Nice little compact version of the Prius is coming next Spring. It is "designed to receive a higher mpg rating than the 3rd generation Prius." It is also supposed to be the cheapest of all the Prii.
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
Honda is brewing the Fit EV and an Accord or other larger car with a lithium battery with a short EV only range, likely similar to the Prius plug-in. They also just recently announced the 5 Civic models/trims, one of them being the Civic HF which is a non-hybrid version of the Civic that gets 41mpg highway, which compared to the 44mpg highway Civic hybrid, I'd go with the HF and save the 5 grand and be without the battery versus getting a hybrid if I were buying new, but I don't buy new so the new car 'hybrid premium' cost doesn't exist for me as I bought both of my Insights for less than a 'hybrid premium'.
I like the Prius C and if I got a Prius, say 10 years down the line this would be the one. I'll assume that the look of that rear end window area will be more neutral by the time it is out of the concept stage. I've always had a little bit of an issue with the aesthetics of the doors and the sloping glass line going up towards the rear of the car. It wouldn't hurt aerodynamically to have that straight and the amount of glass should be the same. I'm curious what the cD and cDa aerodynamic characteristics will be for it. I saw the Prius V, a mommy van sort-of crossover looking car, should be good for someone looking for a bigger car but I'm not sure if anyone needs that room or not because I've always thought the Prius was sized about right.
I'm a bit disappointed that the RAV4 EV is fleet only. Wondering when Toyota is going to have an EV available to the consumer market.
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
Yes, I like the HF model. It has the Hybrid's aluminum wheels. I agree it is a better value. Why only 44 mpg for the Civic Hybrid?
Also, Anyone know why the Fit/Jazz Hybrid is not available in the USA? Not enough demand?
I really like the Fit/Jazz, coventional ICE and Hybrid. And across the pond it is available in CITRUS! Man, Honda Europe is really just rubbing it in, huh?
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
As far as I have been able to determine Honda doesn't want to offer a "confusing" (to Americans) alternate hybrid to the Insight 2 so it won't sell the Fit Hybrid here.
Sometimes I just want to smack these auto manufacturers upside the head and tell them to knock it off.
Other countries always get all the good stuff.
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
I'm a little disappointed to hear that the Civic HF will be automatic only. It's not a bad thing for most of the general public who will have an automatic anyway but that pretty much rules it out for my own desires. I don't like torque converters and I disagree with the shift behavior that auto manufacturers use. I'd be okay with an HF CVT if it was CVT but since its a standard 5-speed slush box, my preferences are just too strongly against driving one because I find it extremely frustrating to try to hold high load without having the transmission ungracefully downshift and then I need to let up on the throttle and repeat the process and get strange stares from my passengers. ...sorry if that is too much opinion but they feel so unrefined and primitive to me, even though the goal is opposite of that.
Agreed. I refuse to drive an automatic transmission in my personal vehicles.
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Insight #1 - Silver '01 5MT @ 158,388 as of 7/11 - Best Tank: 84.5MPG over 807mi
Insight #2 - Silver '01 5MT @ 450,000 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 86.0MPG over 800mi
Insight #3 - Silver '00 5MT, MIMA #163P, BCM Gauge, OBDIIC&C Gauge, BetterBattery @ 228,869 as of 1/12 - Best Tank: 78.4mpg over 687mi
Wow, good news about the RAV-4. I respect the Toyota Synergy Drive system a great deal (I own a Camry Hybrid), and so I anticipate that the RAV-4 EV will be an even better vehicle!
So the Scion iQ EV will be for fleet only?
Has anyone heard good/bad things about the Sonata Hybrid yet?
I followed Wayne Gerdes' blogged two-tank cross country trip and was impressed with the 60+ mpg he achieved with such large vehicle! But, not surprising: he's the "Godfather of Hypermiling".
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
Here is the Sonata, which has different front end, rear skirt and taillights from the regular Sonata:
This is also a very nice Hyundai hybrid concept:
It's nice to see that our hybrid car purchase options have evolved, but I have mixed feelings about how our 10+ year old car design is still the most fuel efficient hybrid ever produced.
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
Last edited by freezin4; 07-27-2011 at 08:07 AM.
Reason: bad image links
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