Engineering questions comparing Prius and HCH 06

Oh, I remembered another problem with the Prius that you'll never see from test-driving it -- the gas tank basically sucks. It uses a flexible bladder that is very difficult to fill up -- from what I've heard, the first 7-8 gallons go in easily enough, sometimes 9 can be squeezed in, but then you'd have to set the pump to its slowest setting to fill up the bladder to 10 gallons, since otherwise it'll constantly click off. This despite the tank's alleged 12-gallon size. After I had driven the one I rented for about 70 miles, I literally could not add any gas to it without the pump clicking off every two seconds. I had used well over a gallon but had the pump click off 10 times when pumping half a gallon, at which point I got fed up and quit. And it was very warm at the time... I hear this problem is worse when it's cold.

The HCH, on the other hand, uses an ordinary tank and the low-fuel alarm goes off after exactly 10.2 gallons are consumed (total tank size is 12.3).

 

thanks 9G-man!... I thought this was an excellent well thought out comparison.
Honda is an excellent manufacturer... I have a Honda engine on my 3000 psi pressure washer. I can let it sit all winter and walk up to it.. flip the lever that allows gas to flow, and pull the rope "one time" and it starts!

I cannot deny Honda is an excellent competitor!
However I am used to the roomy Jeep Grand Cherekee that I own. If I am going to leave a perfectly good rig for gas mileage.....then MPG will be of prime concern!

However its not "all" about MPG!.. I am not willing to be uncomfortable without enough room and luxuries I am used to...nor am I willing to drive a piece of crap rattle trap in the name of economy..... yes I want my cake and eat it too!

The prius seems to satisfy that for me the best. And I think the only reason that the MPG is not better on the Honda, is because the engine is smaller in an attempt to get good MPG, that smaller engine backfires on them because it has to work harder?
I just think the prius is better engineered.. quite a bit better!

When I was young..... a nice man gave my dad a fleetwood catallac with a big engine in it.... it actually got "better" mpg than the other rigs we ran!
I think its better for a bigger engine to "purr" and not have to work so hard, than to take a littel engine and rap it out and overwork it and kill it with a premature death!

I suspect the longevity of the honda engine will suffer in time due to the higher rpms demanded.

 

One distinction between the Prius and HCH that no one has mentioned is that the Prius is a "true" hybrid. It can run on gas alone, electric alone, or both (or neither when coasting). As I understand it, the HCH is a gasoline car with an electric motor to assist motivation (and conserve fuel).

As far as looks are concerned, I like the looks of the Prius. In fact, I was in the market for a Matrix when I saw the 2004 Prius (not yet available) on Toyota's website. So, I held out for it, and I haven't been sorry. The new HCH is more stylish than its predecessor, which was small, boxy and conservative. So, for me it was a no-brainer. I also like the flexibility of the hatchback. During a recent move to the mountains from Denver, I used the Prius to make frequent trips, heavily laden, and surprisingly, the mileage didn't suffer much (the extra weight is an advantage on the downhills). But one of my friends thinks the Prius is butt ugly. To each his/her own. :lol:

 

I think Prius is ugly as well, but I'm buying one anyway. My current car is Vibe, which I chose over the Matrix because Matrix is way too ugly. Vibe is not exactly my taste either, but better than the Matrix. Features over style.