prius talking points

Driving a Prius is much more entertaining then driving my old Honda accord.

I can watch TV on my MFD, smoke past that hummer from the a red light with my 5000 rpm engine, and whiz by all those gas stations when I fill up once a month instead of once every two weeks.

I don't have to try to "squeeze" in every last gallon into my tank, the faster its "full", the faster I'm out of there. And with the same or greater range, I'm perfectly happy not to add another 70-200 miles to my range.

When your in the 20k to 25k market range for a car, the Prius is an unbeatable value. If your not, then too bad. Yes, I would consider the Prius a luxury item, just like a Lexus, BMW, or an Acura.

For me, there is no "hybrid payoff period" because my family buys in cash and we KEEP our cars until they break down. Instead, I have a "car payoff period", which will payoff the entire car in 22 years. I currently save $1109 each year compared to a normal car that gets 25mpg. By my estimates, my car will save me over 24,000 dollars in the next 22-23 years to come in fuel savings alone, which is more then I can say for an econobox.

 

I bought a Prius because I liked it better than all of the other cars I looked at and I could afford it.

 

And you want a Dodge Caliber? LOL. Check out Edmunds.com. The highlights (lowlights):

"Cons: Sluggish acceleration from CVT-equipped models, low-quality interior materials, unimpressive build quality, several important safety features are optional rather than standard."

"Unfortunately, we've found that the Caliber also comes with some notable flaws. Chief among these is acceleration; the wagon's mainstream engines, when paired to the continuously variable transmission (CVT), simply don't offer enough get-up-and-go. In testing, we found that an all-wheel-drive R/T model took 10.1 seconds to reach 60 mph, a slower than average time for this class. The R/T's fuel economy is also below par. The 1.8-liter or 2.0-liter engines offer better gas mileage, but acceleration is less than impressive. The look and feel of the Caliber's interior is another problem. Build quality on our test vehicle was disappointing, and many of the plastics are hard and lacking in quality. The Caliber has many safety features, but Dodge makes front-seat side airbags and stability control optional on almost all trims."

"As you can probably gather, we're not terribly fond of the Dodge Caliber, and we suggest shopping around if you're interested in a small wagon or hatchback. You'll get more driving excitement from the sporty Mazda 3, more interior room from the spacious Scion xB (along with a killer sound system) and more refinement from the incredibly polished Volkswagen Rabbit. If you're considering the high-performance Caliber SRT4, know that we again prefer the Mazdaspeed 3, as it's just as quick and offers more engaging handling."


2008 Dodge Caliber Review and Specs


Sounds like a real upgrade over the Prius.

 

Racer,, Why are you so bitter?? Your tone has changed drastically since you first posted here.. you obviously don't like the Prius and I think it is because you have a hard time fitting into the car, so go ahead and get your Dodge, but from what I read in one of your first posts, the Prius you have is a company car, so if you can convince them to buy you a Dodge Caliber then go for it.

If you are 6'1 and 290lbs then I hardly think you could even squeeze into a Miata..

If you like the Dodge cars then go ahead and get one, whatever floats your boat.

If you are only getting 48mpg in normal driving then you must be doing something wrong with the way you are driving the car. Many of us get over 50mpg in regular normal driving, not doing any hypermiling. I definately don't start out slow at the stop lights, I am always the first one out and very far ahead of everyone else, I don't drive super slow either and I am consistantly getting between 50-52mpg in city driving and lately have been getting up to 58mpg on the expressways and never below 50mpg. So I have no idea what you are doing to not get something close to that.

Honestly, I think you are just pissed that you don't fit in the car and therefore are bashing it. But when you look at the figures, the Prius beats the Caliber anyday.. I compared all the Caliber versions and the Prius on fueleconomy.gov and there is no comparison. The Prius kicks the Caliber's butt big time.

I hope you enjoy your Caliber whenever you get it....

 

Racer,

Care to guess what that Dodge Caliber will be worth 3-4 years from now?

HINT: Take a tube of KY jelly with you at trade-in time.....

 

Not to mention the drop in value as the vehicle leaves the dealer's lot.

 

Gosh, 48 in the city is a joke? I guess it's not a very funny one. I routinely get over 50 mpg in the city - up until recently, I was averaging 55 mpg. Now it's a little too hot and that's gone down to 50 mpg. That's with 5 people in the car.

Oh yeah, I forgot - there's not enough room in the car for 5 people. My family must be midgets, and we just weren't aware of it until now.

Don't forget to figure in the new transmission for the Dodge. We had ours go out at 60,000 miles. That van was a POS, no matter how cheap it was to buy, we had to replace it much earlier than we would have replaced a Toyota.

 

comparing a dodge caliber and a prius is silly.. they are completely different animals.. That's like comparing a Cobalt to an Accord...

and besides.. according the DODGE website.. the Prius has more front headroom, more front legroom and more cargo space..

racer.. did you even look at the data?

 

That's all that matters!

 

You can find your answer all over the web & TV news
anyway here is mine

With the Rocket-Gas pricing now.... Decision on buying a car now is like buying an Inkjet printer. The Running cost became the major factor ...it is not the purchase price. (I hear more & more car ads that offer free gas for customer $3000 ..... 1 year etc...etc).

In addition you can't really compare the Prius with a Yaris or Civic.... look at the Prius feature list....
Even a Basic-Prius already quite loaded with Safety & performance feature. Almost all Toyota's saftey innovation can be found in Prius... (except VCT is extra option)
Toyota | Safety and Technology Website > Home Page

Prius computer intergrate all functional part very well. Its a very smooth ride in compare with any similar size or smaller vehicle .

Prius is an excellent vehicle to do Hypermiling.... fuel-consumption feedback & how the vehicle operates make it easier & safe to achieve great fuel efficeny 70+ mpg.

 

I bought mine , when there was a 6 month backlog, at 23.4 K.

Sure, there is a temporary demand imbalance, but it wont last. In a couple years, they will be offering 2K off the high end options again.

 

I don't need to look at some figure that any car manufacturer puts out. I've driven in a Prius, and I've driven in a Caliber. The numbers don't mean anything.

The only new part of my opinion on the Prius is the size constraints. I have always felt the same about a hybrid car. YAY for a dull, slow car. I also believe that it shouldn't take a massive technological jumble for a car to achieve 50mpg. Cars should have been hitting 50mpg 10 years ago, without the use of an electric motor.

Please don't pay attention to the screen, I don't want you to run into me.

You guys can't get over the Caliber thing. Like I said, I can understand people not liking Dodges. I've been in a Caliber and I like it. But I also compared it to another Toyota. IMO, a Caliber is a step up. It allows for more cargo capacity, power and room. As an all around vehicle the Caliber wins.

Doesn't matter what the car is worth in 3 - 4 years as there won't be any need to get rid of it.

 

Hmmm, Bravo on the suspension system. Top notch. I can still post while under suspension.

Hats off to the admins on creating such a wonderful suspension system.

 

arent you late for work at the taco bell? isnt it your night to shred the cheese?

caliber my eyes. you drive a 89 chevy nova with one wheel smaller than the others!

Prove it taco boy!

 

Shouldn't you be posting over here?

Don't let the door hit you in the nice person on the way out.

 

Nah, no 89 Nova. It would be nice if I had a 66 Nova. Actually I have never worked in the fast food industry.

When I do get a Caliber, I certainly will not be posting over there. Anyone that puts a 'z' in place of an 's' is a little on the fruity side.

 

hehe... I love a guy who doesn't let anything like "facts" stand in his way! I like the looks of the Caliber; I really do. But fit, finish and quality levels?? Not even in the same ballpark as the Toyota Prius. (psst... that's why it's 10k less money). If that's what you want, buy it. Who cares?

 

mores the pity.op2:

 

Hmm, then I guess the PM that I received is complete bullsh!t. A mod staff without a backbone, sounds like a winning plan to me.

If your going to alledgedly suspend someone, actually suspend them.