
On the freeway or highway it's a dog. It's clearly NOT designed for that usage hence the body roll and almost total lack of feel. The suspension lets you know what's happening more by noise than feel. It crashes and bangs over rough surfaces at any decent speed. If I was going away for a weekend I'd hire a Magna or Commodore.

I've had a short drive of the 2004 model and at first blush it seems a MUCH better car but I still wouldn't like to punt it from Melbourne to Perth or Townsville. Allegedly one has got from Brisbane to Melbourne on less than a tank of fuel with 4 people and luggage on board - I bet they were stiff and sorry...

[1] Offends everyone equally. If I were to mark the 2003 model out of 10 I'd give it 5.5. The whole car is a compromise to get the technology on the road. Honda beat 'em to it with a better car and Toyota are left playing catch up.


Ooroo
Mark F...

[Viking 0]

hahaha well its either a Cooper S or a turbo 93-95 MR-2 Turbo.

and if it was a GSR vs a Cooper S your pitiful lack of low end torque would be the end of you. I wouldn't have to wind the cooper all the way out to 8k(it wouldn't do it anyways) like you to get the best out of my motor.

As for running the Ortega you'd probly kick my ass simply b/c i have never even driven it once.

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[Hummusx 0]

My co-worker has a 2004 Prius. He likes it very well. When we've got 5 people in there going to lunch, the pickup is a little on the slow side, but otherwise he seems to think it's pretty reasonable. I haven't heard any complaints out of him about it. His other car is a Porshe...

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It’s like selling a million grills all at the same time…with extended warranties. -Hank Hill

[billvon 2,487]

>My main fear is the pickup from a dead start.

The Prius has really good performance from a dead start; electric motors generate the most torque at zero RPM.

> I don't want to race - I just want passing power.

That's different from pickup from a dead start; passing power translates to high-RPM torque, which is where most cars produce maximum power. Since the 2004 Prius has a higher power to weight ratio, it will do better than the 2003 (which I thought had adequate, but not great, passing power.)

[turtlespeed 212]

Thanks for the link Chasing-.

Has anyone tried out the FJ cruiser?

It looks fun.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[PhreeZone 15]

Ohh.. I forgot to mention on my Civic, its not even a hybrid, thats the stock Civic LX coupe. I've had it up to 115mph before and its a ULEV category too. The Hybrid Civic was a very close second but the slightly reduced cargo area was a factor for me.

The hybrid Escape from Ford seems to be a good option for soccer mom's that want to be more Earth Friendly.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Thanks for all the help - I'm just starting to understand the hybrid car a bit more. It seems that both Honda and Toyota have good warranty coverage on them.

With SDC being 72 miles from home, work 16 miles from home, and the occasional 1200 mile road trip to Tampa....I need something that has great mileage, safe, not a pain to drive, and is fairly comfortable.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Gawain 0]

While you're looking, you may want to investigate the Honda Civic HX also (is a conventional engine, but geared/valved towards high MPG) and Volkswagen Golf/Jetta diesel set-ups. On a good highway day, you can get over 600 miles to a tank on the VW diesels.

You'll get a $2K tax write-off with the hybrids, but the more conventional autos have advantages too (less stringent tire pressure requirements for one). Some of the conventional econo-cars are substantially less expensive too (as much as $5K).

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[billvon 2,487]

>You'll get a $2K tax write-off with the hybrids, but the more
> conventional autos have advantages too (less stringent tire
> pressure requirements for one).

That's a tire issue, not a vehicle issue. Any vehicle will get better MPG with higher inflations; some low rolling resistance tires require high inflations to wear properly.

[Gawain 0]

Quote

>You'll get a $2K tax write-off with the hybrids, but the more
> conventional autos have advantages too (less stringent tire
> pressure requirements for one).

That's a tire issue, not a vehicle issue. Any vehicle will get better MPG with higher inflations; some low rolling resistance tires require high inflations to wear properly.

That low-rolling-resistence is also specific to the higher-MPG mission of the vehicles. It's also a traceable factor in MPG-performance variances, moreso than other cars.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[rjackson 0]

Quote

Thanks for all the help - I'm just starting to understand the hybrid car a bit more. It seems that both Honda and Toyota have good warranty coverage on them.

With SDC being 72 miles from home, work 16 miles from home, and the occasional 1200 mile road trip to Tampa....I need something that has great mileage, safe, not a pain to drive, and is fairly comfortable.

I have the Honda Insight. I got it in 2001 and its a great commuter car. I'm getting over 60 mpg. The Civic Hybrid is running the same technology however it has four door and a trunk so thats why the mileage is less.

The is anothe main difference between the Toyota and the Honda hybrids. The Honda engine is on all the time except at a stop when it shuts off. The Toyota switches between gas and electric underway. The Honda uses its electrical power as a assist to the gas engine but not used for primary power like the Toyota.

Hope this helps. I'm very happy with mine. Just remember these aren't race cars but they do what they are designed for very well.

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Randy