I am thinking of switching to Hybrid - Prius from toyota

anybody out there already driving a hybrid

any good and bad stories to tell and share

so that those of us who are thinking of buying a hybrid can make an informed decision

hybrid cars are not cheap but at least with the soaring petrol prices

we may be able to save alittle on our cars

thanks

Unless you cover a lot of mileage in a month otherwise the savings you get from the road tax and fuel consumption will not outweigh the premium that you pay for the car right at the start.

if can wait, wait for 3rd gen prius, sweeezz...eta 2008

Do you have pics of the 3rd generation model?

Meecar, check out this US forum: http://priuschat.com/forums.html

Cheers!

I agree with u

if TS genuinely wan to buy hybrid to "save money", drop the idea.

its more worthwhile to keep the current car, TS'll save much more, unless his is a bugatti.

no matter how u calculate, u'll lose a lot of money anyhow just to "save money on petrol"

i rather suggest u go for small cars like citroen C1 etc or Honda Jazz. at least such cars dont slap u with a high premium.

plus u cant let outside workshops maintain ur car, so u have to service with AD, thats another load. the batteries will start weaken after 3 years, it'll still function but the charging ability will deteriorate, change battery another load.

But if u wan to save Mother Earth, YES I REALLY ENCOURAGE U TO. its really for a good cause. cheers!

one more thing, dont expect 20km/litre hor...

in fact dont be shocked to see 16km/litre frequently.

Oh its not as bad as what others are saying, provided you're looking at cars in the camry's class. Why the camry class??? because its that sized. In comparison, the camry is only $500 cheaper, and the prius has more than double the torque starting at 1rpm which means its a better car in sg's start-stop situation.

Btw, if you're thinking abt saving the planet, don't bother unless you're going to drive it for at least 20yrs (which is toyota's projection for when the emmisions savings vs cost to the planet in manufacturing matches that of the emissions of an average 2l car).

hey i vaguely recall people saying about the emission savings vs cost to the planet in manufacturing terms.

care to explain more? its interesting

my colleague got 18-19 km/l during run in. I has test drove b4. Very quiet and responsive but slightly jerky when the petrol engine kick in. also, very spaciousness inside. If I got $$, I will also switch. Perhaps, next car.

Well according to toyota it would take driving daily for 20years to make up for the harm to the environment from the manufacturing process to be offset by lowered harm to the env. of running a prius.

Two months ago in the US, I rented one for two weeks: [ol] [*]The rental company didn't have the specific model I was looking for, and I wasn't interested in the other models within the same category. Then, the rep gave me an extra-ordinary deal if I would try the Prius for a couple of days while waiting for my preferred model to come in. [*]Initially I had a hard time adjusting to the sound of the 'CVT' and not audibly hearing the trans shift/select gears. Then, starting silently on electric mode before the petrol engine STARTS and kicks in, and switches off and on and off and on again as you drive at various speeds felt really weird. I soon got accustomed to watching the Power Distribution display on the central console (and risking taking my eyes off the road) to get a better sense of what's going on. So, I relied less on what the engine(s) sound like - there's no vroom vrooom vroooooom to accompany your sense of acceleration (know what I mean?). [*]With that 'discomfort' dispelled, I now became more aware of the ride and handling. In one word, superb!!! I'm not sure of what the actual weight distribution is, but I'm sure that with the electric motor and associated stuff, the centre of gravity and weight distribution felt almost perfect, and the wheel-base felt longer than expected. Result: a very matured ride, no jarring, well balanced, great feel on the wheel, excellent visibility, all-in-all I enjoyed this much much more than a Camry/Avalon and it brought a silly smile on my face every time I drove it. Needless to say, I turned down the rep's notice to return the Prius and pick up the car I requested for. [*]I kept the Prius for the remainder of the two weeks rental. Spent only 1/3 of the usual petrol I would have purchased. Drove extra highway miles (650 in total) all over LA because it was a HOOT! to drive on the freeway once you get used to the high revving scream of the 1.5L petrol engine pushed (massively) by the electro engine. And, couldn't get rid of that silly smile on my face every time I got into the Prius.[/ol]
You get the picture...

based on my basic electric knowledge, I am wondering what is the battery life of such hybird car? what is the max charge/discharge cycle can the battery last? any brother here get answer for the battery life?

you are one lucky chap

i try not to drive while in US because once in Hollywood drove the wrong way (against traffic)

you seem to enjoy yourself very much ... i am happy for you and at the same envious

someone here said that on the highway you dont really get the mileage (saved) because you are on petrol engine most of the time

is this true from your experience

there is very little incentive to buy a prius in sillypore, but may think about it seriously because maintaining a car is very expensive

thanks

if there is an electrical problem such as a shock etc replacing the set of batteries will certainly burn a big hole in the pocket

this is the other consideration that I have been thinking about as this would add to the cost of maintaining the car for about 10 years

FYI, there had never being a report of occupants getting electocuted in hybrid vehicles.
In fact, there had never being a failure of batteries since 1st Prius was on road 10 yrs ago.

Well, before 9/11/2001 no plane had slammed into WTC. There is always a first time.

QUOTE

FYI, there had never being a report of occupants getting electocuted in hybrid vehicles.

Remember reading in this forum before that Prius battery has life time warranty (10 years ) This was compared with Civic Hybrid with the normal 3 year warranty..

Any bro remember

Indeed, we are still waiting for that 911-equivalent of a Prius battery meltdown

Link: http://www.mycarforum.com/forum/Asian_Make...choose_P1302174

Part of the reason why Toyota gives such long warranty is because their had design the
nickel-metal battery management system not to fully charge the cells. This allows the battery to last very long, and can be as long as the car's serviceable lifetime.

Example is a Prius Gen-1 taxi in Canada that had done over +400,000km. The cab company only need to do standard servicing (oil change, spark plug replacement wear&tear maint etc). Not a single major component of the battery system requires servicing or replacement.

Detail: http://www.hybridexperience.ca/Toyota_Prius.htm#hybridtaxi

so does borneo use 0w20 engine oil as toyota speced? or do they still insist 5w40 for a hybrid car?

The 'energy monitoring' on the central LCD display panel is very helpful in learning to modulate using the 'gas' pedal for optimal energy regeneration/fuel consumption.


My experience on the highways (in the US) was that it was very easy to 'recharge' the batteries to maximum without having to compromise driving pleasure. In SG, I suspect the frequent stop-start conditions would use a lot of electric-energy, then you'd need quite a bit of careful petrol-driven driving to reclaim/recharge the batteries.

i'm buying a car for the first time and would appreciate if anyone well verse in maths, coe,parf,rebates and whatnots can work out the cost-benefit of buying and driving a hybrid car, average 80km per day.

Anyone owned the 2nd generation Prius for more than two years? Care to share your driving experience and whether any problems encountered so far?

Try http://priuschat.com/forums/international-owners/6539-prius-singapore.html
[/color]
Look for vincent1449p, geraldc or leebsq

All Singaporeans owner active on this international forum.

[color="#bf0000"]Good luck!

one million people cant be wrong rite?

Thanks bro!

Surprise to see supposedly best selling Hybrid in US is given rank #10 and on Medium category. Medium size? It is smaller than camry ler. Maybe the price is not worth it? http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-...8-Toyota-Prius/

The 2008 Toyota Prius ranks 10 out of 25 Affordable Midsize Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 40 published reviews and test drives of the Toyota Prius, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The Prius ranks solidly in the middle of the pack when considered as a hybrid or as a midsize sedan. The Prius's ranking is based on its industry-leading fuel economy, combined with a spacious interior and a standard equipment package that make it competitive as a midsize car, not just a hybrid. However, its styling continues to divide reviewers even after nearly five years on the market, and it sacrifices performance in the pursuit of fuel efficiency. In our hybrid rankings, the 2008 Prius falls behind its corporate cousin, the 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid, as well as the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. Those vehicles don't achieve quite the level of fuel efficiency that drives the Prius's fame, but they also do not suffer some of the performance compromises the Prius makes in pursuit of fuel economy. Little has changed in the Prius for 2008, a car which has not had a major redesign since 2004. One important change for 2008 is the introduction of a "standard" trim which lacks features like heated mirrors and cruise control, but is available at a lower cost than the "base" trim level.

The automotive press sees the 2008 Toyota Prius as both a technological marvel that achieves better fuel efficiency than nearly any other vehicle every built, and as an average midsize family car. The Prius was named a Consumer Reports Top Pick for 2008 (as well as each of the preceding four years). The car's unique hatchback body is mostly well-liked, although it has a few detractors. Its interior is considered well-built and reasonably comfortable, though packed with quirky technologies that some see as unnecessary. It is as safe as most midsize cars and offers Toyota's legendary reliability.

http://paultan.org/archives/2008/06/13/toy...ration-hybrids/