Bought our 07 Prius March 27....

#1: The MFD is pretty close to actual mpg...probably 1-2.5% optimistic according to what most on this site are reporting. Read the hypermiling thread for fuel economy on this site and feel free to visit www.ecomodder.com to read their hypermiling thread as well...alot of good sugestions to get you on track with mpg. Higher psi in your tires are a good start (44 on front/42 on rear).

#2: When the engine shuts down at a stop you will feel a little shaking..much like when you turn a non-hybrid off and the engine shuts down. I'm not sure about the "kerplunk" you are hearing...I have not heard that drastic of a sound when the ICE shuts down.

#3: There are many Prius that never get 50 mpg but I would chalk that up to either poor driving conditions and/or poor driving for efficiency by the operator. Keep working on your pulse and glide, pump up the tires to max psi, work on moderate acceleration, coasting to stops, timing stop lights, etc. 50 mpg should be a breeze. Again, use this site or ecomodder.com as a resource to work towards 50 mpg.

#4: It takes alot of miles before the battery needs replacing but it's environmental impact in terms of the battery is probably the only negative of the car. However, the benefits of the vehicle and it's green nature are superior compared to non-hybrids (fuel consumption, building materials, etc). Don't fall victim to the Hummer vs. Prius chatter and the like (the Hummer and most other vehicles are not more eco-friendly than the Prius when you take into account consumption, materials, emissions, etc...on any planet)!

Hope this helps...enjoy your Prius!

 

#4) Prius HV battery pack weights 99 lbs and Toyota would buy it back from you for $200 to recycle. The 23 lbs Nickel in the pack is worth more than $200. If you need to replace it out of the 10 years / 150k miles warranty, you can get a brand new one for about $2,000.... plus the labor. The price of the pack will be cheaper in 10 years!

 

MPG is influenced more by the driver and driving conditions than any other factor. My previous tank was only 44.5 mpg because of lots of short trips, a couple of days of >100°F temps and one morning of garage sale hunting (thanks to GF). My current tank is over 52 mpg because we took a trip down to SF and back (54mpg over 204 miles).

The HV battery is designed to be fully recyclable, even the plastic used in the cases of the individual cells. If your Prius detracting friend is really concerned about battery recycling, he/she should track down all of the cell phone and power tool batteries to make sure they all get recycled too.

 

Stainless steel utensils as well... They have Nickel.