Another article with plenty of "feeling" and few "facts"

AlphaTeam · 04-17-2006, 07:02 AM

storm petrol · 04-17-2006, 07:27 AM

So, does anyone here know of a person driving a corolla who gets 50+ mpg on the highway?

Anyone here on the staff of Automobile Magazine, maybe?

storm petrol

seeh2o · 04-17-2006, 12:53 PM

Yikes, what, where and how long did he actually do his "test drive"? Something tells me he didn't spend much time behind the Prius wheel. Immediately after I got my car in early 2004 I was making regular trips from Los Angeles to south Phoenix (a six hour drive) to visit family, my average was over 50mpg and I didn't have to stop to fill up the tank. I certainly wasn't nursing the peddle at 55.

Gee, do you think he has an agenda? Ok, I do have to agree about the hybrid SUV bits. I have a friend who bought a Lexus hybrid SUV, now she gets 17 mpg instead of 15. I guess it makes her feel better. We rode around in it a bit, it made me appreciate my Prius all the more.

aaf709 · 04-17-2006, 01:09 PM

Odd article. Heck, my mileage is the best on the freeway with cruise control.

Betelgeuse · 04-17-2006, 01:20 PM

While I am annoyed by aspects of the article, as well, I think that there are some good points. In particuar, I think that a lot of people are thinking, "well, I must be saving gas and helping the environment if I buy a Hybrid."

If the car is a Prius, it's probably true. However, if it's the RX400H or the Highlander Hybrid, it probably is not the case. Most people who buy, for example, the Highlander Hybrid would probably be doing a lot more for the environment if they bought a standard sedan (i.e. the Camry), or even something like a CRV.

flynlow · 04-17-2006, 03:12 PM

I was supposed to get my new Prius this week, but after reading this article, I think I will cancel my order.

subarutoo · 04-17-2006, 03:37 PM

"On a cross-country excursion in a Prius, the staff of Automobile Magazine discovered mileage plummeted on the Interstate. .......Indeed, the gasoline engine worked so hard that we calculated we might have used less fuel on our journey if we had been driving Toyota's conventionally powered, similarly sized Corolla — which costs thousands less. For the owner who does the majority of her driving on the highway, the Prius's potential for fuel economy will never be realized and its price premium never recovered. " (from the article)

All I can say, 95% of my driving is LA freeways, speeds from 0 to 80+, and I get a solid 48+ mpg day in day out. My "conventional" Subaru got 25-28 in the same driving. I have gotten bored with "life in the slow lane" and drive the car "normally", fast when I can, and other times, not. It cruises very easily at 70+ and gets the aformentioned mileage. Your mileage may vary.

micheal · 04-17-2006, 04:05 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seeh2o @ Apr 17 2006, 01:53 PM) [snapback]240950[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Yikes, what, where and how long did he actually do his "test drive"? Something tells me he didn't spend much time behind the Prius wheel. Immediately after I got my car in early 2004 I was making regular trips from Los Angeles to south Phoenix (a six hour drive) to visit family, my average was over 50mpg and I didn't have to stop to fill up the tank. I certainly wasn't nursing the peddle at 55.

Gee, do you think he has an agenda? Ok, I do have to agree about the hybrid SUV bits. I have a friend who bought a Lexus hybrid SUV, now she gets 17 mpg instead of 15. I guess it makes her feel better. We rode around in it a bit, it made me appreciate my Prius all the more.
[/b]

I agree, something if fishy about his test drive. I think he may have some agenda, there is no way that a Corolla can match the 45-50 mpg I get on the interstate. If he had stopped about the hybrid SUV bits, then maybe I would have taken him seriously. I stopped after about hearing the Prius and Corolla statement, that was enough.

While in terms of MPG, the hybrid SUVs may not make sense, they do help with emissions. I looked quickly at the EPA pollution scores, being hybrid does help them (comparing the HiHy and 400h to their conventional counterparts, and even compared to the Corolla). Granted, it may not be more than 1 or 2 points, but that can have a big impact when multiplied by a large number of vehicles.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 04-17-2006, 04:14 PM

15 minutes to pollute
Years to set straight

Won't be long that there will be news articles using this article as a source thus perpetuating the inacuracies.
You so rarely hear about people running test drives on full tanks of gas (auto show in Canada is the only exception I can think of). If this person ran a full tank in a Prius and then a full tank in a Corolla, I think he would see the actual difference. He would see the difference in the mileage and in the driving experience.

dipper · 04-17-2006, 04:29 PM

I did a few runs between Raleigh, NC and FairFax, VA last year.

Once with a 06 Corolla rental (in the spring). And a few times with my wife's 06 Prius (in the summer). Size and features not withstanding of course.

The Corolla got about 41 mpg and Prius got about 48 mpg. Average speed on both were around 70 mph.

If long highway driving at decently high speed was the term of use, then certainly the Corolla seems to be the car of choice.

But not for city (short trips) driving though. Corolla got me around 25mpg while the Prius got around 45 mpg.

04-17-2006, 07:02 AM	#1
AlphaTeam Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 640 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Life in the Green lane

04-17-2006, 03:37 PM	#7
subarutoo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chatsworth, CA Posts: 1,182 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts Friends: 0	"On a cross-country excursion in a Prius, the staff of Automobile Magazine discovered mileage plummeted on the Interstate. .......Indeed, the gasoline engine worked so hard that we calculated we might have used less fuel on our journey if we had been driving Toyota's conventionally powered, similarly sized Corolla — which costs thousands less. For the owner who does the majority of her driving on the highway, the Prius's potential for fuel economy will never be realized and its price premium never recovered. " (from the article) All I can say, 95% of my driving is LA freeways, speeds from 0 to 80+, and I get a solid 48+ mpg day in day out. My "conventional" Subaru got 25-28 in the same driving. I have gotten bored with "life in the slow lane" and drive the car "normally", fast when I can, and other times, not. It cruises very easily at 70+ and gets the aformentioned mileage. Your mileage may vary. __________________ Chatsworth, CA 06 Prius, White, Option 6, Visual Garage Shark Fin Antenna, BT Chassis Plate, BFG G-Force Sport 205-60 15 NO trim rings, Scangauge II. Other cars: '96 Subaru Outback, '00 Subaru Impreza RS

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storm petrol Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 44 degrees, 42 minutes North; 73 degrees, 29 minutes West. Posts: 62 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	So, does anyone here know of a person driving a corolla who gets 50+ mpg on the highway? Anyone here on the staff of Automobile Magazine, maybe? storm petrol

04-17-2006, 12:53 PM	#3
seeh2o Prius OG Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 367 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Yikes, what, where and how long did he actually do his "test drive"? Something tells me he didn't spend much time behind the Prius wheel. Immediately after I got my car in early 2004 I was making regular trips from Los Angeles to south Phoenix (a six hour drive) to visit family, my average was over 50mpg and I didn't have to stop to fill up the tank. I certainly wasn't nursing the peddle at 55. Gee, do you think he has an agenda? Ok, I do have to agree about the hybrid SUV bits. I have a friend who bought a Lexus hybrid SUV, now she gets 17 mpg instead of 15. I guess it makes her feel better. We rode around in it a bit, it made me appreciate my Prius all the more.

04-17-2006, 01:09 PM	#4
aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 3,840 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Odd article. Heck, my mileage is the best on the freeway with cruise control.

04-17-2006, 01:20 PM	#5
Betelgeuse Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Northampton, MA, USA Posts: 1,459 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 2 Thanked 16 Times in 9 Posts Friends: 1	While I am annoyed by aspects of the article, as well, I think that there are some good points. In particuar, I think that a lot of people are thinking, "well, I must be saving gas and helping the environment if I buy a Hybrid." If the car is a Prius, it's probably true. However, if it's the RX400H or the Highlander Hybrid, it probably is not the case. Most people who buy, for example, the Highlander Hybrid would probably be doing a lot more for the environment if they bought a standard sedan (i.e. the Camry), or even something like a CRV.

04-17-2006, 03:12 PM	#6
flynlow Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 24 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	I was supposed to get my new Prius this week, but after reading this article, I think I will cancel my order.

04-17-2006, 04:14 PM	#9
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 11,207 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 58 Thanked 307 Times in 191 Posts Friends: 27	15 minutes to pollute Years to set straight Won't be long that there will be news articles using this article as a source thus perpetuating the inacuracies. You so rarely hear about people running test drives on full tanks of gas (auto show in Canada is the only exception I can think of). If this person ran a full tank in a Prius and then a full tank in a Corolla, I think he would see the actual difference. He would see the difference in the mileage and in the driving experience.

04-17-2006, 04:29 PM	#10
dipper Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 603 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I did a few runs between Raleigh, NC and FairFax, VA last year. Once with a 06 Corolla rental (in the spring). And a few times with my wife's 06 Prius (in the summer). Size and features not withstanding of course. The Corolla got about 41 mpg and Prius got about 48 mpg. Average speed on both were around 70 mph. If long highway driving at decently high speed was the term of use, then certainly the Corolla seems to be the car of choice. But not for city (short trips) driving though. Corolla got me around 25mpg while the Prius got around 45 mpg.