Featured Why the Toyota Prius is conquering the land of Genghis Khan

That's great news. The more hybrids and plug-ins are on the road, the less pollution, and the more money people can save on gas and maintenance costs.

I liked that part in the article where they mention the guy getting calls from people who panicked and thought the engine died when they were at a stoplight.

I had that same reaction when I test drove a prius for the first time. The salesman then told me that priuses do that to conserve gas, which then made a lot of sense to me, as I hated idling at lights and in traffic jams in my Honda Civic.

After driving Priuses and now a Chevy Volt, I will never go back to a gas only car unless I absolutely have no other choice.

 

Hopefully there's a pretty strong demand for my 2011 come next week, like the demand in Mongolia.
And to Ashlem, I looked hard for a good choice (for me) in the alt vehicle space, but didn't find one. C'est la vie.

 

did anyone see this part?

They have found flaws. Steering wheel columns and electric cooling pumps break on early models (Toyota has issued recalls for both), and later models have not proven as durable. Drivers criticize the sound insulation and, in Ulan Bator, report real-world fuel economy numbers of seven to nine litres per 100 km, at least 50 per cent worse than what Toyota advertises. Rear shock absorbers give out, and batteries don’t last more than 10 years, far less if the car isn’t driven regularly (Toyota warranties new batteries for five years).

“It would be better if they improved the battery life,” says Batbold, who bought his first Prius in 2010 and opened a repair shop a year later. “In Mongolia, you have so many older models which have been running for many years. The common problem is the battery.”

Between himself, his brothers and his cousins, the family owns six Prius repair businesses.

“In terms of cost, I would definitely recommend Mongolians buy a Prius,” he said. “But in terms of reliability, it depends on the age of the car.”

 

Yes, what about it?

 

I think that the Prii are seeing rougher road conditions in terms of road surfaces in much of Mongolia.