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Prius or TCH for long Highway drive ??? good and bad

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by febz, Oct 1, 2012.

  1. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    In the late 70's, Honda did try to "out IL" the IL4 competition by creating a one liter IL6 known as the CBX. It was their last hoo-rah with In-line engine config for many years. That bike has a cult like following. I owned a 79 that made the sweetest music (sounds like a Ferrari) but an evil handler.

    The V4 was best know for it's inherent mass centralization over the IL design. This is very important for handling; the more you can center the mass along the three axis of rotation the quicker it will handle, accelerate and stop. The IL4's of the time were wide due to limitations on cylinder spacing because they relied on air-cooling. The new V4 was water-cooled which added weight and complexity but the higher power output, reliability, and better emissions easily outweighed the cons. Currently, Honda sells an 800 and 1200cc version.

    Nowadays, the IL4 is back in their performance bike line. Along with numerous design improvements, they are now water-cooled (since the later 80's) so widths are much narrower greatly improving handling. Another big reason IL4's never died, they are much cheaper to produce with only one cylinder head, one set of cams, one set of cam drives, etc. over a V.

    Another interesting note on width and the MotoGP race bikes, engine configuration is no longer the determining factor on the bikes width. Rather it is radiator size. The normally aspirated motors are putting out over 300HP/liter so they are producing an incredible amount of BTU's that need to be shed.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I would go with the TCH for highway comfort. I assume you'll be looking at a 1G TCH? (187hp net). If you're ok with a smaller trunk, it will serve you well (the right seat still folds for a small pass through). It's much quieter and smoother than the Prius.
     
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    Not sure what the OP's looking for but the '12+ TCH has better mileage and more power.

    If my Prius were to get stolen or totaled, I myself would have a hard time picking between a regular Prius (liftback) and the '12 HyCam. I miss having more power.

    But yeah, the '13 FFH looks like a strong contender when it ships. It's got pretty nice styling and getting a very impressive 47 mpg combined but w/less power (188 hp?) than the '12 TCH.
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    But it's also lighter than before (though I don't know if it's lighter than the TCH-II).
     
  5. rebenson

    rebenson Member

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    Between the two cars you mentioned, Prius and the new Camry, i think either are great options. As for the driving in CHICAGO winters... I have done my share.

    150 miles is a LONG commute. I drove 84 miles from O'Hare area to Lansing IL. about 3 miles non Highway. Unfortunately it was pre-prius... I drove a 1997 Ford Taurus and upgraded to 2002 Mercury Sable (top of line).
    I would rate the drive equal to the Prius. Can't fairly compare to Camry...

    For you, 1st thing I would recommend is going and driving the two vehicles in similiar type of roads.

    As for me, I would choose the Prius between the two vehicles. I like the hatchback and all the technology that came with mine. I really like the sun roof, just venting.

    If you are interesting in driving to improve mpg, the compressor is your worst enemy. in winter the defroster is impacts the fuel economy as much as a/c in summer (in my opinion). Of course "SNOW" and heavy rain... isn't to bad.. And since you drive in CHicago, having a hybrid is great when you run into heavy traffic (stop go).. Just look at the mpg and how it improves as your stuck... Brings a great big smile on my face... :)

    If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me... Good luck with your decision... And drive careful out there...
     
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I drive 100-150miles a day and the Prius works fine for me (6'3") but the Softex seats would have been nice. As stated earlier, for max mpg go with the Prius. For comfort and power go with the Camry. Either will do fine in the snow as long as you use the proper tires. All-season tires are not good enough for any regular car IMO.

    While not great for snow, the Energy Saver A/S is very co for table and is the most fuel efficient tire we know of in North America. Purchase a set of winter wheels with snow tires and you'll be set.
     
  7. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    The Prius was a very easy choice over the Camry Hybrid for us in late 2009 for the following reasons
    • The Prius had a much better feeling of connection to the road
    • My wife got car sick on long runs in the Camry but not in the Prius (firmer suspension helps)
    • The Prius had more usable and versatile storage space
    • The Camry was not nearly as fuel efficient
    • While the Camry had a plusher ride, was quieter had more comfortable seats and was more powerful, the Prius was also fine in each of these respects.
    I agree with the suggestion to rent first. A few 150 mile commutes in each car will tell you a lot about which is best for you.

    If its close and you would pick the Prius if it had less road noise or better isolation from bumps in the road, I would get it and immediately change the tires. Our recent change from OEM Bridgestone Ecopia to Michelin Primacy tires made a huge improvement.
     
  8. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^
    OP should keep in mind that '12 HyCam has undergone significant changes vs. the previous gen (e.g. more power, bigger trunk, better FE, totally different interior, etc.)
     
  9. mjones12

    mjones12 Member

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    I've had both and used both for an 80-mile round trip daily. The 07 Camry got about 43 mpg based on the tank average. In the 2012 Prius I get between 59 and 64 mpg, driving at 55 (haven't driven it in winter yet). To me, the Camry was slightly more confortable with a slightly better ride, but having experienced the Prius, I would not want to go back. The Camry went 129,000 miles with nothing other than routine maintenance. I'm hoping the Prius will be equally reliable. Really, the only comfort issue for me in the Prius is that the driver's left arm rest is too low for my elbow to reach it.
     
  10. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    The OP should also consider the luxury version of the Prius, the Lexus 200h. Smoother ride, better sound proofing, but 10-15% less MPG (comparable to the new Camry Hybrid) due to more weight.

    JeffD
     
  11. tach18k

    tach18k Member

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    The difference is price vs MPG, The total expense over a month, gas, insurance and payment. I like my Prius, but coming from a full size truck, big difference is comfort. I drive 90 miles a day round trip, 60 miles hwy and the rest is side streets, to me I get better mileage on the streets than the hwy. The Cam is more comforable I'm guessing. I get about 47-49mpg real figures.
     
  12. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    We drive our Prius in winter when temps consistently stay in the -10F to 20F band; on compacted snow, crossing iced over bodies of water [rivers / lakes], as well as salted pavement which has slush. MPG does drop maybe 5 to 8 during the winter as compared to summer. Some of that is also due to the different fuel mixture sold in the winter months.
     
  13. kswebb1

    kswebb1 Junior Member

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    I drive to Cleveland each day 160 miles round trip.I went from a 2005 Avalon XLS to my Prius and have never looked back.I love the gas milage and the seats are comfortable to me.The thing that supprized me about the Prius was the interior room.I thought it would be smaller until I drove one.I also like how seamlessly the hybrid system works.I test drove a Sonota
    Hybrid and you couldn't pay me to drive one with the surging at 35 mph.

    Haven't drove the new Camry hybrid but like many have said you are Probibly gonna need to drive one and decide if you need or want a bigger car that gets slightly worse gas milage.My Avalon gets 28-30 mpg versus 52-54 for my Prius which means I would have burnt 9000 dollars more in gas over the life of the car.