If the price of diesel was lower than gasoline's would you still buy a Prius?

[bwilson4web]

The ratio would have to be and stay proportional to MPG: 40/50 ~= 80% of gasoline cost, always or lower.

Bob Wilson

[F8L]

The price of diesel in my area fluctuates and sometimes it is cheaper than gasoline and others it is vastly more expensive. The price of fuel wasn't brought into my decision to purchase a Prius. I did it to push the technology towards something even better than the Prius and for cleaner air. Low sulfur diesel was really just being implemented around here so diesel was still pretty much an ugly word. Even now I don't believe it is clean enough so I would still choose the Prius but given all of the pieces that fit into the whole diesel vs. gasoline puzzle it is getting harder to choose a clear winner. I still feel the internal combustion engine is antiquated and we need alternatives. This is the main reason I choose the Prius. All the other cool features are just icing on the cake.

[Airbalancer]

My son has had his TDI Jetta for over 2 years now
Zero problems, manual, low end torque and can tow a trail of firewood
Each car is good for the purpose they are designed to do

There is a lot people who want a manual, cannot get that in Prius

Each to their own mode of transport
Does not do nay good to knock a product just because it doent fit your needs

It like compareing a Gen I to Gen I to a GenIII
I think GenI & II are butt ugly and would never be caught in one but I like the GenIII
Does that make all owners of GenI & II crazy for have one
Yes but if you like drive it

[fuzzy1]

Would I have still have bought the Prius this time? Yes, because I don't yet trust VW, and the Prius is a better fit for this particular use.

But this is a multi-car household, and I will definitely consider diesel as a replacement for my Subaru, probably about 5 years out. Especially if the new choices include diesel Subarus with manual transmission.

[F8L]

Originally Posted by Airbalancer

It like compareing a Gen I to Gen I to a GenIII
I think GenI & II are butt ugly and would never be caught in one but I like the GenIII
Does that make all owners of GenI & II crazy for have one
Yes but if you like drive it

Which is odd since the GenII really ins't that much different than the GenIII. Whatever though.

[bighouse]

How do you change a poll response? I hit "no" by accident.

[Airbalancer]

Originally Posted by F8L

Which is odd since the GenII really ins't that much different than the GenIII. Whatever though.

But with the thousands I spend to get my eyes lasered I can noticed every change
And there is a shaper look to it

[vahrn]

I think it's my turn to post the reasons that made me choose the Hybrid route, thank you for your replies, keep 'em coming!

My first car was a Golf V 2.0 TDI 140bhp. I hated that car. After 15.000 km it started having problems with the gear lever that would get hard to move and eventually got stuck. The problem appeared and disappeared and my dealer just thought I was crazy and never even tried to have a look inside. (VW customer service 4 teh win) Besides the clutch pedal vibrated all the time and all the car had this subtle but annoying vibration.
A friend of mine bought an Audi A3 2.0 TDI 170. Excellent MPG and interior, astonishing Hi-fi. Same problems of vibrating clutch pedal, but somehow less evident (it was an Audi after all). But here comes the real problem "clean" diesels have in my opinion: antiparticulate filter.
When the antiparticulate filter gets filled the car becomes slow, sluggish and lifeless. In order to regenerate the filter the exhaust must reach very high temperatures and therefore it needs you to keep a high and constant speed. In that while the engine will perform some post injections of diesel to have the temperature climb even further making you MPG drop dramatically. What if you have no need to take a highway and make the filter regenerate? A light will come up and you'll have to go to your dealer and do it manually, for a charge, of course!
There is no reliable way of getting rid of that filter, my friend tried in several ways with no success.
Even if you could have it regenerate you have to live with inconstant performance since the more the filter gets filled up the less the car will be reactive.
The antiparticulate filter is a joke. It's just a way to postpone your polluting emissions while making them even more dangerous for health (PM10) and you burn more fuel to do that.

Stepping on the Prius was a major revelation to me. So silent, so high tech, little pollution, high MPG. It was simple math to me to sign the contract. And since I was selling my (beloved) Boxster S we also bought a RAV 4 (and got rid of our prehistoric Suzuki Vitara worth a couple thousand €), so in case I REALLY missed diesel I can always drive that one.

[Airbalancer]

No Diesel in RAV 4 in NA

[Holbrook22]

Originally Posted by F8L

Which is odd since the GenII really ins't that much different than the GenIII. Whatever though.

Needless to say aesthetics are a very personal choice. To me the slight change of moving the roof's apex aft a little bit made a tremendous improvement in the looks of the Gen III.