Quote:
Originally Posted by pete c
The prius is an awesome car if you do predominantly urban driving. I think it is particularly good if you mix in some hills. I was in SF last summer and noticed that pretty much all the cabs are Prii. This makes sense as they can recoup some of the potential energy while going down those hills.
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The Phoenix area is extremely flat, but there are countless Prius taxis. Now, the one specific reason that I want a Prius is for the hills and canyons between here and my parents' house, but I would appreciate improved mileage everywhere.
I absolutely do not think that hybrids are the solution to any of our problems. Someone linked a video for "Cool Earth" and the guy said that if everyone started driving a Prius, pollution would decrease by 0.5%.
Now, my Subaru gets half of the mileage, but it was produced well over a decade ago, and I have to wonder how long I would need to drive a Prius before the pollution balanced out, not to mention the cost.
I read that the traction battery has come down in price a couple of times. The technology will continue to improve, and as there are more electric cars, that technology will also improve, as well as become more affordable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
The other thing that I dislike about the Prius is the other little design stupidities, like that center-mounted display screen, the ignition switch that doesn't actually turn off the engine...
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That is the first that I have heard of the ignition not turning off when you tell it to. My nerd rage would kick in.
I knew a girl that had one of the first Echos and she gave us a ride, telling us how much she loved it. I was sorely disappointed and could not understand why her instrument cluster was in the middle. She said that she liked that, too, but when I continued asking questions, she admitted that she tended to speed because she forgot to check.
My last girlfriend had a Yaris and she said that she bought it because she was only five feet tall and could not normally see the speedometer.
Ever read the speedometer of the Mini in front of you?