This Prius can't even sell itself...

[raptor1956]

Yeah the Prius gets dumped on by a lot of folks here and it's a good bet that most of them have never driven one. I had one as a rental a few years back and although it isn't ever going to be confused with a sports car it handles OK and the acceleration is way better than most think it is.

I've owned 3 Toyotas since 1979 (79 Corolla, 85 Cellica, 04 Matrix) and the first two were great cars. The Matrix got great mileage (33mpg lifetime average) but had issues with fit-and-finish with the under car panels and wheel well panels constantly popping out of the fasteners. The Matrix was a disappointment from a quality standpoint.

Fortunately, unlike many of the 2012 FF owners, I've had zero issues with my Ti HB. No problems with MFT, no problems with DCT, no clunking suspension and averaging over 37mpg for over 12,500 miles. So far, my 2012 FF has been better, quality wise, than the 2004 Toyota Matrix XR. I hope it stays that way...


Brian

[PratoN]

Originally Posted by mikebontoft

you guys act like Ford knows what's wrong with their cars but refuses to fix them...

can't fix them if you don't know the root of the problem.

True. But I told them that my best guess was the oil seal leak, but the dealers can't warrant opening up the bell housing without a leak. Last night I ended up paying the transmission tech to "diagnose" my car. Essentially, I paid $110 for a tech to drive my car for 30 minutes.

What I should have done was just paid the dealership to open the bell housing and let me verify that there isn't an oil leak. No test drive; no BS. At least that would've shut me up and I wouldn't be mad about paying a couple hundred dollars for it.

(Sorry I've made this another DCT thread...)

I want to hate the Prius, but it is what it is: an efficient, reliable appliance.

[Seriously Focused]

Originally Posted by Focus YBTC

Hilarious. I owned a 2007 Prius for five and a half years and my daughter still drives it without any major problems. I never heard any alarms or buzzers going off at 65 MPH. I could cruise all day with four passengers and their luggage at 80-85 MPH with no problem. I never waited for the car to "reply" when asked to go into forward in reverse. Then it wouldn't start? I would say that particular Prius is seriously broken and needs repair. If your wife is trying to see "what all the hype is about" she tried the wrong "pruis".

Prius is a great, well built and durable car that's optimized for maximum fuel economy and low emissions. It is not a great handling car like the Focus (and probably the C-Max) that's a given. It never fails to amaze me though the sheer volume and variety of cranky nut-ball misinformation that some people feel compelled to spread about the Prius in general. That said, I really like the hybrid C-Max and wanted to buy one but I waited and waited and couldn't wait any more for the car to arrive at dealers so I bought a Focus.

Yup, you are correct sir ! While I do enjoy the "thrill" (small joke) of the 2012 Focus, it will NEVER beat a Toyota or Honda for long term reliability.

[mikebontoft]

Originally Posted by revhigh

OK ... so what you're saying is this .... Ford's suspension engineers can't figure out the root cause of a simple suspension noise in over a year and a half's time .... is that really what you're saying? Because that is simply not believable (that they're trying to solve it and can't).

If that's the case ... Ford must have REALLY stupid and incompetent engineers ....

Our own member Zillion seems closer to solving this than Ford is .... that's because he's TRYING to solve it.

To be honest ... I think Ford is just hoping that the people with the problem go away ..... but I'm NOT going away.

REV

yes, yes, yes and yes.

The only thing that bugs me about the prius is the ugly ass shape. I understand its aerodynamic but its otherwise terrible... like losing 5mpg in a crosswind kind of terrible.

[revhigh]

Originally Posted by Focus YBTC

You're wrong about 99.9 % of that.

Having said all that I'm willing to bet I'd like the Ford C-Max hybrid much better though I haven't driven one yet. The C-Max is a much improved car and gets a rated 47 MPG combined.

Yes, he is wrong about virtually all of it, clearly he is uneducated about the Prius, it's technology, and it's reliability.

I've driven ALL the various Prii and the C-Max. The C-Max is like a bloated Focus, it is bigger and ergonomically better than the Focus, but seems to handle almost as well. It 'should' end up being a great car for Ford if they can make it reliable.

The C-Max is a competitor to the Prius V .... NOT the Prius liftback OR the Prius C. On paper specs alone, it appears that the C-Max is a better overall package than the Prius V. However, and this is a HUGE however .... that is not taking into account that the Prius V is an established and reliable Toyota, and the C-Max is a newly released first-year-Ford. That alone would keep me from buying the C-Max for at least a few years (maybe more if there are serious issues), given what Ford's new-release reputation has become, and my own direct experience with my 2012 Focus.

REV

[revhigh]

Originally Posted by mikebontoft

The only thing that bugs me about the prius is the ugly ass shape. I understand its aerodynamic but its otherwise terrible... like losing 5mpg in a crosswind kind of terrible.

Can't argue with you on that Mike .... I'd prefer that it look more contemporary, but they take absolutely every reasonably attainable aerodynamic option into account ...

At least the new Gen III liftbacks look a lot better than the previous 2 Gens.

And the C's look kind of like a Fiesta or a Fit.


REV

[revhigh]

Originally Posted by raptor1956

although it isn't ever going to be confused with a sports car it handles OK and the acceleration is way better than most think it is.

That is absolutely the truth .... the 2010+ Prii are only one second slower 0-60 than the new Focus (9.7 vs 8.7 ... both with a 1 foot rollout). They effortlessly cruise at 80+ on the highway, and are rated as a midsize car with the room to match compared to the Focus being a compact. At 80MPH the Prius gets 1.5 - 2 times the mileage that the Focus gets, and you can easily fit 4 people in complete comfort, which you CAN'T do in a Focus. Each car has it's uses and advantages.

REV

[gkirk]

Originally Posted by revhigh

That is absolutely the truth .... the 2010+ Prii are only one second slower 0-60 than the new Focus (9.7 vs 8.7 ... both with a 1 foot rollout). They effortlessly cruise at 80+ on the highway, and are rated as a midsize car with the room to match compared to the Focus being a compact. At 80MPH the Prius gets 1.5 - 2 times the mileage that the Focus gets, and you can easily fit 4 people in complete comfort, which you CAN'T do in a Focus. Each car has it's uses and advantages.

REV

They had a Top Gear where they raced an M3 and a prius around the track and checked the mileage. They got exactly the same.

The fact is, a prius might have some spunk but as soon as you drive it like that, it loses its mpg bonus pretty fast.

I drove a prius a few years ago. If it didn't get 50mpg, i'd hate it. But you got to love what it gets you in terms of economy. I didn't use it enough to comment on space and all that, but it was boring to drive and went in a straight line. Pretty good, right?

[Merrigan]

Originally Posted by revhigh

That is absolutely the truth .... the 2010+ Prii are only one second slower 0-60 than the new Focus (9.7 vs 8.7 ... both with a 1 foot rollout). They effortlessly cruise at 80+ on the highway, and are rated as a midsize car with the room to match compared to the Focus being a compact. At 80MPH the Prius gets 1.5 - 2 times the mileage that the Focus gets, and you can easily fit 4 people in complete comfort, which you CAN'T do in a Focus. Each car has it's uses and advantages.

REV

I had 4 other people in my focus this weekend. I had my seat back all the way because I'm pretty tall. Girlfriend in the front 3 others in the back. We done a 300ish km round trip. Everyone was comfortable. Car drove fine. I was doing 120km/hr on the highway and still got 8.6l/100km. But yeah I know what you're saying. I'm just sharing my personal experience.

Sent from your mom's house.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by gkirk

They had a Top Gear where they raced an M3 and a prius around the track and checked the mileage. They got exactly the same.

The fact is, a prius might have some spunk but as soon as you drive it like that, it loses its mpg bonus pretty fast.

I drove a prius a few years ago. If it didn't get 50mpg, i'd hate it. But you got to love what it gets you in terms of economy. I didn't use it enough to comment on space and all that, but it was boring to drive and went in a straight line. Pretty good, right?

Actually that was false they did not get anywhere near the same mileage unless you consider a margin of 11.76% to be within tolerance. When the Prius was driven flat out it did 17.x mpg uk (20.4 mpg us) where as the M3 did 19.x mpg (22.8 mpg us) when it was driven just hard enough to keep up for 10 laps around the airfield.