[anekho]

We own a Toyota Prius and it's done ~111000 kms.

1) We did NOT buy it for that environment friendly image or to get great fuel economy. My parents are huge fans of new technology and so they simply couldn't resist owning something like this!

2) The 'fun to drive' factor is relative. Although the handling is not as sharp as a similarly priced German car, and nor is it as fast, it's still an experience to drive the Prius, and an experience I enjoy! When you hit the power button you're met with almost complete silence; shift the small joystick like gear knob to 'D' and ease of the brakes.... and the car moves in utter silence. Tap the accelerator and you can feel a mild whack as they electric motor thrusts all it's torque out. Up to speeds of about 50 km/h (given the battery has enough charge) only the electric motor spins. Pick up some more clip and the petrol engine kicks in. Seamlessly. There is absolutely no jerk or vibration and besides the sound (remember it's been quiet all this while!) there is no other real indication that the petrol motor has started spinning. Works brilliantly!

Say you're cruising along on the highway (only the petrol engine running), and you need to overtake that slow moving truck ahead - step on the accelerator and along with the petrol engine, the electric motor kicks in, giving you that extra 'boost' of power for a quick and painless overtake.

The battery does not charge with plug point like the Reva. It charges up when you:
- Let go of the accelerator; ie. when the car is coasting
- Drive downhill
- Brake

To be honest the steering feedback is, well, poor. It's a typical EPS unit that's extremely comfortable around town, but you don't get that *connected* feeling. Luckily however the steering weights up a bit when you pick up speed and you feel relatively stable at higher speeds. Also, the wide stance of the car makes it feel quite planted and crosswinds don't bother it.

The car feels brisk around town and closing those small gaps will never be a issue. 0-60 acceleration is good an you'll even surprise a few people at the lights On the highway it does decently and is by no means a slouch. Keeps up well but it doesn't like being pushed further than about 135 km/h - wind and tire noise increase and the engine gets fairly audible.

3) The cabin has great ergonomics - everything falls in place and it's very easy to find a comfortable driving position. The rear seats are very comfortable and the legroom is great (really, the rear legroom is commendable!)! Feels airy and light. 4 people can travel very comfortably and 5 without much hassle. The boot is large and offers plenty of room for luggage (comparable to the Laura's boot). Materials are good - definitely steps up from Corolla/Innova but not as good as the Germans.

4) Fuel economy. On our typical driving cycle which is a split of 70% highway and 30% city we get ~21 kmpl. The car is never really driven keeping FE in mind and almost always has 4 passengers.

5) As you can probably guess we really love our Prius. Unfortunately it's become a trend to 'hate' on it online. Mostly by people who have never even driven it. Pity really! Great technology, comfortable, Toyota reliability, and FE all in one neat, modern package loaded with gizmos!

6) Buying the Prius in India is however, a whole different ball game. Being a CBU it's pricing is high. If you really love new technology and you're willing to try something different, it's a great buy - it won't leave you disappointed.

[90BHP]

Originally Posted by rangakishen

Dont know about buying. But the acceleration is really good because the car will give the rated torque (IIRC 207Nm) from 0 RPM!! Yeah that's right!! Right from stand still!!

I thought the car would have high torque figures at low RPM but didn't know it was this much ! Thanks Ranga.

Originally Posted by parsh

I am not sure if the title should be "Is it worth a buy?".

Prius among others of its nature and also Reva stand for the way forward to Green Planet in someway or the other.

While we motoring enthusiasts love revving, the concept is what matters for these cars. The concept is certainly expensive to own presently but it cannot be said if it is worth a buy. The tech will surely evolve in future to make it more affordable. Afterall, where are we going to run when we are run out of Petrol/Diesel and trees which are so precious? Being a motoring head is one thing but at the same time the value of these vehicles must be understood and atleast the effort be lauded. Even we as driving enthusiasts will have to care about the planet in whatever way we can and not just care about our driving pleasure. I also love revving my car. But when I run at 100+, 140-160, my FE goes down for a toss and still I love it. But if I could afford the green technology, wouldn't I go for it and add in small manner to help save the planet? I would.

I agree it may not be relevant to the context but, what i really wanted to understand is if anyone has ever considered going for this car. I drove an LPG for 4 years (as its a more cleaner burning fuel than petrol or diesel) on the same pretext but, then the prices of the gas are Rs. 3 short of diesel now making it highly unlikely for me to continue. The government sincerely should look at some tax cuts for these vehicles, its only going to make the world a better place to live in.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Thats not all. Step away from the accelerator pedal and the car decelerates extremely fast. Awesome engine braking. In fact it is rather regenerative braking. Driving Prius is a very different experience.

Yeah, i read about that, i also know that feature is built into the current 2010 version of the mumbai locals, it regenerates about 10-15% of the energy consumed by the train.

All in all i get most of the views & i understand people going for current practicality vs. long term sustainability but, imagine if we all could figure out how toyota is making this small changes towards a greener world and even attempt something like this, i know some of us petroheads here have the electrical background to carry this out. Even for starts if it is energy dissipated from using the brakes to run your AC rather than adding a load on your engine, wouldn't that be just one more step closer to the future.... just some food for thought i say !

[90BHP]

Originally Posted by anekho

We own a Toyota Prius and it's done ~111000 kms.

1) We did NOT buy it for that environment friendly image or to get great fuel economy. My parents are huge fans of new technology and so they simply couldn't resist owning something like this!

6) Buying the Prius in India is however, a whole different ball game. Being a CBU it's pricing is high. If you really love new technology and you're willing to try something different, it's a great buy - it won't leave you disappointed.

Your points were just spot on to the things I wished to know about the car. Please accept my sincere regards. I in my current stature may not be able to afford this car but, will never be able to take it out of my mind for the quirks it provides.

Just think about what I said in my earlier post, is it possible ?

[rangakishen]

Originally Posted by 90BHP

I thought the car would have high torque figures at low RPM but didn't know it was this much ! Thanks Ranga.

You are welcome!! It is actually because it uses the electric motor (207Nm and 60kW) for low stress driving. Under stressed conditions its a bit more complex. An electric motor doesn't behave like a petrol engine. It gives Maximum torque all the way from 0 to MAX load.

[Bomi]

Anekho, does the car battery get re-charged if one's daily commute is only 20-30 kms? Or does it run down and require to be charged through a power outlet? What is the battery life?

[Turbanator]

does the car battery get re-charged if one's daily commute is only 20-30 kms?

20-30 Km may not be enough to get the battery charged fully but it will depend on the time you drive so if you are driving in city then chances are that it will get sufficiently charged - Prius uses Gasoline engine to first charge the battery and the Car is driven by Electrical motor not by engine . Battery also gets charged when we are Braking .

Or does it run down and require to be charged through a power outlet?

Coming next year , still under trials

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is the battery life?

Very good - Toyota USA gives 8 Year Guarantee on complete hybrid system so you can imagine , besides its not very expensive surprisingly , Toyota India gave an idea of spare at around Rs 1,5 Lac but unfortunately Toyota India give only 1 or 2 year guarantee if I remember correctly .

[anekho]

Originally Posted by 90BHP

Your points were just spot on to the things I wished to know about the car. Please accept my sincere regards.

Thank you! I'm glad you liked the write up.

I'm sure you'll have and enjoy a Prius one day!

Originally Posted by Bomi

Anekho, does the car battery get re-charged if one's daily commute is only 20-30 kms? Or does it run down and require to be charged through a power outlet? What is the battery life?

The Prius is not a plug-in hybrid and hence you can't connect it to a power socket for charging.

As mentioned in my write up on this thread, the battery gets charged when you:
- Let go of the accelerator; ie. when the car is coasting
- Drive downhill
- Brake

Also, whenever the petrol engine is running it also charges the battery.

So, in essence, the Prius is constantly using and charging the battery. You never really have to worry about it. It can never *completely* drain out!

The Prius comes with a 8 year warranty (as mentioned by Turbanator) on the hybrid components (which includes the battery) in addition to the standard car warranties. On our Prius after 5 years and ~111000 kms we've had no problems at all (*touch wood*) with the Hybrid drive train.

Several Prius that have been used as taxis and have reportedly driven for over 550,000 kms without battery replacement!

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

20-30 Km may not be enough to get the battery charged fully but it will depend on the time you drive so if you are driving in city then chances are that it will get sufficiently charged - Prius uses Gasoline engine to first charge the battery and the Car is driven by Electrical motor not by engine . Battery also gets charged when we are Braking .

\\

30 kms is more than enough for the battery to be fully charged. In fact if you drive about 4-5 kms , it is enough to fully charge the battery.

[D4D]

I saw a Prius yesterday in Bangalore. It was the second time ever that I saw a Prius in India. I've seen one in Bangalore before.

It surely is a great car, but simply not worth the price. Believe me, the car has incredible potential in India, and would sell really well at ~20 lakh INR.

Will toyota manufacture it in India? Only time will tell.

[Autolock123]

In my opinion, Hybrid has more potential in more developed and matured markets. India market is slowly getting there. Honda had launched Civic hybrid in India however, in 2008, it slashed the prices by 8 lakhs, the biggest price cut seen in Indian market and was available for Rs 13.36 lakh compared to its launch price of Rs 21.5 lakh.Honda had just 500 units of its hybrid to sell in India but it could sell only 60 units before the price cut.

[benu9714]

A few days ago I had a ride to Heathrow in an Uber cab - a Toyota Prius.

The driver (a Pakistani) told me that he gets 80 MPG (32 KMpL) in city traffic and nearly 100 MPG (40 KMpL) out of the city. (1 (US) Gallon = 4 Liters).

This was a 3 year old car with 175,000 miles on the clock ( I checked), with no replacement of batteries. The driver said that the new models get even more mileage.

I can believe what this Cabby said, because I got 44 KMPL over 3,700 KM driving around in Scandinavia last September, in a Toyota Auris Station Wagon.

My question : why can't we have such cars in India?

[MinivanDriver]

Hmm. These figures seem quite high. When I had a Prius rental car in the US in 2008, the max I got was 55 MPG. May be the recent models have much better fuel economy.

[ameet_pv]

Hi, After driving 47000 miles on 2007 Prius I can say the mileage range is 47 to 55 mpg depending on the terrain and driving style. Have found it to be trouble free, comfortable for city and long range drives. Wish it was reasonably priced in India so people are encouraged to drive Hybrid vehicles. One +ve reduced emissions ranked high on my list.

[Rovergen]

Is any one still holding a 3rd gen prius in the group . Need help to figure out prius capable FNG down south .