Actually, the Prius is the only gas/electric hybrid available in the US that is only available with an "automatic" transmission. (Prius has a CVT.)
The Honda Insight and the Honda Civic HEV both come in manual and CVT versions. The manual versions, when driven appropriately, do get far better gas mileage than their CVT counterparts.
Re:In defense of my Geo Tracker....
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239 MPG Car
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like with any other car, if you've got the repair manuals and the required equipment (ODB-II scanner, for example, or a THHT (Toyota Hand-Held Tester) as another), then what's stopping anyone from repairing a hybrid? You can buy the specialized parts from any Toyota parts center.
The scheduled maintenance items for the currently available hybrids in the USA (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid) can easily be done on your own or by your favorite mechanic. It's your basic oil/filter changes, tire rotations, and similar that you'd see on any regular gasoline car. The only thing a non-dealer can't do is read the error/trouble codes off of the computers (standard to do on regular services).
The only time that you'd need to visit a trained hybrid mechanic is if something major goes wrong. That doesn't happen very often...
Anyways,at least with the Toyota Prius in the USA, the first five regularly scheduled maintenances (up to the 3 yr/37,500 mile mark, with the 6mo/7500mi regular service schedule) are absolutely free at any Toyota dealer. The free maintenance comes with the Prius at purchase. So, why not visit the dealer for the free services to test their competence out for one of those potential unexpected emergencies/repair in the future?
well, I'd assume that you'd either let it call in once to get the time, or else have hacked it enough to change the time via a shell... once it's set, as long as it's plugged in/on, it should keep it's time pretty well. (Of course my TiVo and cable box is on a UPS!)
Other than setting up a season pass, record by time, record by channel, search for program title, search via wishlist, etc. on a program-knowledgeable Tivo, there is still the "manual record" option. You tell it to record every Monday at 10am for 30min on channel 73, and it'll do so.
On an aside, if anyone is really interested, here's my husband's homepage, which has the various links to our hacked Tivo: http://www.kluge.net/~felicity/ It'll tell you what the input cable stream is (and if it's recording it), our Season Pass listing (too many cancelled shows there!), our Now Showing listing (what shows are recorded on our Tivo at the moment), and our Tivo's ToDo listing (what our tivo is planning on recording).
Uh, my TiVo records a given channel start at X time and end at X time... It's under "Manual Record" or some similarly-named menu.
If you never let it dial in (mine uses my local network (DSL) connectoin), then all you've got is a basic VCR with no program knowledge. I have heard of a hack where you can set up your own server for it to dial into for program guides, but I don't follow the Tivo hacking market much...
like with any car, if you buy the service manuals you could... but like many modern cars, the only way to know if something is wrong (or going wrong) is to check the error codes stored in the system, so you'd need at least an ODB-II scanner.
(or do you mean servicing, like oil/filter changes, rotating tires, etc.? Any grease-monkey can handle that...)
(Personally, I'd be a little more concerned with the dealerships knowing how to handle them... You'd probably do better in most cases on your own car (hybrid or not) if you did get the service manuals and worked on your car yourself...)
gas engine: Horsepower: 70 hp @ 4,500 rpm Torque: 82 lb.-ft. @ 4,200 rpm
electric motor: Power output: 44 hp @ 1,040-5,600 rpm Torque: 258 lb.-ft. @ 0-400 rpm
Hybrid system net horsepower: 98 hp
the electric motor is immediatly available from a stop, whereas the gas engine has to take a bit to spin up to reach peak torque.
Toyota doesn't publish 0-60 times (really depends on driver reaction, tires, road conditions, etc.), but... from the info I've seen, the Prius is only "slower" by about 0.5 seconds compared to the popular Camry. (I think it's up in the 13sec range, but don't quote me on that). 0-30 is quite good, though.
(and I do have several areas I regularly drive where there's 2 lanes going to the red light, but only 1 lane after the light, so "racing" is very common on my commute.)
What does electricity taxes have to do with hybrid vehicles?
NONE of the hybrids currently available (Toyota Prius, Estima, Crown, and Honda Insight and Civic) have a plug, anywhere, to be plugged into an electric grid! Their batteries are charged through regenerative braking (recaptures about 30% of what would otherwise be lost as heat in the brake pads during braking or coasting), or through on-board generation with the gas engine (not all of the power that an engine creates is really necessary for road travel - again, a lot is wasted as heat).
My Toyota Prius isn't a truck, nor does it have a V8 engine, but... ABS and traction control standard.
Plenty of speed (top speed is just over 100MPH, but that's illegal in most of the US), no problem on hills (it eats it up - plenty of reports of Prius going over the Grapevine or up Mt. Washington), plenty of passing power (electric motor for instant-assist), lots of fun to drive, tight turning radius, and wonderful brakes (considered "grabby" by those who haven't driven one before). it matches my personality.
With the exception of hauling and towing capacity, the Prius can do all that you ask of a truck. You can always record the sound of a V8 engine and play it on the standard cassette deck... and this from a family car (compact).
Many EVs don't have the computer control parameters that the hybrids (at least the Toyota Prius, and I believe the Honda products) do. The computer prevents overcharging, and large charge/discharge cycles. It's the cycling that'll kill the battery. The Prius' battery nominally is around 56% charged, and uses electric-only driving and gas-engine charging to keep the charge within well-defined parameters. That's why the batteries will last so long on a Prius, compared to "most electric cars." Also, the Toyota and Honda hybrids use NiMH battery packs, which are more expensive than lead-acid battery packs. It is my belief that most EVs tend to use the lead-acid batteries mainly because they're cheaper and easier to get.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the current price of a Toyota Prius' battery pack (whole) is about US$4950. (The dollar value was only found out by some folks who needed this value when computing their state's sales tax rebate.) The battery pack is made up of many individual cells, which can be replaced individually if one is found to be bad. Anyways, there's an 8year warranty on the batteries from both Honda and Toyota in the US (or 80,000 miles on the Hondas or 100,000 miles on the Toyotas), so why would a future owner need to worry about your 3-6 year scenario? (Heck, I know some people with US PRius that have had them for over two years now, and have no complaints or noticed any change in performance. I haven't seen a difference in my 1.75 years of ownership.)
Diesel fuel is still far too dirty (particularly in the US) compared to gasoline for me to even think of it as an alternative... High mileage is OK, but low emissions is even better! (I haven't seen a TDI that can even meet the ULEV status yet...)
I'm still waiting for the (supposedly 2004 MY) hybrid Ford Escape (small SUV). http://www.hybridford.com/index.asp
Also I'll note this prototype sportscar by Honda/Acura, show at the Tokyo Motor Show: http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotiv e/highw ay1/la-hy-green16oct16001439,0,5003799.story?coll= la%2Dclass%2Dautos%2Dhighway1 ".... The concept car used a 300-horsepower V-6 coupled with a 100-horsepower electric motor to give it the performance of a 400-horsepower muscle car with excellent fuel economy....."
The Prius only needs servicing at every 6 months/7500 miles, not the traditional 3mo/3000 miles that service departments like to suggest. Currently in the US the first 5 regularly scheduled services (oil/filter changes, tire rotation, engine and passenger compartment air filters) for the first 3 years (37500 miles) are complimenatary (free!) from Toyota. You only pay for gas, wiper blades, and windshield washer fluid in that time...
I understand that the Hondas have a schedule that's even longer than what the Toyota Prius has!
The Toyota Prius has a 8 year/100,000mile warranty on the hybrid components of the Prius in the US (which include the battery). (A new battery pack currently costs about US$4950, although individual bad cells can be replaced and not just the entire pack... Plus, with higher production, the battery costs will come down. (Toyota has 2 hybrid cars, a minivan, and a bus in Japan at the moment.)) There's a Prius taxi in Vancouver (Canada) that has over 284,000 km. on his Prius (24/7 usage), and hasn't had any battery trouble or had to replace the battery...
Also, Honda has an 8 year/80,000mile warranty on the battery in the US on both the Insight and the Civic Hybrid.
It's in the FAQ section of the toyota-prius AT yahoogroups.com list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/
It's not all that easy to correctly hit the buttons every time, but it does work.
The best description (with how-to and pictures) is available here: http://www.priuscar.com/diagnosis_menu_screens.htm
Just be careful not to reset the stored error codes while you are there. The last button on the Japanese menu, if held long enough, will reset the system, so beware.
If you know where the "hidden buttons" are on the LCD screen of 2001-2003 US Toyota Prius and hit them in the right combination, you can not only access an onboard diagnostic menu, but you can also change this display from the usual English into all Kanji (Japanese) characters.
That would be interesting, as Takeshi Kaga is just an actor playing the role of the head of Kitchen Stadium...
I still have problems watching Iron Chef, as I'm too used to Kaga from his previous stage career... He was the first Jesus in the Original Tokyo Cast production (and recording - I have the CD) of Jesus Christ Superstar back in 1976, besides also doing West Side Story in 1977 and Les Miserables in 1994...
See his brief writeup from FoodTV if you don't believe that he's just an actor: http://www.foodtv.com/celebrities/takeshibio/0,340 6,,00.html
(i.e. AB could easly whip Kaga at a cookoff, but Kaga would probably beat AB at a singing contest!)
of course, there's always the caveat of your mileage may vary. lifetime MPG (1.5 years, 13k miles) on my Prius is 48MPG, although I have seen 68MPG on a tankful once. Some Insight drivers have reported over 100MPG on their tanks.
If you claim that a Prius has no acceleration, that's just because you never pressed the accelerator pedal down. Between the torque and acceleration from a stop with the electric motors, I never get passed from a stop light (first off the line), even when against jumpy VW drivers.
You are probably just too used to driving by ear. The Prius has a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), like is also available on the Honda Civic hybrid and Insight, and several luxury cars. The CVT keeps the RPM levels of the gas engine at the peak efficiency for the desired power requested by the pedal. So, when you went to accelerate, you probably heard the Prius engine rev up high, which sounds scary if you're not used to a CVT, so you instintively let off the accellerator pedal, which means that you just requested less power than you really want to get you going. Ignore the engine sounds - watch the spedometer, and you'll be accellerating without any problems or "sluggishness."
The lease on a Prius (from what I hear) is no more restrictive than any other lease available from Toyota.
The only Prius owners (and I've met a LOT) that have mentioned a top-heavy feeling for the Prius had their tire pressures dangerously low. If the tires are properly inflated, there is no issue.
The Prius is way too fun to drive. It's so much fun to "stealth" around in all-electric, have your engine shut off at stoplights, etc. The turning radius is not to be missed. (I've been able to pull out of a parking space, do a 180 without hitting any other cars, and park back in the space I just came out of!)
If you want a high-mileage car only, then I have no problems recommending a VW TDI. If you are concerned about emissions, I'd never think of a diesel in the US. (The EPA even regulates how long a diesel bus/truck can idle for air quality/health reasons! They just fined the MBTA in Boston for idling their busses too long...) Please see http://www.insightcentral.net/compare-honda-insigh t.html for a comparison of the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, Toyota Rav4EV, VW TDI Beetle, GM EV-1, and the Ford Explorer... Compared to the 3 hybrids, the VW TDI Beetle is a very dirty creature! Also the acceleration on the automatic VW TDI Beetle is slower than that of the Prius in the 0-60mph test. (VW=14.1sec, Prius=13.0sec)
If you're looking at motorcycles... and don't mind beta-testing...
http://www.ecycle.com/powersports/hybrid.htm Th e eCycle is a diesel/electric hybrid motorcycle, which should yield ~180MPG. 219cc direct injected diesel engine and a 8kW electric motor drive. The weight of the motorcycle is 230lbs, with a top speed of 80mph and acceleration of 0-60 mph in 6 seconds. Estimated top speed of 80mph.
These links are for anyone looking for a new car. Please try to get one with the highest MPG (or lowest l/km), lowest emissions, or most recycled, that you can find that still suits your needs.
EPA Green Vehicle Guide Compares emissions and fuel economy of vehicles in same class http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/
2002 "Meanest" vehicles for the environment: http://www.greenercars.org/12mean.ht ml
Fuel Economy.Gov US DOE/EPA site allows you to compare car models http://www.fueleconomy.gov
Auto$mart program (Canada) EnerGuide (fuel efficiency ratings), driving tips http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/autosmart/
2002 Best MPG Cars (USA) http://carpoint.msn.com/browse/win_4018922.asp
Automotive Market Environmental Sensitivity Awards Awards for autos with the best balance of vehicle emissions, fuel efficiency and recycled material content in a vehicle utility class. Lists for the various classes of vehicles for several years. http://www.amesaward.com/
Since you say that you're in California, did you even check out the Toyota Rav4 EV that's available for purchase/lease to ordinary people (not just the fleet purchasers)? Only available in California so far.
http://rav4ev.toyota.com/consumer/rav4ev_0_home/ ra v_home.htm
Toyota claims that the top speed is 78mph, and a 125mile range.
(I'll admit that it's a lot pricier (~$30k after CA incentives) than the $20k hybrids (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Civic)!)
A good review of the Toyota Rav4 EV is at: http://www.thecarplace.com/agravev.htm
Not exactly. Not yet, anyway. Recently I was looking for a new car and phoned my friendly Toyota dealer about test-driving a Prius. However, I discovered that Toyota policy was to not allow test drives and that every Prius was custom built for the customer.
Find another dealer. Preferably a Prius-certified dealership (they have a trained mechanic). Prius are indeed available for test drives. Pretty much anyone who's taken a test drive falls in love with the car.
Unfortunately, there are some salescritters that seem to actively try to steer people away from a Prius. Part of it is a lack of training, or they're afraid of new technology. Another part is that they often don't see a sale today, but some time in the future, and they want their commission ASAP. The big one is that the comission off of a Prius is very small compared to what they'd get if they turned you to a higher-profit-margin vehicle like a Camry or Sequoia, so they try to steer you to where they'll make the most money...
Up until Jan. 2002, the Prius in the US was ordered through Toyota's internet ordering system (web system), so unless you picked up your dealer's TRAC (Toyota Rent A Car, the demo/test-drive unit) or a "dropped" Prius (someone ordered but didn't buy when it arrived), you would have on average a 4-5 month wait for your Prius (up to 8 months in some cases!), as your car would be pretty much custom-ordered from the single Prius assembly line in Japan and boated over.
In January, the Prius started arriving on dealer lots (allocations based on how many Prius were sold there previously), so you can just walk in and buy one off the lot now, or have one trucked there to your specs within a few weeks. (The Toyota internet ordering system was transferred for use for the Rav4 EV sales. The system worked to deliver cars to where Toyota knew there were buyers waiting for them.)
The reasoning was that the Prius is so much more expensive to make that it is sold for; for each car built, Toyota loses money. In essence, they are investing in the technology in hopes that it will pay off further down the road.
Toyota does make money on each Prius sold, just not much. The "losing money on each Prius" is a rumor, based on the adding-in of the total hybrid R&D onto the Prius production cost. (Considering that Toyota also has a hybrid minivan (the Estima) for sale in Japan, and I thought I heard of a hybrid version of their Crowne (large sedan), the amortization of the R&D costs should be placed on ALL of their current and future hybrids.) Last I had heard of an interview last year of a Toyota official (can't find the link now, darn!), Toyota was at the break-even point.
The Civic is a 4-door compact sedan (seats 5). The Prius is a 4-door compact sedan (seats 5). Both are available at comparable prices when similarily equipped, and are close in size. Both get about the same EPA estimates for MPG. The Civic is ULEV and the Prius is SULEV.
How is the Civic a "REAL car" and the Prius "hardly even usable?" They seem about the same to me, just different manufacturers.
And ANY hybrid makes a good conversation piece. (I've lost count on the number of test-drives I've given, and the number of people who have stopped me in a parking lot to talk to me about my Prius!)
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Actually, the Prius is the only gas/electric hybrid available in the US that is only available with an "automatic" transmission. (Prius has a CVT.)
The Honda Insight and the Honda Civic HEV both come in manual and CVT versions. The manual versions, when driven appropriately, do get far better gas mileage than their CVT counterparts.
like with any other car, if you've got the repair manuals and the required equipment (ODB-II scanner, for example, or a THHT (Toyota Hand-Held Tester) as another), then what's stopping anyone from repairing a hybrid? You can buy the specialized parts from any Toyota parts center.
The scheduled maintenance items for the currently available hybrids in the USA (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid) can easily be done on your own or by your favorite mechanic. It's your basic oil/filter changes, tire rotations, and similar that you'd see on any regular gasoline car. The only thing a non-dealer can't do is read the error/trouble codes off of the computers (standard to do on regular services).
The only time that you'd need to visit a trained hybrid mechanic is if something major goes wrong. That doesn't happen very often...
Anyways,at least with the Toyota Prius in the USA, the first five regularly scheduled maintenances (up to the 3 yr/37,500 mile mark, with the 6mo/7500mi regular service schedule) are absolutely free at any Toyota dealer. The free maintenance comes with the Prius at purchase. So, why not visit the dealer for the free services to test their competence out for one of those potential unexpected emergencies/repair in the future?
well, I'd assume that you'd either let it call in once to get the time, or else have hacked it enough to change the time via a shell... once it's set, as long as it's plugged in/on, it should keep it's time pretty well. (Of course my TiVo and cable box is on a UPS!)
Other than setting up a season pass, record by time, record by channel, search for program title, search via wishlist, etc. on a program-knowledgeable Tivo, there is still the "manual record" option. You tell it to record every Monday at 10am for 30min on channel 73, and it'll do so.
On an aside, if anyone is really interested, here's my husband's homepage, which has the various links to our hacked Tivo: http://www.kluge.net/~felicity/ It'll tell you what the input cable stream is (and if it's recording it), our Season Pass listing (too many cancelled shows there!), our Now Showing listing (what shows are recorded on our Tivo at the moment), and our Tivo's ToDo listing (what our tivo is planning on recording).
Uh, my TiVo records a given channel start at X time and end at X time... It's under "Manual Record" or some similarly-named menu.
If you never let it dial in (mine uses my local network (DSL) connectoin), then all you've got is a basic VCR with no program knowledge. I have heard of a hack where you can set up your own server for it to dial into for program guides, but I don't follow the Tivo hacking market much...
except seat 5 adults comforatbly, have climate control, a nice CVT transmission, and be a SULEV...
There's a place for trucks (daily hauling of heavy equipment or towing trailers), but not for an everyday commuter vehicle.
like with any car, if you buy the service manuals you could... but like many modern cars, the only way to know if something is wrong (or going wrong) is to check the error codes stored in the system, so you'd need at least an ODB-II scanner.
(or do you mean servicing, like oil/filter changes, rotating tires, etc.? Any grease-monkey can handle that...)
(Personally, I'd be a little more concerned with the dealerships knowing how to handle them... You'd probably do better in most cases on your own car (hybrid or not) if you did get the service manuals and worked on your car yourself...)
http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/vehicles/prius/spe cs/prius_specs.html
gas engine:
Horsepower: 70 hp @ 4,500 rpm
Torque: 82 lb.-ft. @ 4,200 rpm
electric motor:
Power output: 44 hp @ 1,040-5,600 rpm
Torque: 258 lb.-ft. @ 0-400 rpm
Hybrid system net horsepower: 98 hp
the electric motor is immediatly available from a stop, whereas the gas engine has to take a bit to spin up to reach peak torque.
Toyota doesn't publish 0-60 times (really depends on driver reaction, tires, road conditions, etc.), but... from the info I've seen, the Prius is only "slower" by about 0.5 seconds compared to the popular Camry. (I think it's up in the 13sec range, but don't quote me on that). 0-30 is quite good, though.
(and I do have several areas I regularly drive where there's 2 lanes going to the red light, but only 1 lane after the light, so "racing" is very common on my commute.)
there are bound to be losses associated with taking electricity to produce hydrogen and oxygen for a fuel cell.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to just take the electricity to power the car itself instead?
What does electricity taxes have to do with hybrid vehicles?
NONE of the hybrids currently available (Toyota Prius, Estima, Crown, and Honda Insight and Civic) have a plug, anywhere, to be plugged into an electric grid! Their batteries are charged through regenerative braking (recaptures about 30% of what would otherwise be lost as heat in the brake pads during braking or coasting), or through on-board generation with the gas engine (not all of the power that an engine creates is really necessary for road travel - again, a lot is wasted as heat).
My Toyota Prius isn't a truck, nor does it have a V8 engine, but... ABS and traction control standard.
Plenty of speed (top speed is just over 100MPH, but that's illegal in most of the US), no problem on hills (it eats it up - plenty of reports of Prius going over the Grapevine or up Mt. Washington), plenty of passing power (electric motor for instant-assist), lots of fun to drive, tight turning radius, and wonderful brakes (considered "grabby" by those who haven't driven one before). it matches my personality.
With the exception of hauling and towing capacity, the Prius can do all that you ask of a truck. You can always record the sound of a V8 engine and play it on the standard cassette deck... and this from a family car (compact).
Yep, I haven't met a car or truck that can beat me off of a stoplight yet with my Prius... There be a lot of torque in that electric motor!
As I've heard before, "horsepower sells cars, but torque wins races."
Many EVs don't have the computer control parameters that the hybrids (at least the Toyota Prius, and I believe the Honda products) do. The computer prevents overcharging, and large charge/discharge cycles. It's the cycling that'll kill the battery. The Prius' battery nominally is around 56% charged, and uses electric-only driving and gas-engine charging to keep the charge within well-defined parameters. That's why the batteries will last so long on a Prius, compared to "most electric cars." Also, the Toyota and Honda hybrids use NiMH battery packs, which are more expensive than lead-acid battery packs. It is my belief that most EVs tend to use the lead-acid batteries mainly because they're cheaper and easier to get.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the current price of a Toyota Prius' battery pack (whole) is about US$4950. (The dollar value was only found out by some folks who needed this value when computing their state's sales tax rebate.) The battery pack is made up of many individual cells, which can be replaced individually if one is found to be bad. Anyways, there's an 8year warranty on the batteries from both Honda and Toyota in the US (or 80,000 miles on the Hondas or 100,000 miles on the Toyotas), so why would a future owner need to worry about your 3-6 year scenario? (Heck, I know some people with US PRius that have had them for over two years now, and have no complaints or noticed any change in performance. I haven't seen a difference in my 1.75 years of ownership.)
Diesel fuel is still far too dirty (particularly in the US) compared to gasoline for me to even think of it as an alternative... High mileage is OK, but low emissions is even better! (I haven't seen a TDI that can even meet the ULEV status yet...)
I'm still waiting for the (supposedly 2004 MY) hybrid Ford Escape (small SUV). http://www.hybridford.com/index.asp
v e/highw ay1/la-hy-green16oct16001439,0,5003799.story?coll= la%2Dclass%2Dautos%2Dhighway1 ...."
Also I'll note this prototype sportscar by Honda/Acura, show at the Tokyo Motor Show:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automoti
".... The concept car used a 300-horsepower V-6 coupled with a 100-horsepower electric motor to give it the performance of a 400-horsepower muscle car with excellent fuel economy.
The Prius only needs servicing at every 6 months/7500 miles, not the traditional 3mo/3000 miles that service departments like to suggest. Currently in the US the first 5 regularly scheduled services (oil/filter changes, tire rotation, engine and passenger compartment air filters) for the first 3 years (37500 miles) are complimenatary (free!) from Toyota. You only pay for gas, wiper blades, and windshield washer fluid in that time...
I understand that the Hondas have a schedule that's even longer than what the Toyota Prius has!
FUD!
The Toyota Prius has a 8 year/100,000mile warranty on the hybrid components of the Prius in the US (which include the battery). (A new battery pack currently costs about US$4950, although individual bad cells can be replaced and not just the entire pack... Plus, with higher production, the battery costs will come down. (Toyota has 2 hybrid cars, a minivan, and a bus in Japan at the moment.)) There's a Prius taxi in Vancouver (Canada) that has over 284,000 km. on his Prius (24/7 usage), and hasn't had any battery trouble or had to replace the battery...
Also, Honda has an 8 year/80,000mile warranty on the battery in the US on both the Insight and the Civic Hybrid.
It's in the FAQ section of the toyota-prius AT yahoogroups.com list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/
m
It's not all that easy to correctly hit the buttons every time, but it does work.
The best description (with how-to and pictures) is available here: http://www.priuscar.com/diagnosis_menu_screens.ht
Just be careful not to reset the stored error codes while you are there. The last button on the Japanese menu, if held long enough, will reset the system, so beware.
If you know where the "hidden buttons" are on the LCD screen of 2001-2003 US Toyota Prius and hit them in the right combination, you can not only access an onboard diagnostic menu, but you can also change this display from the usual English into all Kanji (Japanese) characters.
That would be interesting, as Takeshi Kaga is just an actor playing the role of the head of Kitchen Stadium...
0 6,,00.html
I still have problems watching Iron Chef, as I'm too used to Kaga from his previous stage career... He was the first Jesus in the Original Tokyo Cast production (and recording - I have the CD) of Jesus Christ Superstar back in 1976, besides also doing West Side Story in 1977 and Les Miserables in 1994...
See his brief writeup from FoodTV if you don't believe that he's just an actor: http://www.foodtv.com/celebrities/takeshibio/0,34
(i.e. AB could easly whip Kaga at a cookoff, but Kaga would probably beat AB at a singing contest!)
gasoline and diesel are both fossil fuels.
diesel (city/highway):
VW Jetta TDI manual: 42/49 MPG
VW Jetta TDI auto: 34/45 MPG
gasoline (city/highway):
Honda Civic hybrid manual: 46/51 MPG
Honda Civic hybrid auto: 48/47 MPG
Toyota Prius auto: 52/45 MPG
Honda Insight auto: 57/56 MPG
Honda Insight manual: 61/70 MPG
of course, there's always the caveat of your mileage may vary. lifetime MPG (1.5 years, 13k miles) on my Prius is 48MPG, although I have seen 68MPG on a tankful once. Some Insight drivers have reported over 100MPG on their tanks.
If you claim that a Prius has no acceleration, that's just because you never pressed the accelerator pedal down. Between the torque and acceleration from a stop with the electric motors, I never get passed from a stop light (first off the line), even when against jumpy VW drivers.
h t.html for a comparison of the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, Toyota Rav4EV, VW TDI Beetle, GM EV-1, and the Ford Explorer... Compared to the 3 hybrids, the VW TDI Beetle is a very dirty creature! Also the acceleration on the automatic VW TDI Beetle is slower than that of the Prius in the 0-60mph test. (VW=14.1sec, Prius=13.0sec)
You are probably just too used to driving by ear. The Prius has a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), like is also available on the Honda Civic hybrid and Insight, and several luxury cars. The CVT keeps the RPM levels of the gas engine at the peak efficiency for the desired power requested by the pedal. So, when you went to accelerate, you probably heard the Prius engine rev up high, which sounds scary if you're not used to a CVT, so you instintively let off the accellerator pedal, which means that you just requested less power than you really want to get you going. Ignore the engine sounds - watch the spedometer, and you'll be accellerating without any problems or "sluggishness."
The lease on a Prius (from what I hear) is no more restrictive than any other lease available from Toyota.
The only Prius owners (and I've met a LOT) that have mentioned a top-heavy feeling for the Prius had their tire pressures dangerously low. If the tires are properly inflated, there is no issue.
The Prius is way too fun to drive. It's so much fun to "stealth" around in all-electric, have your engine shut off at stoplights, etc. The turning radius is not to be missed. (I've been able to pull out of a parking space, do a 180 without hitting any other cars, and park back in the space I just came out of!)
If you want a high-mileage car only, then I have no problems recommending a VW TDI. If you are concerned about emissions, I'd never think of a diesel in the US. (The EPA even regulates how long a diesel bus/truck can idle for air quality/health reasons! They just fined the MBTA in Boston for idling their busses too long...)
Please see http://www.insightcentral.net/compare-honda-insig
If you're looking at motorcycles... and don't mind beta-testing...
h e eCycle is a diesel/electric hybrid motorcycle, which should yield ~180MPG.
http://www.ecycle.com/powersports/hybrid.htm
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219cc direct injected diesel engine and a 8kW electric motor drive. The weight of the motorcycle is 230lbs, with a top speed of 80mph and acceleration of 0-60 mph in 6 seconds. Estimated top speed of 80mph.
These links are for anyone looking for a new car. Please try to get one with the highest MPG (or lowest l/km), lowest emissions, or most recycled, that you can find that still suits your needs.
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EPA Green Vehicle Guide
Compares emissions and fuel economy of vehicles in same class
http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/
2002 Greenest vehicles:
http://www.greenercars.org/12green.htm
2002 "Meanest" vehicles for the environment:
http://www.greenercars.org/12mean.h
Fuel Economy.Gov
US DOE/EPA site allows you to compare car models
http://www.fueleconomy.gov
Auto$mart program (Canada)
EnerGuide (fuel efficiency ratings), driving tips
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/autosmart/
2002 Best MPG Cars (USA)
http://carpoint.msn.com/browse/win_4018922.asp
Automotive Market Environmental Sensitivity Awards
Awards for autos with the best balance of vehicle emissions, fuel efficiency and recycled material content in a vehicle utility class. Lists for the various classes of vehicles for several years.
http://www.amesaward.com/
Since you say that you're in California, did you even check out the Toyota Rav4 EV that's available for purchase/lease to ordinary people (not just the fleet purchasers)? Only available in California so far.
/ ra v_home.htm
http://rav4ev.toyota.com/consumer/rav4ev_0_home
Toyota claims that the top speed is 78mph, and a 125mile range.
(I'll admit that it's a lot pricier (~$30k after CA incentives) than the $20k hybrids (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Civic)!)
A good review of the Toyota Rav4 EV is at:
http://www.thecarplace.com/agravev.htm
Not exactly. Not yet, anyway. Recently I was looking for a new car and phoned my friendly Toyota dealer about test-driving a Prius. However, I discovered that Toyota policy was to not allow test drives and that every Prius was custom built for the customer.
Find another dealer. Preferably a Prius-certified dealership (they have a trained mechanic). Prius are indeed available for test drives. Pretty much anyone who's taken a test drive falls in love with the car.
Unfortunately, there are some salescritters that seem to actively try to steer people away from a Prius. Part of it is a lack of training, or they're afraid of new technology. Another part is that they often don't see a sale today, but some time in the future, and they want their commission ASAP. The big one is that the comission off of a Prius is very small compared to what they'd get if they turned you to a higher-profit-margin vehicle like a Camry or Sequoia, so they try to steer you to where they'll make the most money...
Up until Jan. 2002, the Prius in the US was ordered through Toyota's internet ordering system (web system), so unless you picked up your dealer's TRAC (Toyota Rent A Car, the demo/test-drive unit) or a "dropped" Prius (someone ordered but didn't buy when it arrived), you would have on average a 4-5 month wait for your Prius (up to 8 months in some cases!), as your car would be pretty much custom-ordered from the single Prius assembly line in Japan and boated over.
In January, the Prius started arriving on dealer lots (allocations based on how many Prius were sold there previously), so you can just walk in and buy one off the lot now, or have one trucked there to your specs within a few weeks. (The Toyota internet ordering system was transferred for use for the Rav4 EV sales. The system worked to deliver cars to where Toyota knew there were buyers waiting for them.)
The reasoning was that the Prius is so much more expensive to make that it is sold for; for each car built, Toyota loses money. In essence, they are investing in the technology in hopes that it will pay off further down the road.
Toyota does make money on each Prius sold, just not much. The "losing money on each Prius" is a rumor, based on the adding-in of the total hybrid R&D onto the Prius production cost. (Considering that Toyota also has a hybrid minivan (the Estima) for sale in Japan, and I thought I heard of a hybrid version of their Crowne (large sedan), the amortization of the R&D costs should be placed on ALL of their current and future hybrids.) Last I had heard of an interview last year of a Toyota official (can't find the link now, darn!), Toyota was at the break-even point.
The Civic is a 4-door compact sedan (seats 5). The Prius is a 4-door compact sedan (seats 5). Both are available at comparable prices when similarily equipped, and are close in size. Both get about the same EPA estimates for MPG. The Civic is ULEV and the Prius is SULEV.
How is the Civic a "REAL car" and the Prius "hardly even usable?" They seem about the same to me, just different manufacturers.
And ANY hybrid makes a good conversation piece. (I've lost count on the number of test-drives I've given, and the number of people who have stopped me in a parking lot to talk to me about my Prius!)