I'm a long-time Prius owner and new forum member and I just came across a new review of what I believe will be my next Prius, the PHV. The writer spent a whole week with the car so it is an interesting read. Lots of photos and a slideshow, too! Review is online here. 2012 Toyota Prius PHV First Look, Review, and Road Test Happy and Fuel Efficient Motoring! Edward
He got great MPG in the winter with one of the worst snow storms. I wish he reports electricity consumption to avoid Volt Fraud. PHV Prius displays EV to HV ratio so it is open and honest.
When was the last time you dropped the pedal all the way to the floor? Remember, the Classic model of Prius 0-60 acceleration was 12.5 seconds, yet that worked just fine. Don't forget about the 0-30 acceleration; the electric motor provides quite kick off the line. .
Are you saying the PHV has more punch of the line than regular Prius? As for the 11.3 seconds, it will provide more fodder for the naysayers. Pretty sure the Volt is 9 or well under 10, so that will be compared to the moon. Well, it already is actually when they say, 'Volt drives nothing like a hybrid'. But, I do understand it is reallllly difficult to get high torque, power, efficiency and low cost. Can't have it all. Hey, the USA invented drag racing (NHRA), so acceleration from a stop has long been a big thing with 'US'.
The PHV should certainly accelerate off the line more quickly in EV than the regular Prius but all EV acceleration is likely to be worse due to the small battery. With smaller batteries you simply cannot draw enough power for rapid acceleration at higher speeds. As johnboi points out you really want to see separate times in bands. 0-30 (the really important one), 30-45, 45-55, 55-65, 65-75. Just quoting 0-60 is lazy, ignorant or both.
Is is true that With a smaller batteries you simply cannot draw enough power for rapid acceleration at higher speeds ? I'm disappointed too...
For me this is true because my uncle try With a smaller batteries you simply cannot draw enough power for rapid acceleration at higher speeds....
Remember, it is a hybrid. It will use both power sources for extreme demand. PHV battery and electric motor are sized for frequently used scenarios. The goal is to "do more with less". Gas engine is great for rapid acceleration at high speed but it'll greatly reduce the EV range when powered by the battery. Prius PHV will intelligently select the best combination automatically. It can blend gas power and continue to discharge the battery.
The difference in acceleration between a Gen III and the plug-in is 0.8 mph per second (difference between 60 mph/11.3 sec versus 60 mph/9.8 sec). It strikes me as the smallest possible "sacrifice" or "disappointment" imaginable to achieve mpgs easily 200 and 300% better than most cars, and apparently, from this test, around 40% better than most Prii. It's an advancement, not a step back.
Leaving aside the questionable 20mi drive for groceries, the "EV" portion of the drive was done at local speeds. Highway EV miles will be worse.