Hi everyone...unlike most of the folks here, I am not yet a Prius owner, but seriously considering it against a number of similarly low-emission options. After doing the research it seems like the Prius is the best choice in its price range as far as a hybrid is concerned (I think they also have the best resale value, although I'm buying it to drive and not sell). But, with the multitude of options awaiting car buyers in the next few years and other technologies quickly catching up to hybrid (diesel, for one), I'm trying to do as much research as possible. Hopefully I'll get some answers here, and I'll try not to post any Q's that have already been answered a gazillion times...
Enjoy your research. Check out the various stickies as they'll catch most of the basic newbie questions. But feel free to post your specific questions and concerns. If you're not in a rush for a new car the 3rd generation Prius should be released this spring...meaning it'll be a good option for a new and improved car, but also that the 2nd generation prius should be available used more easily.
Indeed. Feel free to browse around. If you can't find anything you're looking for, try the Google search option in the box above and if that doesn't work, well feel free to ask. We're here to answer questions. The next few years are really going to be exciting as many alternatives are introduced, competing for your attention and loyalty. Have fun researching! Another good site is greenhybrid.com
Hi Rbasho, Diesel technology is not catching up to the Prius at all. Just check the city mileage of the 2009 Jetta against a Prius. And also consider that diesel has 13 % more fuel energy than gasoline. The third generation Prius is even better than the second in both city and highway fuel economy.
I'm not one to rush out and get the latest and greatest... I think I would give Gen 3 a little while to shake out the bugs... though, I suspect that it will have some really good advances! Right now, it is a buyer's market on Prius... if you have the ability to buy one, you can score a really good deal about now, with anticipation for the next gen coming, plus gas prices, plus the credit crunch. Cash verily is king. The 2010 does have some things worth waiting for, too, if you decide to wait. At least, that's what they tell us!
Touche! I just purchased a 2009 Package 5 for $5k below invoice! If you know how to work the dealers, it is definately a buyers market.
I agree with Rae Vynn (and not just because we're close personal friends). Car dealerships are pretty dead just before Christmas. You should be able to get a great deal.
rbasho: if you are looking for a low speed commute only option. get an EV. there are multitude of possible choices, some of which wont even use batteries, that may be available in the next 16 months or so. but if looking for something that will be used for occasional long distance trips over say 100 miles one way, get a Pri. there is a lot of cars that come close, but nothing there yet. other options like the Volt, may simply never be a viable option... The Pri is here and now with a pretty good track record going for it so far.
Ha! Thanks to everyone for all the great comments here...EVs are also on my short list, although there are far fewer of those (not to mention diesels) on the US market, so options are somewhat limited. I agree that by and large diesel has not yet "caught up" to the Prius' advancements, but I think there's that possibility. There are WAY better diesel cars than the Jetta in Europe right now (the diesel MINI comes to mind). Anyway, good notes about Gen3 Prius, and I should definitely hit a few dealerships before the holidays, it sounds like!
You mentioned that you are interested in emissions. The 2009 VW Jetta TDI is simply the lowest emission diesel in the world. However, it does not have lower emissions that the Prius. The diesel Mini is a nice car and gets better fuel economy than the Jetta but it isn't lower in emissions.
Good point, and thanks for that clarification...yes, I am interested in emissions and it's exactly this point that is making me lean towards the Prius, but I have heard -- and maybe others could set me straight -- that the technology is there to create a low-emission diesel that rivals the Prius. Now, when precisely manufacturers will deliver a car that does this is another story, but I think it's interesting to be aware of what might be on the horizon ahead. Yeah, I like the diesel MINI too -- always been a dream of mine to own one, but I live in the US...and, you know, there are so many factors to weigh here. Are there any good resources for emissions data? Is the EPA's site comprehensive?
You can't use the Air Pollution Score at Fuel Economy This score does not relate to actual emission data, just the classification of the vehicle. Vehicles are rated by their worse emission not a total of all emissions. With this method a vehicle will a 0 0 0 0 5 would be rated a 5 and one with 4 4 4 4 4 would be rated a 4. Which is lower 5 or 20? You can get actual data from CARB: Subject Top Page: On-Road New Vehicle & Engine Certification Program The EPA: Annual Certification Test Results & Data | Cars and Light Trucks | US EPA Or for EU vehicles: VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Home Page The subject of Diesel vs. Gasoline vs. Hybrid emissions has been debated endlessly here at PriusChat. The most recent is: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/55824-volkswagen-diesel-car-wins-green-car-year.html
Ahhh...I see. This can get rather confusing to the uninitiated. I've seen more generalized averages, like the "green" scores at carfunfootprint.com that take fuel economy and emissions data together, but never actually hunted down specifics. There we go, I had a feeling... Thanks! That thread is good reading...
rbasho, Research is good. I hope you're getting out and test driving cars too. If you're not getting enough from the 10, 15 minute dealer test drives, Prius can be rented from Toyota dealers and Hertz-like places as well. Prius is like no other vehicle I've ever driven. It is so incredibly smooth with its CVT and the ride is very plush. Mine averages about 55 MPG without working hard at it. It must have a really strong battery or something. Welcome to Priuschat :welcome:
Of course, Pat. I seem to recall that the Gen 1 and 2 both had a couple of little issues that were fixed via recalls... I would make the assumption that Gen 3 might have a couple of similar 'gotchas'.. Naturally, since it is Toyota, they will be quickly resolved, but it's something for people to think about. Not everyone wants to be a beta tester
issues with new products are par for the course. in retrospect, cars have viturally no issues at all when compared to other similarly complicated items... look at the Blackberry Storm, the new i-phone when it was released (we wont mention the biggest culprit of all time which would be ANY WINDOWS release) etc. the list goes on. they all came out with multiple issues that had to be fixed. electronics manufacturers should learn from the QA testing programs that car manufacturers use because even the WORST car does not compare in issues to probably the smoothest new electronic gizmo intro
