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Does anyone have any views on the Toyota Prius - it seems a tad expensive for what it is but would be interested in others views. I saw on CBS News that the US car regulator is looking into reports from about 35 owners that their Prius's engines suddenly stopped between 30 and 60 MPH and were unable to be started again.
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Not the cheapest part of the whole complexity must be the battery. Several questions arise.
How long is the likely life?
How much does a new one cost?
How long is the warranty?
My recent experience with ordinary car batteries is that they last until just outside the warranty period. So if the warranty was for say three years and it could be relied on to give out in two and a half, fine apart from the nuisance. If the battery could last for eight years, by which time the car will have depreciated vastly, that could be OK. But my guess is it would give out after three years but inside four.
Perhaps somebody knows some hard figures?
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The prius comes with the standard Toyota UK warranty which is 3year or 60k whichever comes first however the hybrid parts of the car (including battery) are covered by a 5 year warranty. I'm not sure of the cost of a replacement battery but it won't be cheap however i've seen several original Prius with fairly high mileage (70/80k) that have had no problems.
My honest opinion is that unless your a tree hugger desperate to save the universe i wouldn't bother. The prius has no more room than a 5dr corolla and despite claims of 65mpg from what i've seen it's more like 50ish. A TSpirit 2.0 D4D Corolla can be bought for a lot less than the prius, will easily give 55mpg and have a lot less potential for problems.
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I heard somewhere that there is a recall on the Toyota Prius due to this issue. IIRC some Prius's are made in the states.
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>>IIRC some Prius's are made in the states.
No you don't remember correctly - all prius are made in Japan, the are built in fairly small batches and you are looking at between 5 and 6 months for a factory build which they all are.
Also whilst i think on the Power Shift grant is not available for the foreseeable future as yet again they've run out of money.
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No you don't remember correctly - all prius are made in Japan, the are built in fairly small batches and you are looking at between 5 and 6 months for a factory build which they all are.
On a Toyota forum I saw several UK people stating in the last month that they have ordered and got a Prius within a fortnight - one within a week - as opposed to the previous 5 or 6 month waiting list. I thought this meant that Toyota had increased production but, possibly, it means that they simply are not selling in numbers and all the early adopters have bought theirs.
I agree about the Corolla. At best, I think the Prius should be priced in the small family hatch bracket and until it is going for similar prices to a Corolla it is, IMPO, simply too expensive for what it is.
Every electronic gadget I have bought that requires a battery has always failed when the battery could no longer stand a charge - electric toothbrush, mobile phone, etc - so I imagine the Prius will be the same?
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I agree with BH - in most cases you'll be better off with a diesel.
A diesel / electric hybrid could be a winner: I wonder why no-one has yet produced one, at least not for sale to the public.
Now I've written that, I vaguely remember raising it before on the forum, but can't remember if anyone came along with an answer.
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A diesel / electric hybrid could be a winner: I wonder why no-one has yet produced one, at least not for sale to the public. Now I've written that, I vaguely remember raising it before on the forum, but can't remember if anyone came along with an answer.
Yes it has been raised before and yes i've answered it before!
The Prius is aimed mainly at the american market and they only realistically use petrol - it would not be economically viable for toyota to produce a diesel electric hybrid for the few it would sell in europe.
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Waste of time IMO. Expensive and use no less fuel than most of the small diesels on the market.
I read somewhere this week that government ministers are being issued with them - one stated they had had several near misses in London because pedestrians can't hear them coming.
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I read somewhere this week that government ministers are being issued with them - one stated they had had several near misses in London because pedestrians can't hear them coming.
Yes the prius is on the official govt car list - indeed i seem to recall the 2 jags was offered one and turned it down in favour of a Rover 75
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To give you a bit of an idea on price a Corolla 5dr T-Spirit D4D would set you back £14213 and is a nicely spec'd piece of kit. A basic T3 Prius will set you back £16787 and has less kit as standard.
I know which one i'd choose and it ain't electric!
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"The Prius is aimed mainly at the American market and they only realistically use petrol - it would not be economically viable for toyota to produce a diesel electric hybrid for the few it would sell in Europe."
Thanks BH - I now remember you saying so before! I'm sure you're right, but I wonder why a diesel / electric hybrid wouldn't sell in Europe: if anything the average European is rather more environmentally conscious than the average American.
From the road tests I've read, a diesel Corolla is livelier thn a Prius as well as being cheaper to run. I wouldn't be surprised if within 5 to 10 years one of the more innovative manufacturers produces a diesel / electric - maybe Honda, Toyota or Renault? It won't be Ford or GM.
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I was just hauling my briefcase out of the Passat and briefly thought what's that funny whining noise.No, not my passengers.
But a Prius on electric power about to run me over.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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How soon before one goes up in smoke and poisons someone with the toxic fumes - see article in Saturdays Telegraph on the Hybrid Lexus 4x4.
Also what are they going to cost to scrap? Lots of controlled waste in that battery - after all you cannot put a re-chargeable battery in the bin these days!
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There is a forum in the US - www.edmunds.com I think - which has about a zillion and one posts from Prius owners on just about anything and everything. Generally, they seem to love them but, heck, they are Yanks! :-)))
In fact, some of them are paying more than new price for secondhand ones. I still think they are way too expensive here in the UK and really need about 5K less new than they curretnly are. I suspect the price will drop soon here in the UK as I imagine all the early adopters now have theirs. 20K for a Prius or a BMW?
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