So what are you paying for gasoline?

[Nowhere]

Am I getting a right impression from posts above that gasoline in US & Canada has somewhat low Octane number? Here 95 is minimum you can buy...

[Tjalfe]

Originally posted by Nowhere
Am I getting a right impression from posts above that gasoline in US & Canada has somewhat low Octane number? Here 95 is minimum you can buy...

here it ranges from 87 to 94, BUT it is calculated in a different way.. can't remember details, but it was mentioned in Chemistry class a few years back..

[KeiFront]

Sorry it seem that prices gone up again it's 1.227€ a liter 5.57364033 USD per gallon.

http://forums.murc.ws/showthread.php...5&pagenumber=2

[Wombat]

Originally posted by Nowhere
Am I getting a right impression from posts above that gasoline in US & Canada has somewhat low Octane number? Here 95 is minimum you can buy...

Yeah, it's got to be a different system. I think the US uses (R+O)/2

In the US, finding 97 octane gas is very hard, as anything that high or in the 100's is pretty much just for racing.

[Byock]

I agree that electric and hybrid would be a hard sell here in the US. I love my SUV, and I love my V8 Mustang.

Here in Utah, small cars would be a REALLY hard sell, with tons of family's with 7+ kids, that just doesn't work.

[Wombat]

We'll see. I heard an ad on the radio for the Ford Escape hybrid.

[Brian Ellis]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/112_031120_coy/

Motor Trend (a distinctly sports-oriented mag) awarded the Prius its 2004 Car of the Year Award from the following models: Acura TL, Acura TSX, Audi A8 L, BMW 5 Series, BMW Z4, Cadillac XLR, Chevrolet Malibu and Maxx, Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler Crossfire, Ford Freestar, Jaguar XJ8/XJR, Mazda RX-8, Mitsubishi Galant, Mitsubishi Lancer/Ralliart/Evolution, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Grand Prix, Pontiac GTO, Scion xA, Scion xB, Subaru Impreza/WRX/STi, Suzuki Verona, Toyota Camry Solara, Toyota Prius, Toyota Sienna, and the Volkswagen Phaeton. As one part of their report:

After weeks of exhaustive testing, Motor Trend editors found the Toyota Prius to be a user-friendly gas/electric hybrid capable of delivering an impressive 60 miles per gallon in city driving. It is the first of such vehicles to move into the automotive mainstream, with performance, style and quality. Spacious enough to be classified as a midsize sedan, the Prius' futuristic bodywork, innovative Hybrid Synergy Drive, pleasing interior and five-door hatchback design, clearly placed it above the competition.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/2003/article/0,18881,536469,00.html

Toyota Prius
Grand Award Winner


Toyota
The 2004 Prius is a far more technologically advanced automobile than its predecessor, with a new hybrid drivetrain that provides more power with even better fuel economy. Toyota achieved 55 mpg in this larger, heavier Prius by using better aerodynamics and a more efficient regenerative braking system, which transfers the car's kinetic energy into battery power as it slows down. Peak electric power is up by 50 percent and is pushed through a continuously variable transmission. The car won't win many drag races, but it can keep up with other midsize sedans.

More important, it may be the first car to convince Americans that hybrid technology has arrived, its benefits are profound, and its drawbacks almost nil.

As for the Smart, it is a toy, not a car. Try transporting 2 adults, 2 kids and family baggage in one. Even if you managed to squeeze them all inside, the engine would stall in first gear at the first hill.

Believe me, if the Prius were sold in this country, I'd be number 1 to buy one.

[VJ]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
As for the Smart, it is a toy, not a car. Try transporting 2 adults, 2 kids and family baggage in one. Even if you managed to squeeze them all inside, the engine would stall in first gear at the first hill.

There actually isn't a back seat, so you can only transport 2 people (driver included). Despite this fact, you see quite a number of smarts driving around (then again: we have no hills )... I believe in Germany (Az ?), there are cheaper parking spaces for smarts (as they take up less space). Here in Belgium however, you don't get any advantages to the car, so IMO, there are other similarly priced small cars that are more practical.

Believe me, if the Prius were sold in this country, I'd be number 1 to buy one.

I would also consider it (seems like the ultimate gadget ). But at € 27.000, is not cheap. Still, the government provides financial support when buying a car with a low fuel consumption (and the prius is one of the top available here). Also, the fact that Toyota offers a 8 or 10 year (I forgot) warranty is also a selling point... But despite all this, I believe last year only 4 Prius were sold in Belgium...


Jörg

[az]

I don't know about other cities, but here I haven't seen cheaper parking spaces for small cars - and the smart is hideously expensive for what it offers anyway. People buy it as a gadget, it is really only useful for singles (and even then, you can't fit four friends and drive to a party, or whatever).

The warranty on the Prius is 8 years on all hybrid parts (including the battery) and 3 years for the rest, btw.

AZ

[bsdgeek]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-02-03-hybridmileage_x.htm

Toyota has been racking up complaints from owners beefing about not hitting the 51 mph highway/60 mpg city mileage advertised for its Prius hybrid. Low- to mid-40s is closer to reality.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/051804G.html

However, data from Consumer Reports' extensive road tests suggest that the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius averaged well under 60 percent of the EPA's reported miles per gallon when operating on city streets.

http://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news26/

Consumer Reports magazine reported earlier this month that actual gasoline mileage was 20 percent to 25 percent lower for the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid under test-track conditions than what the Environmental Protection Agency reported after laboratory-based testing. The EPA rated the 2004 Prius at 55 miles per gallon, the Honda Civic hybrid at 47.5 mpg. Consumer Reports' tests, however, showed the Prius gets 44 mpg and the Honda Civic hybrid 36.

[Tjalfe]

I guess my car is not too far off these real world tests on the hybrids. I usually get around 700KM/tank of ~60 liters .. and that is with a 3.4L V6

[gt40]

I've routinely gotten over 500km on 50L on my 5.0 L Mustang (with the stock motor ), but it helps if your motor is only doing 2000 rpm at 120km/hr.

[Brian Ellis]

http://motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_04_coy_win/index.html

This is the full Prius road test report of Motor Trend. They got 60 mpg in town and 51 mpg on the highway (yeah! that's right, better milage in town! Read it and you'll find out why). So an average of 55 looks about right.

However, a heavy right foot will start eating up the fuel. There is a real understanding needed to get the best consumption out of a hybrid. For example, with a petrol motor that runs cool and intermittently, traditional heating and aircon cannot be used (they do everything to ensure that the hot water stays hot for long periods, to keep the motor warm between running periods, so that is more important than keeping the passengers warm. Heating and cooling is done with an electric aircon system. This is quite a drain on the battery, so the motor has to kick in more frequently to keep it charged. I believe that this can make up to 8 mpg difference on a very hot or very cold day, with the MAC compressor working flat out (or if the driver exaggerates his temperature requirements). This obviously makes a big difference. Equally obviously, the mileage tests are done without accessories working, by people who know how to drive a hybrid and take advantage of the quirks. Another important factor to get good mileages is with braking. The more you anticipate your need to brake and do it gently, the more the battery charges. If you wait until the last second and then brake hard, then you are relying on the friction brakes and you lose your kinetic energy as heat, and not electricity.

tjalfe: hardly! your car is giving you about 27 mpg or 8.6 l/100 km. A Prius in town is rated at <4 l/100 km or 60 mpg.

[gt40]

Again, they are quoting EPA numbers.
These numbers and reality are mutually exclusive.

[az]

I read somewhere that Toyota wanted to advertise lower numbers, but they weren't allowed, because they had to report the numbers gained from the EPA tests.

AZ