;)

[donee]

Hi Spoon,

The Prius has remarkable accelleration for being as big as it is, and only having 110 HP. There are several reasons for this. First off, the CVT does not need to waste time shifting gears. Power is seamless. Second the CVT has allot more ratio range than a typical four speed automatic. So the engine can get right up to 76 hp at slow speeds - like 15 mph. Most cars cannot develope full engine power to allot higher speeds because the highest transmission ratio is still too steep. The battery supplies the power above the 76 HP directly to the motor, which has the torque of a small V8, but only at the slower speeds. Even at 65 mph, where my old Saturn SL2 was at 2900 RPM, the Prius can be as low as 1200 rpm (level road cruising), or as high as 4500 RPM (climbing a mountain). The 1200 RPM points out the ratio range advantage again, but at the higher speeds. Light weight for the size, and supperior aerodynmic design are other factors.

There is guy who likes to point out the folly of various specifications people tend to get hooked on. His name is Amory Lovins. He has pointed out that people do not buy Kilowatt hours, they buy a a lighted and cooled house. He started the Compact Florescent lighting programs in several areas. Power companies gave away these bulbs, rather than build a new power plant. The result was the same. Similarly with the Prius, people are not buying power, they are buying a functionally quick accelleration vehicle. Doing it with less horsepower by not wasting shift time, and matching the engine to the car with better ratios is just as valid as getting that acceleration with a 60 year old transmission technology and a large DOHC 4 cylinder engine.

[Spoon]

I'm not saying I want to turn one into a race car, I actually want to do pretty much the opposite. I want a nice cruising car. Good gas mileage, comfortable and cool gadgets. I'm just wondering why ceratin things are the way that they are.

[Godiva]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Spoon @ Aug 7 2007, 07:16 PM) [snapback]492134[/snapback]</div>

I'm not saying I want to turn one into a race car, I actually want to do pretty much the opposite. I want a nice cruising car. Good gas mileage, comfortable and cool gadgets. I'm just wondering why ceratin things are the way that they are.
[/b]

If that's what you're looking for, the Prius does that. It may not be the only option, but it does that very well. And it does have the coolest gadgets.

I suggest you go test drive one. Just don't rely on the salesman to have all of the answers. It is a rare salesman that knows as much about the Prius as some of the members here do.

I know more about my Prius than I ever knew about any of the previous cars I owned. But that is because I want to learn about it and read many different posts here at Priuschat that provide me with a variety of information.

I'm just about to purchase an engine block heater and I can tell you why.

[ZA_Andy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Spoon @ Aug 7 2007, 08:16 PM) [snapback]492134[/snapback]</div>

I'm not saying I want to turn one into a race car, I actually want to do pretty much the opposite. I want a nice cruising car. Good gas mileage, comfortable and cool gadgets. I'm just wondering why ceratin things are the way that they are.
[/b]

I think it's a given that if money were no object and it wasn't necessary to produce the Prius for sale at a profit, it could be designed and built to be better, both in terms of performance and fuel economy. There are many technologies out there that could be added or which could supplant, those used by Toyota in that situation. However, practicality dictates that Toyota have to design the vehicle so that it can be built within a cost framework that then allows it to be sold at a price people will pay and which doesn't lose them money, so some of the options that seem obvious ones are simply not economically feasible.

That's why there is great interest in after market improvements, including plug in options and photo cells, along with more traditional stuff like stiffening plates, tires etc. The after market allows those who want the extras to go have them, and since it's only they who pay, the rest of us can get our vehicles at a price we can (hopefully) afford.

To my mind, as it stands, the Prius is a pretty remarkable car though. It drives just about like anything else on the road, so it isn't as if there's anything new to learn to do when you're in one, but at the same time, it really does have an array of cool toys. It is very environmentally friendly, capable of delivering far better fuel efficiency than almost anything else on the market, yet has good acceleration (indeed, excellent acceleration in the mid-band for passing etc) and can cruise quietly at highway speeds all day long. The existence of the battery pack allows for technologies to be integrated which set new trends - electrically driven AC for example, where use neither seriously impacts engine power or fuel efficiency, or dispensing with the starter motor and instead spinning up the engine more gently and with less wear.

Even so, it's not the end product of a developmental line, but the starting point for it. In 10 or 20 years time, the Prius may seem rather antiquated as newer technologies are spurred into development and use. However, given the vehicles out there at this time or in the near future, the Prius is not only affordable and reliable, but among the most technologically advanced - and it still drives like a normal car and carries the same stuff!

Not perfect, not as good as it could possibly be, but pretty darn good even so.