Posted by Dave on June 11, 2008, 3:50 pm
> From what I've read the new Prius is going to be bigger and faster and
> get slightly better fuel mileage. I don't understand this. Why do they
> need a 1.8 L engine? That's bigger than most gas only economy cars. I
> would think they could use a 1 L engine or even smaller. Do you really
> need to go 115 mph in a Prius? If they used a smaller engine and kept
> the car the same size they could sell it for less and get much better
> mileage. Am I missing something?
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/563/exposed-2009
-toyota-prius/
You are missing the fact that it is a hybrid. That means it has batteries
and electric motors and other (very heavy) hardware that a non-hybrid
doesn't. Yes, the batteries and electric motors can provide some serious
torque to motivate the vehicle when the batteries are charged. When the
batteries get low though? All that extra hardware is extra weight. Think
of a 1.0L engine trying to push a prius loaded with (5) ~200 pound adults.
That's essentially what you have if the Prius has just one person (the
driver) in it, as the batteries and electric motors, etc., easily add many
hundreds of pounds of "curb weight" to the vehicle.
You don't get something for nothing. The extra hardware might improve fuel
economy somewhat, and definitely adds serious horsepower and torque. Too
bad much of the extra power is needed just to haul ITSELF, though.
On a side note though, I'd be inclined to buy a 1.0L Prius hybrid, if they
made such a thing. I wouldn't expect it to do better than about 55MPH
maximum on the highway with the (unassisted) gasoline IC engine, though.
And that would be fine with me. But tell the typical U.S. buyer that it'll
do 55MPH maximum? They'd laugh and walk away.
That is why the 1.8L engine. With all the extra hardware, 1.8L unassisted
will keep up (barely) with ~85MPH freeway traffic. -Dave
Posted by John Weiss on June 11, 2008, 4:41 pm
> Yes, the batteries and electric motors can provide some serious
> torque to motivate the vehicle when the batteries are charged. When the
> batteries get low though? All that extra hardware is extra weight.
> Think
> of a 1.0L engine trying to push a prius loaded with (5) ~200 pound
> adults.
The Prius is not limited in any normal operating mode to the gas engine
only.
> On a side note though, I'd be inclined to buy a 1.0L Prius hybrid, if
> they
> made such a thing.
You'll be able to buy the GM Volt next year, then.
> That is why the 1.8L engine. With all the extra hardware, 1.8L
> unassisted
> will keep up (barely) with ~85MPH freeway traffic.
The Prius currently keeps up with 85 mph freeway traffic with no problem
whatsoever.
Posted by timeOday on June 11, 2008, 6:36 pm
John Weiss wrote:
>> Yes, the batteries and electric motors can provide some serious
>> torque to motivate the vehicle when the batteries are charged. When the
>> batteries get low though? All that extra hardware is extra weight.
>> Think
>> of a 1.0L engine trying to push a prius loaded with (5) ~200 pound
>> adults.
>
> The Prius is not limited in any normal operating mode to the gas engine
> only.
As he said, the issue is when the battery gets low, on a long uphill
perhaps.
Posted by John Weiss on June 11, 2008, 11:59 pm
>> The Prius is not limited in any normal operating mode to the gas engine
>> only.
> As he said, the issue is when the battery gets low, on a long uphill
> perhaps.
Nope. Unless you think you have to hold the accelerator to the floor for
an extended period of time, you just won't get there. In 40 years of
driving, I have not come on such a situation...
Posted by cr113 on June 11, 2008, 5:32 pm
> > From what I've read the new Prius is going to be bigger and faster and
> > get slightly better fuel mileage. I don't understand this. Why do they
> > need a 1.8 L engine? That's bigger than most gas only economy cars. I
> > would think they could use a 1 L engine or even smaller. Do you really
> > need to go 115 mph in a Prius? If they used a smaller engine and kept
> > the car the same size they could sell it for less and get much better
> > mileage. Am I missing something?
> http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/563/expos ...
> -toyota-prius/
> You are missing the fact that it is a hybrid. That means it has batteries
> and electric motors and other (very heavy) hardware that a non-hybrid
> doesn't. Yes, the batteries and electric motors can provide some serious
> torque to motivate the vehicle when the batteries are charged. When the
> batteries get low though? All that extra hardware is extra weight. Think
> of a 1.0L engine trying to push a prius loaded with (5) ~200 pound adults.
> That's essentially what you have if the Prius has just one person (the
> driver) in it, as the batteries and electric motors, etc., easily add many
> hundreds of pounds of "curb weight" to the vehicle.
> You don't get something for nothing. The extra hardware might improve fuel
> economy somewhat, and definitely adds serious horsepower and torque. Too
> bad much of the extra power is needed just to haul ITSELF, though.
> On a side note though, I'd be inclined to buy a 1.0L Prius hybrid, if they
> made such a thing. I wouldn't expect it to do better than about 55MPH
> maximum on the highway with the (unassisted) gasoline IC engine, though.
> And that would be fine with me. But tell the typical U.S. buyer that it'll
> do 55MPH maximum? They'd laugh and walk away.
> That is why the 1.8L engine. With all the extra hardware, 1.8L unassisted
> will keep up (barely) with ~85MPH freeway traffic. -Dave
Curb weight of a Corolla is 2822 lbs, Prius is 2932. Only slightly
heavier.
Top speed of the Prius with the 1.5 L gas engine is around 105 mph.
Personally I'd rather they left the performance the same and lowered
the price and raised the mpg. Instead they basically raised the
performance while keeping the price and mpg the same. I just get the
feeling they are still marketing this car as a gimmick for people who
want to make a statement about being "green". Not as a true "economy"
car.
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> get slightly better fuel mileage. I don't understand this. Why do they
> need a 1.8 L engine? That's bigger than most gas only economy cars. I
> would think they could use a 1 L engine or even smaller. Do you really
> need to go 115 mph in a Prius? If they used a smaller engine and kept
> the car the same size they could sell it for less and get much better
> mileage. Am I missing something?