hevster1
Vendor
Miscrms, A diesel is a better choice for 95% because of several factors.
1. Towing ability. Not recommended with a hybrid. Diesels tow quite well.
2. Real world performance and economy. A hybrid when pushed has its fuel mileage go down the toilet and its emissions go up simply because the engine is running at high rpm all the time. Considering I get passed by them all the time when I am doing 75 there are many drivers out there who could care less. When I worked on them at the dealership I saw several cases where the car only did about 30-35mpg due to driving habits. The majority averaged 42-45 which is only slightly better than my 98 NB.
3. Repairability/simplicity. Contrary to popular belief, while Toyota products are reliable they do occasionally have problems. You pretty much have to take a Prius to the dealership to get it repaired. The data list alone is quite intimidating. The tech info line has deteriorated so much over the years I stopped calling it as it was a waste of time. I always was amazed at the "let us know when you find the problem line". The people manning tech line were database checkers.
4. Eventual repair cost. Granted most people only hold onto cars for a few years. Eventually once the Prius gets past the 100k mark and the warranty expires repair costs have the potential to eat into the mileage. The same can be said about my NB. However in comparison to a Japanese diesel who knows.
5. Manual transmission availability. Personal preference here but I don't like CVT's. Ok I concede that most Americans like automatics. It is nice to have a choice though.
6. Price. I have never seen a new gen 2 prius go for less than 30-35k and that was in 05. Like it or not that is far more than a diesel pd went for.
7. Driveability. I never liked them. Neither did about 95% of the people who test drove them. They bought them first because it made them feel good inside and now because of fuel costs. They would much rather drive a conventional car which gets great mileage.
8. Hybrids in other vehicles such as a Highlander do not get the same potential mileage as a diesel. Why do you think Honda dropped the Accord Hybrid for a diesel?
9.Longevity. A Prius engine, is set up to charge the batteries and provide boost. It can and will run at high RPM at any given point in time. Granted it is a Toyota product and is an Atkinson cycle engine. However it is quite similar to the Echo/Tercel/Yaris engine. Even with proper maintenance many of these were worn out at 100-150k. Time will tell if the Prius engines will need overhauls at that mileage or even at 200k. The diesels have a big advantage here.
10. Fuel flexibility. With relatively minor changes a diesel can run on bio fuels. Though I don't recommend it some run on WVO as you know. A Prius runs on regular gas. E-85 can freak the system out.
11. More electronic parts to fail. Again, Toyota does have a great record here but they have had ecm issues including full failures which, if out of warranty can cost the customer thousands.
I am sure that there are more reasons that others can think of.
You can argue all you want about climate change and emissions. Don't believe everything you hear or read. Al Gore is a politician remember.
Bunnies and trees do not come out of ANY tailpipe period.
Yes you can set a Prius into diagnostic mode which runs the engine constantly. It is still not meant for a dyno test.
I am now and always will be a Toyota man. I will not buy a hybrid.
1. Towing ability. Not recommended with a hybrid. Diesels tow quite well.
2. Real world performance and economy. A hybrid when pushed has its fuel mileage go down the toilet and its emissions go up simply because the engine is running at high rpm all the time. Considering I get passed by them all the time when I am doing 75 there are many drivers out there who could care less. When I worked on them at the dealership I saw several cases where the car only did about 30-35mpg due to driving habits. The majority averaged 42-45 which is only slightly better than my 98 NB.
3. Repairability/simplicity. Contrary to popular belief, while Toyota products are reliable they do occasionally have problems. You pretty much have to take a Prius to the dealership to get it repaired. The data list alone is quite intimidating. The tech info line has deteriorated so much over the years I stopped calling it as it was a waste of time. I always was amazed at the "let us know when you find the problem line". The people manning tech line were database checkers.
4. Eventual repair cost. Granted most people only hold onto cars for a few years. Eventually once the Prius gets past the 100k mark and the warranty expires repair costs have the potential to eat into the mileage. The same can be said about my NB. However in comparison to a Japanese diesel who knows.
5. Manual transmission availability. Personal preference here but I don't like CVT's. Ok I concede that most Americans like automatics. It is nice to have a choice though.
6. Price. I have never seen a new gen 2 prius go for less than 30-35k and that was in 05. Like it or not that is far more than a diesel pd went for.
7. Driveability. I never liked them. Neither did about 95% of the people who test drove them. They bought them first because it made them feel good inside and now because of fuel costs. They would much rather drive a conventional car which gets great mileage.
8. Hybrids in other vehicles such as a Highlander do not get the same potential mileage as a diesel. Why do you think Honda dropped the Accord Hybrid for a diesel?
9.Longevity. A Prius engine, is set up to charge the batteries and provide boost. It can and will run at high RPM at any given point in time. Granted it is a Toyota product and is an Atkinson cycle engine. However it is quite similar to the Echo/Tercel/Yaris engine. Even with proper maintenance many of these were worn out at 100-150k. Time will tell if the Prius engines will need overhauls at that mileage or even at 200k. The diesels have a big advantage here.
10. Fuel flexibility. With relatively minor changes a diesel can run on bio fuels. Though I don't recommend it some run on WVO as you know. A Prius runs on regular gas. E-85 can freak the system out.
11. More electronic parts to fail. Again, Toyota does have a great record here but they have had ecm issues including full failures which, if out of warranty can cost the customer thousands.
I am sure that there are more reasons that others can think of.
You can argue all you want about climate change and emissions. Don't believe everything you hear or read. Al Gore is a politician remember.
Bunnies and trees do not come out of ANY tailpipe period.
Yes you can set a Prius into diagnostic mode which runs the engine constantly. It is still not meant for a dyno test.
I am now and always will be a Toyota man. I will not buy a hybrid.
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