This is of interest to me for two reasons. First off, the Toyota Prius is a great example of how to make a car with exquisite fuel economy coupled with technology no other car maker seems even interested in using. Secondly, Toyota is managing to make the upcoming Prius model bigger, more powerful and with better fuel economy and it's likely going to be the car which replaces my aging Pontiac Grand Prix.
The idea of the exact same Prius that currently gets around 45-50 miles per gallon having more power and even better gas mileage is perplexing to me because current gas-only cars seem to think that it's some grand accomplishment that they can eek out almost 30 miles per gallon. Well, auto makers of the stone-age, only Fred Flintstone would be impressed with that but I, naive fools, am not from Bedrock.
I have to wonder where the former great American innovation has gone. Where are the dreamers who sent our astronauts to the moon? How soon before Toyota pushes the 100 mpg barrier? How long before they come up with viable and affordable technology that is gas-free? Why do the "big 3" automakers seemingly refuse to try anything new and are they firmly in the pockets of big oil? Come on, anything's possible.
7 comments:
There are tons of anecdotal reports of people with regular cars that inexplicably got upwards of 60 miles per gallon.
These were mostly huge boats and stationwagons.
I wouldn't have believed it myself but I had a 1986 grand marquis V8 that made it almost 1000 miles on one tank of gas. I thought the gauge was broken so I kept filling up every 250 miles and the thing would only take a couple of gallons. I'm not sure if my car was a fluke or an accidental escapee from some experimental program.
I'm convinced that these little 21st century cars getting only 30mpg is a total scam.
"The idea of the exact same Prius that currently gets around 45-50 miles per gallon"
I suggest you talk privately with other prious owners about those mileage claims. Toyota seems to be high some 10 or 15......
Let me know how that does when the snow gets two feet deep.:)
It's a good "niche" car and that's all it is.
I can say that my oldish Pontiac Grand Prix gets about 375 miles per tank -- that boils down to approximately 27 miles per gallon. And that's for a car that's paid for. The hype surrounding all the new cars that get a whopping 31-33 MPG is crazy. My car is 14 years old and it pisses me off that things haven't advanced to something far better. Would we accept a computer that performs only 25% better than in 1994? At that rate, computer processors would clock in at less than 100 mhz.
As for the snow, it's not a worry because our highways and streets get plowed and I rarely take my car offroading in January.
I've always said "Give them a free set of golf clubs, and they'll buy $10,000 worth of golf balls eventually.. The point being- car makers don't get rich making great cars that never wear out, and oil companies don't get rich supporting cars that don't use alot of gas..
I think the Prius is an awesome little car. I'm a modern technology-laden car lover though--the more gadgets the better. I bet your gas milage will be just fine and you'll be very happy with it and that's what really matters. I have to listen to the hype about my "gas guzzling" SUV, but it's the coolest car I've ever had, it goes great in the crappy weather, and it meets all of my needs--especially since I travel so much. I knew I was going to be getting 20mpg going into it and it's worth every penny to me. So I say get what makes YOU happy. :)
Congrats on the future littleSornie! :)
--snow
We just got a new Passat. It's great.
Both the wife and I are tall and those small cars just hurt our backs.
I just happened upon this and had to share the idea that works in Denmark for wind power to generate electricity and how a mere 20% of the total demand (all generated via wind) would power each and every vehicle if the fleet were all plug-in electrics.
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