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2013 Prius + Possibly the worst car I've ever owned.

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by mpr260975, Feb 12, 2014.

  1. mpr260975

    mpr260975 New Member

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    Hi

    I took delivery of my new Prius + company car 6 months ago and cannot believe these cars get such good reviews. Fuel consumption is average and unless you drive around town at 20 mph constantly (on battery), you'll return awful MPG. In the cold you're always on engine, above 40mph you're always on engine, on the motorway, it averages 55 MPG and the NOISE......oh my god, the noise of the engine is like re-entry in the space shuttle. Getting up to speed to join any motorway is both frustrating and embarrassing considering the £30k price tag.

    I actually took the car back to the dealer on the first day because 'it sounded like it had 3 gears'.....imagine my surprise when the mechanic told me it had ONE gear.


    Michael
     
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    No car is ideal for everyone. Luckily for you you got to find out you disliked the station wagon on someone elses tab.
     
  3. Nicaaz

    Nicaaz Junior Member

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    we all want Lambo look and feel with Priuses mpg and cost

    world is not perfect, get used to it.
     
  4. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    Just to note, its a CVT, so it doesn't "change" gears, just alters the effective ratio.

    Have you read anything about increasing your mileage? I can get 60MPG tanks in my '05 in city driving by just knowing how to drive it.
     
  5. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

    This statement certainly doesn't support your "worst car" conclusion........especially since it appears that you are in Europe where gas costs.....what, about 4X what it does in the US now ??
     
  6. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Another one-post troll.
     
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  7. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    I always test drive a car before I buy it ;)Also baffled by the comment about 'always being on engine'. The car is a petrol car and should always be using the engine apart from in very rare circumstances. If one tries to force the car in electric then it will return poor economy.
     
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  8. zhenya

    zhenya Active Member

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    My previous cars included a 400+ HP Audi S4 and a 300+ HP Volvo, yet I find the Prius to have ample power to keep up with any traffic anywhere. Heck, with my Plug-in I can keep up with most traffic just fine on electric only which is only like 50hp. Sure, the engine noise takes some getting used to and there is more road noise than more expensive cars, but that is part of the price of efficiency (road noise is dampened by insulation which adds significant weight).

    Now I suspect also that we are seeing another one-post troll, but in case we aren't, what was your previous vehicle and what was its mileage? What is the mileage you are getting in the Prius under what conditions? It should do better in town than on the highway, so I suspect either a fault with the car or with the driver...
     
  9. jhinsc

    jhinsc Senior Member

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    It sounds like a bunch of made-up excuses because he had buyer's remorse. Most of what he said is just not true, especially when he experienced all his problems between when he accepted delivery of the car to when he took it back to the dealer on the SAME day!?!?
     
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  10. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    I'd love to have been his fleet manager when he returned his company car on the first day.
     
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  11. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    I had a Prius as a company car, I now own it. It is a gen2 a slightly less economical version of the one you have, but I average over 60 mpg winter to summer.
    Even with the smaller engine I have never had difficulty joining a motorway and acceleration has never been a problem.
    As far as noise is concerned, road noise could be reduced, and I believe is better in the gen3 that you have. Engine noise was never a problem particularly after having a string of various diesels.
    I do not know of any petrol car where the engine does not run continuously on the motorway so I do not understand your objection to that.
    I am not saying the Prius could not be improved, but unless your prepared to pay the extra tax from your pocket for something quicker, quieter, and uses more fuel, the Prius has everything else behind it.

    John (Britprius)
     
  12. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Don't you just love these one post wonders :)
     
  13. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    My wife is on her fourth company car since I married her. None was her choice, only one did she even get to option. Some of our harshest critics here are folks 'assigned' a Prius as a company car, and this makes perfect sense to me.

    To buy any car you choose it based on your values, your needs and your image. I choose a Prius v as I drive 30,000 miles a year carrying a lot of light cargo. A smaller Prius was confining, and I opted to take the 8 MPG hit and carry more stuff. A very personal choice.

    Her Tahoe gets 16 MPG and you need steps to climb up into it. We have the horrible choice of taking my car and getting great MPG we pay to refill, or her car and paying zero dollars for lousy MPG and all paid maintenance.

    MPR was given a Prius v as a company car, he did not weigh his needs versus his wants, it was just assigned to him by someone. Perhaps the company felt it would save them money, and MPR is single and resents that his car is not attracting potential mating partners. Perhaps he needs to park in crowded cities and a Prius c would have been more profitable for him. It sounds as if he resents not shifting, since there is a good chance he is not paying to repair a transmission, a transmission with very few moving parts is not all that exciting to him, and he misses the jerk of shifting. His 'feelings' were not met by the car he was assigned. I totally understand.

    I just do not think it has as much to do with the car as it does with his situation.
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    who are you really? are you jeremy clarkson???:p
     
  15. MarcSmith

    MarcSmith Active Member

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    I am a bit "upset" about my 2010 prius milage, but its is the dead of winter here in DC, so I can't expect 50-60mpg.

    Does the interior have a somewhat "cheapy" feel to it... yeah, but no more than the chevy it replaced for a comparable dollar amount.

    Do I really have to kick the hamster into high gear to get the car moving...yeah, but no more more than the chevy it replaced at a comparable dollar amount.

    Will I enjoy an 8 hour drive in the prius...probably about as much as my chevy...

    Will I enjoy getting 40+ MPG ALL the time... Absolutely.

    The car will never replace my 94 impala SS nor will it ever replace a 3/4 ton pickup truck, or a top of the line lexus.

    IMO the prius is more "appliance" in nature...
     
  16. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    The thing that doesn't ring true is that most UK company cars these days are not allocated. Twenty years ago that was the case, usually Ford, Vauxhall (GM) or Rover. But now you are usually allocated a monthly amount for the lease, say junior staff are given bandings of upto £250 pm, then £250 - £400 etc. Bit more complicated than that as there are tax issues and hybrids often have benefits here - better allowances and no road tax.

    So to be unhappy at having a Prius forced on them but then returning it in the same day, just doesn't ring true. The paperwork and tax issues would be complicated and I can't see any boss allowing the messing around. Also, the company car you get is usually yours for upto 3 years. You'd make sure you chose carefully and test drove the car you'd have for some time.
     
  17. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    The noise the OP is referring to is the engine revving it's nuts off when giving it full gas. If the engine is always noisy then he's driving it in the red power band on the HSD all the time where the valve timings change and the boost circuits come into play and he's obviously going to get poor mpgs.
    My Prius+ (V) is always quiet as I rarely put it in the red power band on the HSD, if I Push it to the top of the green I can accelerate briskly enough to keep up with traffic without it getting noisy.
    The only time I floor it is to get out of tricky junctions and within seconds I'm backing off the gas as it gets up to speed.
     
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  18. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    The Ferrari F430 I drove this past weekend was super noisy and got lousy mileage. Guess it is a terrible car...
     
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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    please take your poisonous venom to the diesal boards.:)
     
  20. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    Probably red too....I don't like red cars....especially red cars from Italy
     
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  21. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Indeed it was. The other Italian car wasn't red, and it was much quieter inside too.

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