I bought a Prius back in February. I hijacked this thread:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151910

so I could tell people about it. I am still keeping the Explorer, although I haven't driven it for awhile, with the price of our gas in Nor Cal (about $3.20 for 87 octane).

I'm getting about 45 -46 mpg with about 3300 miles on the car.

i got to tell someone and this is probably the thread...a couple months back i went up to big bear and wound up racing a prius up the hill...i was going pretty good, let's just say it was all i could do not to break tire traction with the asphalt and that dam prius was right beside me all the way...i know they are suppose to get good gas milage but they got some scoot in them too...

A guy in a 1st gen Explorer tried to race me from a stoplight a couple of weeks ago - I beat him easily - the Prius has a lot of torque from the electric motor and it weighs about 1200 lbs less than a 4wd Explorer.

1200 pounds? wow...i forgot to mention they had a passenger and my co-pilot weighs 4 1/2 pounds, lmao...i am impressed on how quick they move for a hybrid...does the racing them make a hell of a difference on the fuel, like half the milage?

A neighbor of mine has an older model Prius. He gave me a ride in it a few times. It's hard to tell how it drove since I was only the passenger. He is very happy with it. I guess the Prius will have a lot of competition with all of the new hybrids hitting the market.

1200 pounds? wow...i forgot to mention they had a passenger and my co-pilot weighs 4 1/2 pounds, lmao...i am impressed on how quick they move for a hybrid...does the racing them make a hell of a difference on the fuel, like half the milage?

The car has an instantaneous fuel gauge on the MFD (multi function display) , so you can see the results of racing. If I start accelerating hard, the mpg will drop, but it comes back up as soon as you let up the accelerator. It also keeps the average mpg from each tank. When I start driving hard, the average mpg will dip down to about 40. If I drive carefully, I can get the average above 48.

The worst mileage that I have gotten so far was going from my house (~250 ft above sea level) to So. Tahoe ski area (Sierra at Tahoe ~ 6800 ft above sea level) I got 38 mpg according to the MFD for the 100 mi uphill. On the way back, I got over 100 mpg for about 20 min of downhill. For the 200 mi trip, my average was 48 mpg.

wow, now if they could do something with the f-250's i would be set....

I get an average of 48-60 miles on $20 worth of gas which is what it costs on an average week. So I get about 7-9 MPG (8 average).

thats what i get in my 250's, 10 mpg city 11 hwy...thats why i drive my ranger now....

A neighbor of mine has an older model Prius. He gave me a ride in it a few times. It's hard to tell how it drove since I was only the passenger. He is very happy with it. I guess the Prius will have a lot of competition with all of the new hybrids hitting the market.

I had a co-worker (now ex-co-worker) that had the older model (called the Classic Prius on priuschat.com). I didn't have enough headroom in the passenger seat in his car. I rode in it a couple of times.

I actually think the older ones are better looking, but the newer models (2004 - 07) are roomier and actually get better mileage.

I have a 2nd Gen Explorer and a 2nd Gen Prius. ;)

Yep, it seems like almost every company has plans to bring out a hybrid. Toyota plans to have a hybrid model for each major vehicle type. They already have a Camry Hybrid, a Highlander Hybrid, and a couple of Lexus Hybrids. They are all based on the HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive aka THSII) similar to the Prius.

Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids are also based on the same design concept but use Ford designed powertrain, IIRC.

i actually have seen most of those tested on the freeways out in l.a. i think ucla test them ...thanks to toyota being such a hot seller, others are jumping on the bandwagon..if i'm not mistaken, ford is actually using the patented toyota engineering and i think they are like leasing the info...i seen something about it, especially when it comes to the escape hybrid...

I do not own a hybrid but I do infact own a hyyoowww the hell did it just cost me $10.00 in gas to go to the video store and back.
5.0 + 33x12.5 = empty wallet... no jive

Our gas was $2.68/gal when I bought the car; now its about $3.15 - $3.30/gal. The Explorer was getting about 230 - 240 miles per tank (about 15.5 -16 gal refill). With the Prius, I'm driving about 350 - 400 miles and then filling with about 7 -8 gals.

The Prius has an inner "bladder" inside the fuel tank to prevent gas fumes from forming and escaping (its part of the AT-PZEV emission system). The bladder makes it difficult to get the same amount of gas in every fill up. So, its actually more accurate to use the MFD to get the mpg.

now its about $3.15 - $3.30/gal.

Wow I did not realise you guys on the left coast were paying that much more then us over here per gallon. I get my gas over in mass now for $2.89 a gallon. Not at all good, But it sure as hell is better then $3.30.
Myself I am a glutten for punishment. I bitch about gas prices but on the other hand I love my 302 powered big tire'd truck. Well I guess if I really want to save on gas I could always drive the old harley around. Well that is if the snow and rain ever ends around here.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

also http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/CAmetro.asp

I like the idea of hybrid but... that dam Pruis has to be the ugliest vehicle next to the first gen rav4s.
My plan I to get a new vw diesel jetta once out of school.
that or a grand cherokee the one with the benz diesel.
I don't see gas prices dropping anytime soon. so I'm just gonna suck it up and get 210 miles to the 16 gallon tank roaring round on 33s.

Its not as ugly on the inside. :D

Plus, it kinda grows on you after awhile.

I owned an '87 Honda CRX HF. That thing looked great and got an honest 40+ mpg in town and consistent 48+ mpg on the highway. Twice I actually got the 53 mpg it was rated EPA (but that was with very boring 50-55 mph on the highway just to see if I could actually do it). I put over 270,000 miles on that thing and I NEVER not once had to fill up its little 10 gallon tank before going at least 400 miles on it.

It wasn't hybrid and it looked good too. Too bad they can't match twenty year old technology anymore :rolleyes:

I know some of the reasons/excuses - nowadays there's so much more extraneous crap that an auto is required to have that something that light can't be made anymore - but I still think it's kinda ironic that no one can make an auto today that can compete with one made twenty years ago.

I wonder what a hybrid CRX would have gotten for MPG?

How many miles were on it when you got this kind of mileage? I've noticed that mileage decreases as the engine gets older.

I wonder what a hybrid CRX would have gotten for MPG?

I think the closest thing to the CRX is the Honda Insight which was discontinued this year. It is a hybrid, but the powertrain design is different on the Honda hybrids compared to the Toyota hybrids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight

What did the CRX weigh? I seem to recall that they weighed about 2200 lbs. The Prius weighs 2930 lbs and has more interior room than the Honda. The Prius is a little larger than a Corolla and a little smaller than a Camry with respect to interior space.

It may have dropped mpg a little by the time I retired it, but it was still 40-45. Like I said it never got below 40.

As I recall it actually weighed less than a ton. Most of the body panels were plastic. I could sit on the back bumper, slump down and grab the bottom of the bumper while I was facing backwards, and then dead lift it off the ground.... barely, but with all my strength I could do it. If I had ever gotten in an accident I would probably have been mashed like a pancake... there wasn't much to the car.

If I had ever gotten in an accident I would probably have been mashed like a pancake... there wasn't much to the car.

That is one reason that I bought the Prius to replace my former commute vehicle, a 93 Toyota Pickup. In the Pickup, my head touches the roof, my knees touch the door and the gearshift on each side, and my chest is only about 6 -7 inches from the steering wheel. No air bags, no ABS, no safety features besides a seat belt. That truck will probably last forever, but if I get in an accident with it I would likely die at the scene.

My parents have had a Hybrid Escape for a little over a year now... they were disappointed that it only gets 26 mpg on the way to Florida. Once there, however, they average 35mpg. :)

Personally, until the long-term battery issues are resolved, I'm not jumping on board (i.e. what do you do when your hybrid needs a $5000 battery change at 6 or 7 years old?? AutoZone isn't going to carry those...).

-Joe

i have noticed the new hybrids listing their city mpg noticably higher than their hwy mpg.....

Personally, until the long-term battery issues are resolved, I'm not jumping on board (i.e. what do you do when your hybrid needs a $5000 battery change at 6 or 7 years old?? AutoZone isn't going to carry those...).

-Joe


That seems to be one of the issues for most people, and I was concerned about it too, until I looked into it further. Here are some counter arguments to the battery issue:

1. Where I live (Calif) the battery warranty is 10 yrs / 150000 miles on the Prius. This is because it is considered to be part of the AT-PZEV emission equipment.

2. The battery is charged and discharged very conservatively to make sure that it is never overcharged or depleted. The HV ECU monitors battery state of charge (SOC) and battery temperature among other parameters. The system is designed to get maximum battery life (see argument 1 above) .

3. Although most of the Prius(es) don't have enough miles yet, there are some which do have high mileage (>200,000 miles) on the original battery. In particular, they are being used as taxis in Vancouver BC and some other cities and racking up the miles.

4. Currently, the cost of the battery pack for the 2nd Gen Prius is about $3k list. There are some other sources which may be a little cheaper. If the battery fails at 151,000 miles, the way I see it, I will have saved enough gas @ $3 /gal to afford another one.

5. With the amount of Prius(es) on the road in Calif, I wouldn't be surprised if Autozone starts carrying them in a few years.

I was surprised to see a Prius taxi today. It was gray, not yellow, with taxi license plates.

i have noticed the new hybrids listing their city mpg noticably higher than their hwy mpg.....

The reason that the city mpg is higher is because the electric motor and battery are used more at slower speeds. It is possible to run completely from the electric motor at speeds up to 41mph. In stop and go traffic, the gas engine (aka ICE or Internal Combustion Engine) will shut down and you don't burn any fuel until traffic starts moving again or until the battery needs to charge.

Why can't an Optima deep cycle battery replace one of the special batteries in that car? I know that the red top isn't made for deep cycling, but the yellow, and blue top could deep cycle. I've found them to be very sensitive to power surges, and overcharges. This could ruin them very quickly. Is the battery in there an AGM (absorbed glass mat) like the Optima?

They make really good taxis. I think that some taxi companies are using the Ford Escape Hybrid too.

Why can't an Optima deep cycle battery replace one of the special batteries in that car? I know that the red top isn't made for deep cycling, but the yellow, and blue top could deep cycle. I've found them to be very sensitive to power surges, and overcharges. This could ruin them very quickly. Is the battery in there an AGM (absorbed glass mat) like the Optima?

The 12V accessory battery is a AGM type battery. The HV battery is a NiMH battery pack with several cells in series to make 201.6 V. A lead acid battery would be too heavy for the HV battery.

Do you have any pictures of the battery pack? How big is it? I think it's located under the rear seat. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a new market for these batteries like car stereos, air bags, even catalytic converters (from what I've read in another recent thread). Wouldn't lithium ion technology have more output current than the nickel metal hydride batteries?

all you need to know about hybrids --> no touchy the orange wire.

seriously though, while ive yet to be in a prius, although ive been around a couple, hybrid technology in general is really amazing.
The main problem is people need to drive the vehicle with a certain hybrid mentality, wich you seem to be doing.
youd be suprized how many people complain that thier hybrid gets <22 MPG while their flooring it on the highway all day long.

I dont know about the prius battery, but i had the carpet out of an rx400h yestarday, and i was suprised how small it is. fits in the area under the rear seat

Do you have any pictures of the battery pack? How big is it? I think it's located under the rear seat. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a new market for these batteries like car stereos, air bags, even catalytic converters (from what I've read in another recent thread). Wouldn't lithium ion technology have more output current than the nickel metal hydride batteries?

Here are some pictures of the 2004 to 2007 HV battery:

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/naked/rear.jpg

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/imeter/DSC00926_s.JPG

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/imeter/DSC00917_s.JPG

HV Battery Info:

99 Pounds total
NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) type
28 Modules total
6 Cells within each Module
168 Cells total
1.2 Volts in each Cell
6.5 Ah total
201.6 Volts total

Rumors are that the next gen Prius will have a Lithium Ion battery.

We looked into a hybrid before we got our mustang. We each drive at least 70 miles per day (each vehicle) just for work and will put 200 miles on a vehicle over the weekend just going into town and back a couple times

We looked at the mileage gains and compared it to the cost difference and figured that since most of our driving is on the freeway, and the mileage of a hybird on the freeway is no better than (if not worse than) other same sized car that we wouldn't make up the difference in price before we wore out the car. We just couldn't justify paying a $5k premimum to get hybrid that doesn't get any better mileage than a honda civic (freeway) that has a $3k+ wear item that may or may not last 4 years for us (150k+ miles for us)

We have an 18 month old 2006 mustang (v6) that already has 50k miles on it (we gave up on the small car idea since 25mpg average city/highway is good enough at the time of $2.25/gallon gas).

~Mark

Maniak -- did you factor in the tax breaks for having an alternative fuel vehicle? :D

yea.. that brought the price back to almost the same as a civic.. we just couldn't get over the "new technology", expensive wear item, for almost no gain..

Of course, we got to hear of a horror story (when we were lookign) of someone having bad batteries after a 2 years and having to pay $5k for a replacement set which didn't sit well.

They are getting better, and if we lived in the city a hybrid could be a posibility, but out where we live, its 11 miles to the closest store (quickmart).. At one time the closest gas station (heading towards town) was almost 20 miles away.

~AMark

Highway mileage is still pretty good. We made a trip down south to the San Diego Zoo, Disneyland, etc. We averaged 46 mpg traveling 70 -75 mph most of the time.

My understanding is that mileage will improve as the car accumulates more miles up to about 10k. I have almost 3400 miles now.

I bought my car during the time when the tax credit was $1575, so I will get this back on my 2007 return. The tax credit was cut in half on Mar 31, so it is now $787.50 from now till June.

You really put a lot of miles on. I put about 50 miles a week on my van (all stop, and go driving). All of the local highways where I live have an average speed limit between 25-50 MPH. You have to go far out of NY to get a speed limit of about 65 MPH. Most vehicles here in NY have city mileage except for people which work in NJ. The average person doesn't own anymore. Everything is a 2 or 3 year lease. I would rather stick with an old vehicle which is mine instead of making hefty lease premiums, then have to give it back. Leasing is just like having a long term rental. They charge a fortune for over mileage.

You really put a lot of miles on. .

I'm not sure if this was directed at me or Mark, but almost everyone in Calif drives a lot. :D

My roundtrip to work and back is 24 miles a day, which is not far compared to most. Some of my former coworkers (including the guy with the Classic Prius) had about a 90 - 100 mi commute. One of my coworkers has a 120 mi commute (I've been telling her she needs to either move or get a different job for years :rolleyes: )

I tend to drive a lot on weekends, especially because my dad lives 45 miles away and he is by himself now. I try to make it up there at least every other weekend.

The mileage comment was originally for Mark, but I guess both of you put a lot of miles on. What was the most amount of mileage both of you ever put on a vehicle?

I once had a 82 Toyota Pickup that I put over 70k on in about 3 years, but it only had 99k when I sold it.

For some reason, I tend to sell them when they get over 100k. I think out of boredom, rather than mechanical issues.

I had a 72 Ford Courier during college sold with 120k after I graduated.

The 82 Toyota truck was next, sold with 99k

I bought a 89 Ranger new and kept it until 99, sold with 120k.

I bought the 97 Explorer in 99, planning to keep it for awhile, it has 116k

Getting ready to sell the 93 Toyota that actually belongs to my GF, it only has 84k.

I guess you plan on holding onto the Prius until the batteries start to get old?

I guess you plan on holding onto the Prius until the batteries start to get old?

I'm planning on testing whether the battery will outlast the warranty. :D

The explorer ('92) has the most miles.. it just cleared 350k miles this week.
The '95 dodge neon we just gave away recently had 305k miles on it.

The only other high mileage vehicles we have had were my old honda's.. my '73 had 330k miles on it when I blew the motor and my '82 accord had 220k miles on it when I gave it to my brother.

The Mustang is going to be a high mileage vehicle.. Its getting 36k miles/year (50k in 18 months).

~Mark

That is incredible! I put on about 4k a year which is nothing compared to this. It reminds me of an article a couple of years ago I was reading about a traveling salesman which had over 850k on his Mercedes. It had the original engine, but the transmission was replaced at 350k. I think he put on about 50-75k a year. There was a recent article about another person which had over a million miles,a nd his car went into a museum. The company gave him a brand new car to replace his old one for free.

I put on about 4k a year which is nothing compared to this.

My GF only drives about 4k per year. I average about 12k per year, although I'm ahead of that pace with the new car.

The ones who really put on the miles are the drivers for some of the largest coast to coast trucking companies. With a two or three person driving team, they can put on 100k in just a couple of months.

It is possible to run completely from the electric motor at speeds up to 41mph.

Yea, I've noticed the HOV lanes around here now run at about this speed.

Prius drivers get in it, and decide to run at 40mph. Get the #@$#! out of the HOV lane if your not going to do the speed limit!

California never, ever should of passed the law allowing a hybrid with a single passenger and the "sticker" into the HOV lane. I80's HOV lane is now congested because of that law; it made things WORSE in my mind, not better.

Out here (in AZ) you can't run < 45mph on a freeway (you get pulled over).. Course running 50mph in a 75 zone is insane anyway..

I have to drive <65mph (more like 60) in the big truck, and its scary when people don't notice your not doing 80mph like they are and come up on you fast.

~Mark

California never, ever should of passed the law allowing a hybrid with a single passenger and the "sticker" into the HOV lane. I80's HOV lane is now congested because of that law; it made things WORSE in my mind, not better.

They stopped issuing the stickers sometime late last year, so at least they won't continue to have more.

I have to agree with you; the HOV lanes should only be used by vehicles with 2 or more passengers.

I also agree that you should try to drive at the same speed as traffic for safety reasons. On our trip down to San Diego, I started with the CC set @ 65mph on I-5. By the time we got to Stockton I was up to 70 just to be at the lower edge of prevaling traffic. In LA, I was driving 72 -75 to keep up with traffic.

Speeds just below the 41 mph are the best for Fuel Economy in the Prius, but I find that it isn't possible to drive this speed in most situations. Even on streets marked for 40mph, most traffic is traveling about 10mph faster.

it's funny but the hybrids with the HOV stickers are worth more now than non-stickered.

it's funny but the hybrids with the HOV stickers are worth more now than non-stickered.

I was originally intending to buy a used Certified Prius (for the warranty coverage) but I found that with the tax credit, there was no price difference between a used Prius with 5k miles and a new one with the same equipment. The sticker may have factored into this.

The sticker wasn't a concern for me because I don't have any HOV lanes on my commute

In So Cal, I stayed out of the HOV lanes because the regular lanes were moving just as fast. We timed our trip to avoid commute hours through LA.

I love Ebay. Where else could you buy an Electronic Supercharger for a Prius? I can get at least 16% more HP for only $157! :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Supercharger-Turbo-TOYOTA-Prius-Paseo-Solara-T100-Truck_W0QQitemZ110115235666QQihZ001QQcategoryZ33741QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thought that I would add an update. I have over 5200 miles on the Prius and I'm now getting over 50 mpg as long as I keep the speed below 65 mph.

From other info I have read, the mileage should get better as I get more miles up to about 10k. Warmer weather helps too; we haven't reached 100°F yet this year.

I did the first oil change at the dealer; I will run dino oil until the next change @ 10k then switch to synthetic. Probably Mobil 1, but I may try AMSOil because the car only holds 3.5 qts, so the cost difference isn't all that much.

My Hybrid is a hydrogen fuel cell that i built. Just installed it. Will have a mileage report at the end of the week. See my post for video link.
1993 4x4 explorer with 186,000 miles. Hope my mileage increases. right now i get 17 miles per gallon before the hydrogen.

Barry

My Hybrid is a hydrogen fuel cell that i built. Just installed it. Will have a mileage report at the end of the week. See my post for video link.
1993 4x4 explorer with 186,000 miles. Hope my mileage increases. right now i get 17 miles per gallon before the hydrogen.

Barry

Can you add a link to the video here? I don't know where your post is.

http://www.nature-powered.com/hydro the first video is fuel cell_0003 and the second one is fuel cell part 2

Barry

According to this article, hybrid popularity is "going down hill": http://autos.aol.com/article/general/v2/_a/hybrid-lovers-the-honeymoon-may-be-over/20070719145609990001?ncid=AOLCOMMautoDYNLsec000.

According to this article, hybrid popularity is "going down hill": http://autos.aol.com/article/general/v2/_a/hybrid-lovers-the-honeymoon-may-be-over/20070719145609990001?ncid=AOLCOMMautoDYNLsec000.

That's a strange article.

Fifty percent of new vehicle shoppers surveyed said they are considering a gasoline/hybrid electric vehicle. That's down from 57 percent last year.


So, half of the people buying a new car are considering a hybrid? That means they are unpopular because it was almost 60 percent last year?

I would think that the fall off in interest is related to the price of gas coming back down (temporarily). Someone actually plotted Prius sales vs. gas prices over on PriusChat, and they track pretty consistently.

I don't know, but today on my way home from work, I was waiting at a stoplight and a guy motioned for me to roll down my window. He started asking me about my car and whether I liked it; he said he was considering buying one. He was driving a Lumina minivan and said he was getting about 18 mpg. I told him I was getting 49.6.

He isn't the first one, I have had about half a dozen complete strangers ask me how I like the car. I've also seen a lot of new ones (with the dealer logo plates) since I bought my car. They seem to be pretty popular in Northern Cal.

I had the alignment checked after the 5k service because I noticed a pull and other people have reported having alignment problems (the dealers don't check as part of the pre-delivery prep). Sure enough, the rear toe is out of spec. The dealer isn't acknowledging the problem, so I'm going to shim it myself and take it to a good alignment shop to check it out again. I'm curious what my mileage will be when I'm not dragging the RR tire around anymore.

Alignment is the only issue I've had in 8200 miles.