Prius rental
Robert J. Wilson
adding a new Prius, the hybrid-electric car, to their rental pool. It
had 17 miles on and though a little pricey, $37/day, I really wanted to
try an extended test drive and I'm still smiling!
Except for "tightening up" when braking, it handles as well if not
better than any automatic car. The gas engine turns off when stopped.
Pulling out, the electric motor has plenty of power and within 5-10
feet, the gas engine is running and smoothly adding power.
The CV transmission uses a planetary gear system and has no noticable
shift points. So when the light changes, everyone pulls out about even
but the Prius starts pulling away with the engine just as the other cars
are going through their gears.
The regenerative brakes start normally but within a second, the
generator function makes the brakes more effective . . . almost like
they are grabbing but it doesn't grab harder. As I've driven the car,
I've quickly adapted to lightening the pedal pressure as needed.
Anti-lock brakes would make sense for inexperienced drivers.
Tonight, I'm going on my Brindlee Mountain climb test I'll also try a
couple of emergency stops.
Fuel ecconomy is terrific. Last night and this morning coming into work,
I drove it "softly" and it report 47 mgp. During the day I drove the car
normally with AC and it reported 42 mpg.
The front seats don't feel cramped like the Corolla. However, the seat
feels a little firm. All in all, a practical little car.
Bob Wilson
Robert J. Wilson
> On Fri, 09 Feb 2001 04:42:11 GMT, bwils...@hotmail.com (Robert J.
> Wilson) wrote:
>
> >Last night, I brought our Camary to Bill Penny's Toyota and they were
> >adding a new Prius, the hybrid-electric car, to their rental pool. It
> >had 17 miles on and though a little pricey, $37/day, I really wanted to
> >try an extended test drive and I'm still smiling!
> >.......
> >Fuel ecconomy is terrific. Last night and this morning coming into work,
> >I drove it "softly" and it report 47 mgp. During the day I drove the car
> >normally with AC and it reported 42 mpg.
> ......
> >Bob Wilson
>
>
> I'd love to drive one of those things. But, I believe the super gas
> mileage is misleading since mileage costs must include replacing the
> batteries and they are very expensive.
If you've got $40 to burn, call Bill Penny Toyota, 256-562-0155, and let
them know you want to rent the Prius. A one day rental is a terrific way
to really test a car compared to the usual "test drive."
BTW, the Brindlee Mountain climb started at 65 mph at the right arrow
sign at the bottom and finished at 80 mph at the top. The battery
indicator went down to ~30% charge at the crest. It might not be the car
of choice for West Virginia. However, by the time I got back down to
gasoline alley, the battery showed a full charge. I sure wish I'd had a
temperature sensor on the battery pack.
BTW, the battery bus runs at 270 V so it is not something for the
shade-tree mechanic. I suspect we'll hear about a Toyota electricution
in a year or so.
> I noticed you said, <reported>? Does that means there's an indicator
> showing mpg? I don't believe true gas consumption can be made unless
> it's based on average consumption and that is calculated at fill up
> time. I get about 28 mpg on my Toyota Camry XLE but I'd bet instant
> reading mpg on the road would be closer to 35 to 40 mpg.
I agree and am looking foreward to the fill-up. The Prius does have a
nice "status" display but like you, I'll believe it when it is able to
"predict" the amount of fuel I have to add to the tank. On my Dad's
Cadilac, the mpg indicator was more useful as a "driver feedback" tool.
Bob Wilson
David Kelly
>
> > I noticed you said, <reported>? Does that means there's an indicator
> > showing mpg? I don't believe true gas consumption can be made unless
> > it's based on average consumption and that is calculated at fill up
> > time. I get about 28 mpg on my Toyota Camry XLE but I'd bet instant
> > reading mpg on the road would be closer to 35 to 40 mpg.
>
> I agree and am looking foreward to the fill-up. The Prius does have a
> nice "status" display but like you, I'll believe it when it is able to
> "predict" the amount of fuel I have to add to the tank. On my Dad's
> Cadilac, the mpg indicator was more useful as a "driver feedback" tool.
My 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS's MPG meter is pretty accurate. Within 2 MPG
on 400+ mile non-stop tanks. And guestimating around town its probably
better than that, its hard to say.
18 miles each way to/from work, few traffic lights, the last 3 tanks
have been 25.2, 25.2, and 25.4, measured at the pump. 400 miles due
north this Christmas was 26.6. That sucked. First and last time I put
Exxon in the car. Shell produced 30.5 on the return trip. Previous 400
mile trips were 32 with Shell or Texaco, dash computer was showing 30.
Have observed it would be very easy to get much worse mileage out of the
Avalon.
Its a land yacht of a car. Previous car was an Infiniti G20 which did 27
around town, and high 30's on the same 400 mile trips. 42 MPG was my
record for a 498 mile tank of gas. It too didn't like the local Exxon
gas.
Tried about 5 tanks of the 92 or 93 octane Shell. Never could measure or
tell the difference. So all of the above are 87 octane.
Robert J. Wilson
> On Fri, 09 Feb 2001 04:42:11 GMT, bwils...@hotmail.com (Robert J.
> Wilson) wrote:
>
> >Last night, I brought our Camary to Bill Penny's Toyota and they were
> >adding a new Prius, the hybrid-electric car, to their rental pool. It
> >had 17 miles on and though a little pricey, $37/day, I really wanted to
> >try an extended test drive and I'm still smiling!
> >.......
> >Fuel ecconomy is terrific. Last night and this morning coming into work,
> >I drove it "softly" and it report 47 mgp. During the day I drove the car
> >normally with AC and it reported 42 mpg.
> ......
> >Bob Wilson
>
>
> I'd love to drive one of those things. But, I believe the super gas
> mileage is misleading since mileage costs must include replacing the
> batteries and they are very expensive.
>
> I noticed you said, <reported>? Does that means there's an indicator
> showing mpg? I don't believe true gas consumption can be made unless
> it's based on average consumption and that is calculated at fill up
> time. I get about 28 mpg on my Toyota Camry XLE but I'd bet instant
> reading mpg on the road would be closer to 35 to 40 mpg.
I turned in the Prius and here are the disappointing results:
187 miles / 5.5 gal = 34.0 mpg
tripmeter 181 miles -> 41.7 mpg
Toyota claims: 52 mpg city, 45 mpg highway
This was a new Prius with 17 miles on the electronic odometer when I
pulled out. I topped off the tank at the gas station just across the
street from Bill Penny's.
The handling was fine and my wife had no problem with the brakes. In
fact, she thought they were better than our Camary.
Except for the Brindley Mountain climb test, I drove the car normally
without trying to "baby it" or horse it around. If the energy recovery
and management technology worked, it should not have required special
driving instructions and there weren't any in the owner's guide.
My wife reported driving on "B" during the rain to my work which I
understand should be used when going down hills. I'd hate to think she
forced the little car to drive against its own brakes but that doesn't
explain the ~1.4 gallons of unexpected fuel consumption.
I've sent an e-mail note to Toyota describing what happened and we'll
see what they say.
Bob Wilson