New Guy - And Diesel Convert

[fatboy_daveb]

Hi all

Just picked up my Auris Hybrid T-Spirit this morning. Very pleased with it. After having had a BMW 320d and then a Hyundai i30 2.0 CRTD, I had enough of diesels. I found them great on the motorway but, in urban areas, it was like driving a tractor. Also the MPG never lived up to the hype either. Anyway, I've done 150 miles today, all manner of roads including 100 miles on the M8/M74 doing a maximum of 70mph for the majority of those. The MPG has blown me away. On the motorway trip I got 57.6 mpg over 97.8 miles. My i30 would have given me about 48 mpg on the same trip. For urban driving...the mpg is unreal. I drove, from a cold start, to Paisley (3 miles away) to fill up....and got 75 mpg. My i30 would have given me 46 mpg if I was lucky (in winter it was as low as 26 mpg on the same trip). Overall....I am absolutely astounded by this car.

And I do apologise...I'm not a tree-hugger. I have another car which is a 54-reg Honda Civic Type-R.....but I do less than the 3000 miles a year in it....and take it to the track The Auris will be doing 20k+ miles per annum as I have a daughter south of Manchester. If Toyota bring out a hybrid semi-sports car then I will trade in...I promise. I did look at the Honda CRZ but .... it looked awful from the inside and I didn't even test drive it.

I'll post regular updates on Fuelly and look forward to hearing from fellow Hybrid owners (gotta love that technology).

Cheers

Dave

p.s. always owned two cars but the previous cars in the last 7 years were (in chronological order with the miles personally covered)

Ford Ka (11k miles)

Toyota Celica (6k miles)

Mazda Rx-8 (22k miles ....please forgive me)

BMW 320d (15k miles)

Toyota Corrola (5k miles...@36mpg!..awful)

Suzuki Sx4 (9.5k miles)

Mini Cooper S (7k miles)

Suzuki Swift Sport (5k miles....but economical)

Hyundai i30 2.0 CRTD (37.7k miles...avg. 48 mpg)

p.p.s. if you have read this far then believe me when I say that I'm a convert

p.p.p.s. I've missed out a couple of other cars as I am too ashamed to say that I owned them.

[ashpole]

Glad you like it! I get mine in 10 days. Did you order the Sat Nav Pack?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

lol welcome to hybrid ownership

The mpg will improve with time as you get used to the driving style and the car gets run in. Just prepare to be amazed.

[johalareewi]

The real killer for mpg with toyota hybrids is the winter because he only way to warm up the cabin is by running the engine to generate heat. So to keep those lovely mpg figures, crank down the cabin temperature and buy a coat and hat! Or get an afro

[timberwolf]

Give a thought for your HV Battery! The air intake for the HV Battery is next to the rear seats, it must have been designed to draw air from the cabin for a reason, and I would guess it has to do with the HV Battery working best when it is not too hot or too cold. So I reason, that if I am comfortable, then so will the HV battery in my car!

[fatboy_daveb]

Glad you like it! I get mine in 10 days. Did you order the Sat Nav Pack?

No, at £1200 I decided to give it a miss. And from what I have been reading about compatibility problems it's just as well.

Now done over 400 miles in the car since I picked it up. Waiting to reach the last bar (currently two left) before filling up to get a more accurate reading of the fuel consumption. That said, even on motorway journeys the displayed average mpg reading is still about 9 higher than what my previous 2-litre diesel read on the same journeys. The urban readings are fantastic, and I think the official figures may actually be reachable.

One question I have, and welcome being corrected, is to do with the car running off the Battery when in ECO-mode (not EV-mode). I thought that the engine automatically did the majority of the work at speeds greater than 31 mph? The reason I ask is that I travelled nearly 0.5 miles at a steady 40 mph before the Battery level dropped off and the engine kicked in. This was according to the display. It wasn't a one-off as it has occurred on different roads....some of them were slightly uphill as well. Any thoughts? Could the Auris programming be slightly different from the latest Prius? I am just trying to figure out why my 'display' mpg seems to be really really good on my urban trips. I don't suppose I'll know the truth until I fill up....probably tomorrow so will let you know.

By the way, the only drawback I've had with the car is the insurance. My insurer could not cover me as my 'car was too new'. Unbelievably, I did point out to them that they covered the Prius on their website....but to no avail. I've had to take out another policy with another inusrance company to make sure that I was covered as I was only with dayinsure.com for a week when I picked up the car.

Cheers

Dave

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Quickly add - the limit of 31 mph in EV mode is when you select EV mode (as opposed to Power or Eco) and even then it will only do 31 mph in certain conditions and when fully warm. If will often switch off at 20 mph when first started or when conditions aren't right.

Now the car (Prius or Auris) will run upto about 40 mph or maybe more if you keep it below the halfway line on the hybrid indicator display, though the faster you go the more difficult it is to keep the engine off and acceleration is slow! In ECO mode it is easier to the car below the halfway line and thus keep the engine off.

To complicate things, you'll find that if you fully charge the Battery (all bars lit) - such as going down a long hill, the car will do crazy things such as run right upto 45 mph in electric (not EV mode) but will accelerate quickly and also allow you to pass the middle line on the hybrid indicator. This gives a clue to what driving a true electric car would be like, though as the Battery loses its full capacity the car quickly reverts back to 'normal' hybrid behaviour.

Don't worry too much about how and/or why the car does the things it does. You'll find that it has very complex programming and will surprise you in why or how it does things. Just enjoy it.

[johalareewi]

Give a thought for your HV battery! The air intake for the HV battery is next to the rear seats, it must have been designed to draw air from the cabin for a reason, and I would guess it has to do with the HV battery working best when it is not too hot or too cold. So I reason, that if I am comfortable, then so will the HV battery in my car!

The air intake is to keep the Battery cooled down to prevent overheating. So I guess the cooler the air the better?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Give a thought for your HV battery! The air intake for the HV battery is next to the rear seats, it must have been designed to draw air from the cabin for a reason, and I would guess it has to do with the HV battery working best when it is not too hot or too cold. So I reason, that if I am comfortable, then so will the HV battery in my car!

The air intake is to keep the Battery cooled down to prevent overheating. So I guess the cooler the air the better?

But if you cool the air down too much you will use the a/c more, which draws mainly from the HV Battery causing it to heat up! Also, to get air flow going through to the HV Battery you shouldn't use the recirculation mode on the a/c.

[Jolly English Gentleman]

To complicate things, you'll find that if you fully charge the battery (all bars lit) - such as going down a long hill, the car will do crazy things such as run right upto 45 mph in electric (not EV mode) but will accelerate quickly and also allow you to pass the middle line on the hybrid indicator. This gives a clue to what driving a true electric car would be like, though as the battery loses its full capacity the car quickly reverts back to 'normal' hybrid behaviour.

I've done faster than that running up and down hill on dual carriageways such as the A43 Oxford to Northampton - get a nice sunny day and running at 70mph in electric is possible and keeping the Battery at max charge on the down stretch ready for the next up hill stretch. Of course the 2nd gen does not have the added complications of different modes. There is an EV button but that is only for slow speeds and I have never used it. Its all down to your right foot and what kind of road you are on.

[timberwolf]

Give a thought for your HV battery! The air intake for the HV battery is next to the rear seats, it must have been designed to draw air from the cabin for a reason, and I would guess it has to do with the HV battery working best when it is not too hot or too cold. So I reason, that if I am comfortable, then so will the HV battery in my car!

The air intake is to keep the Battery cooled down to prevent overheating. So I guess the cooler the air the better?

Not when you get below freezing. There is anecdotal evidence from across the pond in the deeply chilly bits about the drop off in performance of the Battery, so much so that in freezing temperatures that Prius lacks acceleration when the Battery is very cold.

The following paper was research on the Prius Gen 1 pack (why is the US gov researching Japanese technology?), it doesn't exactly support my thoughts that any warm cabin air is used to warm the packs up, although it was for a Gen 1. I found the graphs too small to read on the web, so I went by their conclusions that 0C wasn't optimal for the battery pack!

http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/energystorage/pdfs/2a_2002_01_1962.pdf

[Cyker]

The rule of thumb is if you're comfortable, so's the Battery.

Batteries generate energy via a chemical reaction, so temperature does have an effect, but there is some physics involved which goes the other way

As temps drop, the chemical reaction will be slower, but resistance is less so it doesn't waste as much energy in resistive heating. A side benefit is the Battery won't self-discharge as quick so low temps are good for storage.

As temps rise, the chemical reaction speeds up, releasing more energy faster, BUT the temp rise also increases resistance which saps some of the power and makes more heat.

[r04drunner1]

...I had enough of diesels. I found them great on the motorway but, in urban areas, it was like driving a tractor. Also the MPG never lived up to the hype either.

Love it! Totally agree with your comments.

I have only owned two diesels deliberately (i.e. that were not company cars). A BMW 530D and, later, a Jaguar S-Type SE. Both six cylinders. Both smooth to drive and low in noise, at least as far as the cabin was concerned. But in slow traffic, when I dropped the window I could hear the tractor-like diesel rattle while idling.

Petrol engines are much nicer and the engine on the Prius is soooo quiet, even when it is running!

R04drunner1

[dervdave]

a Jaguar S-Type SE. smooth to drive and low in noise, at least as far as the cabin was concerned. But in slow traffic, when I dropped the window I could hear the tractor-like diesel rattle while idling.

Boo Hiss !!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my friend, I`m sure you`ll be very happy with the new car

[r04drunner1]

a Jaguar S-Type SE. smooth to drive and low in noise, at least as far as the cabin was concerned. But in slow traffic, when I dropped the window I could hear the tractor-like diesel rattle while idling.

Boo Hiss !!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my friend, I`m sure you`ll be very happy with the new car

LOL :D

Hi Dieseldave, wondered how long it would take for us to make contact on here. :)

At least I don't go posting MPG figures on jaguarforum to upset all my friends on there ;)

It's funny, when I got rid of my BMW 530D I promised myself that I would not get another diesel. The car was a fine car btw, just I don't like the diesel rattle / smell. When I bought the S-Type I was really looking for a petrol one, but the diesel was about the only one available at the time and I fell for the JRG colour. Now I have made the same promise to myself, we will see if I will keep it! About the only car that I admit would tempt me to get a diesel would be a Jaguar XF, so hope that satisfies your sense of marque honour! :P

R04drunner1

[fuel miser]

a Jaguar S-Type SE. smooth to drive and low in noise, at least as far as the cabin was concerned. But in slow traffic, when I dropped the window I could hear the tractor-like diesel rattle while idling.

Boo Hiss !!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my friend, I`m sure you`ll be very happy with the new car

About the only car that I admit would tempt me to get a diesel would be a Jaguar XF, so hope that satisfies your sense of marque honour! :P

R04drunner1

Or perhaps one of these?

http://www.carsuk.net/jaguar-xf-flywheel-hybrid/

[r04drunner1]

Nice one fuel miser, an interesting read! I'll start saving the pennies! Or, in that case, tenners...!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

a Jaguar S-Type SE. smooth to drive and low in noise, at least as far as the cabin was concerned. But in slow traffic, when I dropped the window I could hear the tractor-like diesel rattle while idling.

Boo Hiss !!!!!!!!!!!

Hello my friend, I`m sure you`ll be very happy with the new car

About the only car that I admit would tempt me to get a diesel would be a Jaguar XF, so hope that satisfies your sense of marque honour! :P

R04drunner1

Or perhaps one of these?

http://www.carsuk.net/jaguar-xf-flywheel-hybrid/

The article indicates that the flywheel hybrid system is more robust than a Battery hybrid system? I want to try and keep an open mind here, but surely a flywheel spinning at 60,000 rpms (or however fast they go) is a high speed moving part and as such likely to go bang in the same way turbos do (and oh do they go bang). A Battery system just sits there getting hot . Perhaps the flywheel system is cheaper to manufacture or maintain, but I have a horrid feeling they won't be cheap when they do go pop.

Any comments, or is it just me?

[fuel miser]

They're quite innovative chaps these Indians, Grumpy, I'm sure they'll get it perfected. The Limo Green Hybrid XJ looks interesting too.

http://www.carsuk.net/jaguar-xj-limo-green-hybrid-concept/