Gen 2 Prius vs new 2010 Camry non-hybrid

My wife could well be drooling already ... and I'm not even sure she's seen your post yet! She simply LOVES what she's seen of the newer Camry models, and IF your "prediction" for future models is at all relevant or comes to pass, I actually would NOT have any qualms about getting one -- hybrid or otherwise -- if-or-when "Stone White" -- our 1997 Stratus -- finally dies ....

It seems you're experiencing the same sort of pleasant surprise with your Camry "loaner" that we've long experienced with Stone White. "Her" city mpg is the pits as far as I'm concerned -- it's rated at 18 city / 28 highway / 23 overall per the EPA's new rating methods, but we usually get 17 mpg or LESS 'round town! -- but as recently as June, 2008, and with 113K miles already on "her" -- this was shortly before we bought Mithril -- "she" averaged nearly 36 mpg and covered nearly 480 miles of highway driving one particular tank. For that entire, 1600 mile trip during June, "she" averaged just shy of 33 mpg ....

 

1997 Stratus? I used to have a 1996 Stratus, with a manual transmission. LOVED that car. And, I routinely got 35mpg mixed, and 38mpg on the highway.

That car was EASY to drive and get high mileage...no learning curve.

In fact, it's one of the reasons why I have a Prius...couldn't see getting a 4 door sedan that didn't get *at least* that mpg on the highway. It's my "benchmark."

Chuck

 

A co-worker had an early 90's model Honda that he still drives - VFX or VFH I think? He still has it and gets an honest 48 mpg in mixed driving.
What frustrates me is that consumer driven bigger cars with more bells and whistles + government mandates = an environment where 20 years later you need a complicated hybrid car to get the same mileage you could get in an el-cheapo basic commuter car back then. Maybe if the hangover from decades of the US living beyond its means takes decades to unwind economic forces will compel the return of such basic high mileage commuter cars. Heck today, even the Smart car - a fraction of the size of things like that early Honda or even the Geo Metro - is rated at lower mpg then those cars were.

 

To be fair here, those high MPG cars were tin-can death traps with a stout 49HP. lol

 

Not a CRX; starts with a "V". Has adequate power for a commuter. I wonder how many mpg a Smart car would get if it had the same acceleration curve and comparable safety equipment to those older cars (a level of performance many of us who grew up in the 70's and 8's would be happy with). Maybe close to 70?

 

The VX/HX line (maybe only the VX) were supposed to have the same lean burn technology that the first gen Insight had. They had great mileage, but weren't so great for the environment.

 

The gen 1 Insight suits my needs better than the Gen III Prius, which was the closest thing I could find to what I needed. My biggest problem with the first Insight was really poor rear visibility. Several of my neighbors who bought one had that complaint. We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains and lots of motorcyclists come up here so good rear visibility is important. Also needed for the messy commutes in the Bay Area.The current Gen Insight didn't appear competitive to Prius based on cost and fuel consumption estimates.
I believe I read somewhere that Toyota was working on an Insight-like Prius - more of a basic compact than a high-tech sedan. That would be just the ticket for me. A little two door with good interior layout like the 2002 Civic HX I just traded in for my Prius. That thing was small but so well layed out I was able to fit 8ft prunning ladders and 10ft lengths of gutter in there. Also got an honest 37 mpg with no high tech anything except a CVT. I would hope application of Prius technology to something that size could result in 60+ mpg in normal driving.