Toyota Plug-In Prius

[TEG]

Maybe Toyota thinks the Prius is for people with split personalities...

Yeah, like someone who can't decide between gasoline or electricity for propulsion.

 

[vfx]

Behind The Disturbing Ad Campaign For The 2012 Toyota Prius

Looks like this has been pulled...

edit.

found it here
http://www.theblogismine.com/2011/0...-new-ad-campaign-for-2012-toyota-prius-video/

 

[vfx]

We thought the same thing when we were working on it.

Working on it video.

 

[AnOutsider]

Super clean (literally and figuratively)

 

[Adm]

You mentioned in another thread that you take a longer trip 1-2 times a month. I am curious what MPG you get on that trip.

 

[markwj]

How is the performance?

I had the original Prius, which was fine, then upgraded to the Prius 250 model (the one with the angular BMW-ish sides). Performance in the new model was awful. The car couldn't get up hills without the accelerator floored, and it was painful overtaking.

I had to get into the habit of pressing START then switch to power mode every time I drove it. The engine was bigger - the issue was the choices made by Toyota in the Eco/Normal/Power modes. Normal was sluggish, Power was comparable to the old Prius, and Eco was un-driveable.

 

[bonnie]

That's how I felt with my 2010 Prius. As in 'what have I done??'. (The precursor to the purchase of a Roadster...)

My Prius is exactly what it portrays to be. No performance bravado in that car. Slow and steady. -sigh- It will be replaced by a Model X. For the record, I average about 33 mpg (most do around 50). I have a lead foot, too. And I'm proud of the one speeding ticket I managed to get driving it. And no, I didn't have one foot out the door, pushing it to go faster.

 

[markwj]

I have a lead foot, too. And I'm proud of the one speeding ticket I managed to get driving it. And no, I didn't have one foot out the door, pushing it to go faster.

Reminds me of the old TV joke of a Reliant Robbin owner 'flooring it' downhill with a trailing wind - desperate to get a speeding ticket.

 

[ahimberg]

I have an 05 prius (before the eco/normal/power) differences, acceleration is fine enough (when flooring it). The main issue I have with the Prius is the horrible traction control that kicks in when accelerating fast on wet pavement -- which cuts off acceleration for a second. Almost deadly when it happens turning in front of someone and not being able to speed up. Anyone know if the TC is any better on the newer models? When I had a Leaf rental recently, the Enterprise folks mentioned they don't rent their Prius' out when it snows because of the same TC issue.

 

[AndreN]

I've had the same traction control issues with my Prius. When the Goodyear Integrity tires I had on my '05 Prius wore out, I got a set of Nokian WR G2 tires. They have much better wet traction. I still have the occasional traction control cutoff, but not nearly as often as before.

It's a bit funny for me to hear that people think the Prius' 10 seconds to 60mph is "slow". In the 1970's, people loved the VW Beetle. It took 20 seconds to get to 60mph. Now that's slow!

 

[efusco]

Hmmm, interesting. This is my first Prius, and I've only driven it from the dealership to my house. I floored it from a stoplight to test it out. Ugh, pathetic, and it makes a lot of noise too. Is that normal for a Prius? I'm used to Corvettes so I'm not a good person to ask. I'm a leadfoot. I'll probably be the first person to average 20mpg in a Prius.

For your intended use, at 80mph, I think you'll see around 40mpg...maybe a little better with the larger battery pack depending upon how far you're driving. You'll have a hard time getting less than 40mpg.

 

[roblab]

For your intended use, at 80mph, I think you'll see around 40mpg...maybe a little better with the larger battery pack depending upon how far you're driving. You'll have a hard time getting less than 40mpg.

Not so hard... Depends. We live at 1500' above the valley. With CAREFUL driving our Prius gets about 37 mpg going up and down the hill to the little town down below (10 miles). I bet we could get 30 with no real problem if we hotrodded or pushed it over the 35 and 45 mph speed limit. We get 50 on trips with no problem, have gotten 60 and 70 mpg going surface streets, slow and careful.

 

[vfx]

Was looking ofr a story where the prius was derided when it came out. "no one will want one kind of stuff"

Found that the Prius is the third best selling car in the US now.

This was pretty good history of the car to 2006.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/03/06/8370702/

With success has come the inevitable backlash. Critics complain that hybrids are inherently uneconomical because the $3,000 or more the technology adds to the cost of the vehicle can't be recouped with greater gas mileage; that they don't improve fuel efficiency that much; and that some American models were being built more for performance than to benefit the environment. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Japanese rival Nissan, likes to poke fun at Toyota's supposed social responsibility. "Some of our competitors say they are doing things for the benefit of humanity," he says. "Well, we are in a business, and we have a mission of creating value."
The knocks against hybrids are all true. But what the critics didn't put a price on was the value of being seen as eco-sensitive without giving up performance. "Does it save enough money to pay for itself?" asks Press. "That's not the idea. What's the true cost of a gallon of gas, if you factor in foreign aid, Middle Eastern wars, and so on? The truth is on our side."

 

[MarkR]

I'm on my second Prius and will sell it only after the S has found a home in our garage. A friend chided me about buying "statement car" and another commented that the Prius looked like a cross between a science project and the wooden "pinewood derby" that Cub Scouts race. If the Prius is a statement about values, it is a whisper compared to the shout that the Model S will be. I had considered the plug-in Prius, but thought it might be too timid a statement for 2012. I hope that a lot of people will be doing a lot of shouting very soon.

 

[vfx]

... it is a whisper compared to the shout that the Model S will be.....

Electrics are the stealth revolution.

 

[Robert.Boston]

I'm very skeptical of any version of the Prius on New England winter. Skinny tires, FWD, light weight. I drive an Audi as much for the safety as the comfort.

 

[jerry33]

I'm very skeptical of any version of the Prius on New England winter. Skinny tires, FWD, light weight. I drive an Audi as much for the safety as the comfort.

I've driven my 2004 in blizzards, on ice days and it's been a great winter car for everything but deep off-road snow. You do need proper tires such as Nokian WR-g2 or real studless winter tires but with them mounted that it's better than some AWDs I've driven. With vehicle stability control (standard after 2006) it's very hard to get it to do a doughnut. (and on ice days when the road is covered with a 1/4 inch layer of ice, it gets a real workout but the VSC hardly ever comes on).

Skinny tires give you much better traction in snow and ice than fat tires do--every time. Wide tires equal less winter traction (and more g-force on dry pavement)

 

[M67v]

The Plug-in Prius hype is dead. Everyone buys the standard version anyway.
I have an '08. Look in my signature.

 

[NuclearPowered]

This thread was dead too...

 

[RobStark]

All time cumulative market share as of October 2014.