2004 Toyota Prius: (One of the) Best Car(s) of 2004?

[shaggie]

well i'd like to see you americans come to europe, or even to finland with those big ass 5,7liter v8 engines etc.etc. i'm telling you, in a week or two, you would be looking for a cheaper car to drive when it comes to fuel.

M5 mentioned that the fuel costs about $1.63 per gallon.
now let's do some math. a gallon is 3,7854 liters.
here, i have to pay somewhere around 1,20€ per liter
*calculating* so that would be ~$4,5 per gallon
would you like to pay that much? -i don't.. but i have to.

i dont need a superduper powerful engine in my car. highest legal speed on a highway here is 120km/h and even a 1.2 ford fiesta can do that.

but hey - we'll all be dead by then anyway.

that's disturbing.. thinking green will not save us, but it could make a difference to your kids.. or their kids.. or their kids

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by shaggie
well i'd like to see you americans come to europe, or even to finland with those big ass 5,7liter v8 engines etc.etc. i'm telling you, in a week or two, you would be looking for a cheaper car to drive when it comes to fuel.

Duh. But we don't live in Europe, which is why we can afford to run 5.7-liter engines. We would never take a 5.7L engine to Europe because of the running costs, but we can afford to run it in America, which is why we... do.

that's disturbing.. thinking green will not save us, but it could make a difference to your kids.. or their kids.. or their kids

I know. I was being sarcastic. Clearly

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

Yes, but gas prices have been rising steadily during the past few months, and there's no reason to believe it'll let up. At this rate, it'll be at about three bucks a gallon by the end of the year, five bucks by 2007. Chances are that it won't continue to skyrocket at this rate, but it still means gas economy is going to be more and more important.

 

[Jay]

Originally posted by shaggie
well i'd like to see you americans come to europe, or even to finland with those big ass 5,7liter v8 engines etc.etc. i'm telling you, in a week or two, you would be looking for a cheaper car to drive when it comes to fuel.

M5 mentioned that the fuel costs about $1.63 per gallon.
now let's do some math. a gallon is 3,7854 liters.
here, i have to pay somewhere around 1,20€ per liter
*calculating* so that would be ~$4,5 per gallon
would you like to pay that much? -i don't.. but i have to.

i payed $1.10 per litre yesterday which is roughtly $4.15 per gallon and we have plenty of 1600kg 5.7L's V8 getting around, holden can hardly sell them quick enough

 

[sn00pie]

Originally posted by M5Power
Um...

That... would... be a reason... in fact....



But anyway, we've got snow right now, forecasted snow tomorrow, and forecasted snow Friday here. Doesn't snow kick ass?!

**** yeah it does!!!

I saw a Scenic once, the rear tires were fitted with driving-in-the-snow-chain thingies. It was great.

 

[shaggie]

yes i know that you don't live here.. but i'm just saying that maybe that cost efficient prius is not that great there but in here
the money you save in gas makes a big difference when deciding
to buy a prius or something else...

nd we have plenty of 1600kg 5.7L's V8 getting around

sure, we have those here too.. but not that many because of the taxes and insuraces on those cars.

I know. I was being sarcastic. Clearly

i know
i still think that in the next ten years to come, cars makers will start to think green and all new cars will have a hybrid/hydrogen etcetc "green"engine..

...and we will live in mars

Doesn't snow kick ass?!

it sure does

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by Takumi Fujiwara
Yes, but gas prices have been rising steadily during the past few months, and there's no reason to believe it'll let up.

Unless you're a bit educated on the topic.

Gas prices took a hit on about February 17 because of an extra cost for refiners to meet new federal environmental regulations requiring them to reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline, as well as new regulations by three states (including California) requiring ethanol replace an additive in gasoline deemed toxic by the EPA. It's a one-time cost.

California's refinery regulations are the strictest in America. As refiners try to pump out the most gas possible during Spring and Summer, when demand is highest, maintenance costs go up as they have to comply with those regulations. That's why California's seen the biggest proportional price increase in America.

On the 27th, the OPEC announced it would cut production by about four percent on April 1 while still raising prices. The Bush administration will solve this problem by tapping part of its reserves, forcing the OPEC to turn it back on. This coupled with a decline in demand by July means the problem will be fixed by Fall.

i still think that in the next ten years to come, cars makers will start to think green and all new cars will have a hybrid/hydrogen etcetc "green"engine..

Not ten, but certainly 35.

yes i know that you don't live here.. but i'm just saying that maybe that cost efficient prius is not that great there but in here
the money you save in gas makes a big difference when deciding
to buy a prius or something else...

And yet, the Prius and Insight are among Toyota and Honda's slowest selling vehicles on the continent. In Europe, the keyword is diesel where you can get a normal vehicle with decent economy. Diesel might catch on in America, but not if Volkswagen doesn't start advertising for it.

 

[Sage]

Which begs the question, Doug: Do you think diesel will re-surge in popularity in the U.S., ever?

Seems like CA's emissions standards are making it too hard for diesels to be successful here.

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by Sage
Do you think diesel will re-surge in popularity in the U.S., ever?

No.

It's not even California emissions. For years, several companies have been making certain modifications based solely on California emission standards, and Nissan even has a Sentra CA with better fuel economy sold only in California (even though they swear the "CA" stands for "Clean Air"). Honda tried to market an electric vehicle in California only (they failed) and GM wanted to sell the all-electric EV1 in California only (they failed too, but they did sell some even though they weren't supposed to). If push came to shove, and diesels really did become popular again, California would either change their regulations or companies would adapt vehicles for California.

The problem with diesel in America is and will always be consumer bias. Diesels are slow, smelly, expensive, and unreliable according to Americans (and thanks to Mercedes), and Volkswagen isn't exactly helping out by making the sole diesel car on the American market have just 100bhp.

On top of that, Americans want something new. They could be getting better economy in a diesel Jetta without sacrificing value or the Jetta's outstanding spec. But they want a hybrid engine, because their status-conscious brains know their friends won't know what a "Jetta Turbodiesel" is. It's pathetic, but true.

 

[JohnBM01]

To update this topic, the Houston Auto Show had the Toyota Prius, right? So, when I was looking around, I seen these little computer units that had people estimate prices on gas for a year, miles traveled, and stuff, and the Prius had astonishing numbers. I'm sorry I can't give you any right now. But it is very interesting to see what a little car like the 2004 Toyota Prius can do. To me, I'd definitely put this car at the top of the board of "Best Cars of 2004." I'd put this in the class of great cars like the Mazda RX-8. The car may not outrun a Porsche or a Lamborghini or an all-motor Mustang, but it can save the world in terms of gas usage. If gas prices continue to rise, the gas guzzlers may have to consider some hybrids.

Now, Toyota recently released the Alessandro Volta, a BEAUTIFUL hybrid supercar (yeah, you read right) with all-wheel drive and 400 and change horsepower. So that is old news in terms of Toyota and their conscience with the environment.