Prius Versus Golf Gte Mpg

[barrycoll]

BUT....you havn't mentioned a Gen 4 Prius, Rich.!

In the showrooms in 2+ weeks to have a first look........................ and then read a depressing road test from a Clarkson clone, with the usual comments that with any M-way trip your are carrying an enormous load of batteries etc that are not being used.

You might think that Toyota would put out some Press reports to correct that misunderstanding....but no

[PeteB]

...then read a depressing road test from a Clarkson clone, with the usual comments that with any M-way trip your are carrying an enormous load of batteries etc that are not being used...

you're so right Barry - in November reviews:

Autocar said:

If you need a hybrid family car that doesn’t need to be introduced to an electric socket on a regular basis and you drive more in urban areas than on motorways, the new Toyota Prius looks likely to be worthy of consideration

and Car Magazine said:

Zero to 62mph takes 10.6sec, which is actually 0.2sec longer than before. We know that’s not the point of a Prius, but it would be nice if we could make decent progress while we’re making the world a better place.

What planet are these guys on (or what do they inhale!).

The 2 Mk 1 Prius I drove for over 9 years and nearly 170,000 miles between them were limited to 99 mph (=106 on the speedo) and just over 12½ sec to 60. I never felt that to be inadequate.

The 2016 Prius is the first revamp that isn't faster and quicker than the one before it and IMHO focusing on fuel consumption and emissions is exactly right.

But then, lots of people do tell me I'm odd!

[barrycoll]

For non Sunday Times readers, there was a group "test" of Audi Etron, Prius, and Outlander in the Car section yesterday.

The Audi was dumped for being merely 'sprightly' at a 0-60 of 7.6 secs (!!), and boot space mainly taken up with charging cables

The PiP was bottom of the class with only 15 miles EV, woefully underpowered in comparison to rivals, and dash board being a 'homage to Amtrad word processors of the mid 1980s....recommended, if you are not a Badge snob, and dont mind looking like a mini cab, although Toyota does know "a thing or two about mixing combustion engines and electric power"

The Outlander gets the nod, with a thumbs Up time of 0-25 (!!!) in 2 secs, despite nearly 12 secs to 60......all of a sudden this car is in Porsche Cayman territory, despite a jarring ride over speed bumps, and over potholes the risk of a lost filling

All damned by faint praise, and none of a hybrids virtues recognised

[Mkuk0]

A review like that almost prompts me to pen an 'Angry of Tunbridge Wells' letter to the Times! hehe :)

[Heidfirst]

Most auto magazine reviewers have a different set of criteria than those who have to pay for their own vehicles, maintenance, fuel & can't have a different car every week ...

Mind you, I also wonder why people in the USA seem to need large pickups that do 0-60 in 6.5s (usually they cite merging onto the highway )?

[YarisHybrid2016]

As mentioned further up - getting a car suited to what you drive regularly, is key to getting something that will be mostly economical!

These car reviews are totally unusable in deciding what to buy.

I'm intrigued that the Mitsubishi is so poor at motorway speeds when using the petrol engine! What is the spec of that? I also question the logic of going through a conventional gearbox - why on earth do they do this?

[Heidfirst]

It's a 2.0l 119bhp engine in  a RAV4 type body, so heavy & not that aerodynamic ...

[FROSTYBALLS]

The Mitsubishi uses GKN's E-Transmission - http://www.gkn.com/media/News/Pages/GKN-Driveline-Multi-Mode-eTransmission-on-the-Mitsubishi-Outlander-PHEV.aspx

[barrycoll]

If the Toyota Power Split device is a superior 'gearbox' option, why do other manufacturers look elsewhere??

It seems to me, that the Golf GT-E, Outlander, etc, have more of a BMW i3 Range Extender approach to the use of the ICE, rather than Prius proper hybrid

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

50 minutes ago, barrycoll said:

If the Toyota Power Split device is a superior 'gearbox' option, why do other manufacturers look elsewhere??

Suppose it depends what patents Toyota have on their hybrid drivetrain, etc. The collaborative agreement between Toyota and BMW on hybrid technology was on batteries rather than drivetrains. The only manufacturer to use the Prius drivetrains under a licencing agreement is Mazda with the 3 Hybrid.

Ford's heated front windscreen springs to mind, where Ford holds patents and haven't licenced its use with anyone else.

[PeteB]

23 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Suppose it depends what patents Toyota have on their hybrid drivetrain, etc. The collaborative agreement between Toyota and BMW on hybrid technology was on batteries rather than drivetrains. The only manufacturer to use the Prius drivetrains under a licencing agreement is Mazda with the 3 Hybrid.

Ford's heated front windscreen springs to mind, where Ford holds patents and haven't licenced its use with anyone else.

Didn't Ford's patent run out a few years ago?

If so, I suppose we'll have to wait another 20 years at least for Toyota to get around to it - they were over 25 years late with heated mirrors (in the UK, at least - 'though not so late in countries that didn't need them!) and 10-15 years late with electrically folding mirrors (and badly implemented at first when they did finally 'discover' them!).

... and about 60 years late with a boot light in the Yaris!!!!

[Heidfirst]

Yes, e.g. you can specify a heated windscreen in a Skoda as an option

[PeteB]

2 minutes ago, Heidfirst said:

Yes, e.g. you can specify a heated windscreen in a Skoda as an option

IIRC there were a handful of cars (can't remember which) that had heated screens of a different design to Ford's - I think their patent related to using a structure of embedded wires in cars - it had previously been designed for aircraft windscreens.

[Heidfirst]

the Ford one uses embedded wires.

Opel/Vauxhall also now offer it.