Sunday Mirror

[acetip]

hi all you prius owners.

quentin willson in todays SUNDAY MIRROR (rubbish paper, but wife likes it) was asked by a reader of his column for

advice on buying a hybrid car, willson told him that the honda CR-Z was the one to go for,as it was a absolute

marvel to drive and more fun than the prius also it was brilliant looking.

anyone got any comments.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I guess it's going to be more fun to drive as it's a specially designed sports coupe!

The Prius is a family hatch designed/tuned for super economy.

So the Honda (117g/km) is fun to drive but not as economical as the Prius, the Prius is average to drive but more practical and much more economical (89g/km).

They're both different cars for different markets but both just happen to be hybrids.

[Jan&tone]

As you say, Rubbish paper!!

However as Grumpy says, they are different vehicles for different markets.

My gripe though, is that Mr T has a rather nice Camry hybrid in Canada and the US, why not here???

My Prius is 3 years old next July and I will change it then, I'd love to change it for the Camry or even an Avensis hybrid but.......

[timberwolf]

I guess it's going to be more fun to drive as it's a specially designed sports coupe!

The Prius is a family hatch designed/tuned for super economy.

<snip>

Toyota increased the cruising speed on highway/motorway because in the main the North American market complained about the performance of the previous car. All engineering is about compromise, the Gen 3's higher speed was traded for a reduction in mpg economy. From a personal perspective, as a late Gen 2 buyer, I am fortunate that Toyota didn't go all out for super economy.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

As you say, Rubbish paper!!

However as Grumpy says, they are different vehicles for different markets.

My gripe though, is that Mr T has a rather nice Camry hybrid in Canada and the US, why not here???

My Prius is 3 years old next July and I will change it then, I'd love to change it for the Camry or even an Avensis hybrid but.......

Hassle Toyota. I've dropped them some emails about the Camry and not heard a thing. The Camry is larger than the Avensis but has a smaller boot than the Prius! I do still think they are missing out and the Aussie Camry in RHD would be ideal and in limited numbers would allow for cheaper introduction to the UK in the same way the Holden Monaro did.

http://www.toyota.com.au/camry-hybrid-camry?WT.ac=GNHybridCamryHOME

[Jan&tone]

As you say, Rubbish paper!!

However as Grumpy says, they are different vehicles for different markets.

My gripe though, is that Mr T has a rather nice Camry hybrid in Canada and the US, why not here???

My Prius is 3 years old next July and I will change it then, I'd love to change it for the Camry or even an Avensis hybrid but.......

Hassle Toyota. I've dropped them some emails about the Camry and not heard a thing. The Camry is larger than the Avensis but has a smaller boot than the Prius! I do still think they are missing out and the Aussie Camry in RHD would be ideal and in limited numbers would allow for cheaper introduction to the UK in the same way the Holden Monaro did.

http://www.toyota.com.au/camry-hybrid-camry?WT.ac=GNHybridCamryHOME

Ho ho ho.... I've told my dealer what I want and they do actually pass comments back! They have 9 months to get one

[kithmo]

the Gen 3's higher speed was traded for a reduction in mpg economy.

How come the Gen 3 does about 10 more mpg than the gen 2 then ?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

the Gen 3's higher speed was traded for a reduction in mpg economy.

How come the Gen 3 does about 10 more mpg than the gen 2 then ?

My understanding is that for the 'average' person, you can get more mpg out of the later gen3 Prius. However, for serious 'hypermiler' drivers the gen2 Prius is better in that it enables them to eek out higher mpgs. Most people however, don't want to drive around at 42 mph with tyres pumped up to alarming psi's!

[timberwolf]

the Gen 3's higher speed was traded for a reduction in mpg economy.

How come the Gen 3 does about 10 more mpg than the gen 2 then ?

In the standardized, unreal world tests that are the official figures, yes there is a small difference.

I was hoping that an alternative Gen 3 design with a similar speed/performance to the Gen 2 might have got closer to 100 mpg in the Gen 3, but maybe that just isn't physically possible?

In the real world, I suspect the mpg banners, that people seem to like to put in their signatures, tell a more interesting story than the official figures. My first year with a fairly mild winter (i.e. the one before last winter) I got an annual figure of 55 mpg, yes I drove with a lighter foot than the average driver (I was having fun), my tyres were only at 36 and 34 psi, so nothing extreme.

Sadly, this last winter was harsh, and my mpg went down the toilet so to speak, to an average 52 mpg so far, and I haven't really done much distance this summer to bring the average back up again. For last winter, I would have liked the heat recycle technology that is in the Gen 3, but there doesn't otherwise seem to be enough of mpg jump for me to be really envious of the Gen 3.

I hope that clears up some of the confusion, it is from my own perspective as a current Gen 2 owner with a car that is based on a six year old design, and it still manages to do well against the Gen 3 :)