Fuel Economy

[STC]

Originally Posted by shastatodd

In town with hypermileing techniques I have gotten as high as 51, but more typically get around 48 or 49 MPG.

These are the same kinds of numbers we got in our Prius (which my ex-wfe now has). I used to love the Prius, but now... considering the embedded energy in that vehicle, it seems silly to buy one when with conscious driving (what the Prius tries to do for you) you can obtain similar fuel economy. Plus the Yaris was $11.5K & the Prius was over $30K.

Using hypermiling techniques, I'm typically getting 48-50 MPG too! My highest so far was 53 MPG. The car is a 2010 with about 5,600 miles.

I'm actually doing about the same average as a Prius... at half the showroom price. That is why it was important for me in purchasing the Yaris. You can squeeze out comparable MPG with pretty much the same 'footprint' as the Prius! Go figure!

It would be nice if all people across the board purchased small vehicles and drove thinking common sense, efficiency, and used hypermiling techniques. Then we would really be 'green' even without having to drive marketed 'hybrid' cars!

Cheers!

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by STC

Using hypermiling techniques, I'm typically getting 48-50 MPG too! My highest so far was 53 MPG. The car is a 2010 with about 5,600 miles.

I'm actually doing about the same average as a Prius... at half the showroom price. That is why it was important for me in purchasing the Yaris. You can squeeze out comparable MPG with pretty much the same 'footprint' as the Prius! Go figure!

If you use the same hypermiling techniques plus the special ones for the Prius e.g. super highway mode which lets you get 70+ MPG on the highway http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showt...831#post171831 the Prius would have a much higher MPG than the average driver.

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by KrazyDawg

If you use the same hypermiling techniques plus the special ones for the Prius, the Prius would have a much higher MPG than the average.

That's certainly true, but then you'd have spent at least twice as much for the Prius which takes an awful long time to break even on, and there are batteries to contend with.

Don't get me wrong - I have no problem with batteries and would absolutely love to have an electric car. I just don't care for the hybrid concept, or the tiny battery that the Prius uses which mandates a lot of load on it.

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by BailOut

That's certainly true, but then you'd have spent at least twice as much for the Prius which takes an awful long time to break even on, and there are batteries to contend with.

Don't get me wrong - I have no problem with batteries and would absolutely love to have an electric car. I just don't care for the hybrid concept, or the tiny battery that the Prius uses which mandates a lot of load on it.

I've purchased all my cars used. I've seen a used Prius at Enterprise for around 16-17k. My used Yaris was 10,600. I commute 130 miles a day but I don't plan on having this commute forever. I would probably break even sooner than the average person but you can't go wrong with either car.

There are reports of the original batteries on Ford Escape hybrids running past 300,000 miles. http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/...000-plus-miles A Prius taxi driver in Canada was still running past 200,000 miles. I don't have any doubts about maintenace or longevity on the batteries.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by KrazyDawg

I've purchased all my cars used. I've seen a used Prius at Enterprise for around 16-17k. My used Yaris was 10,600. I commute 130 miles a day but I don't plan on having this commute forever. I would probably break even sooner than the average person but you can't go wrong with either car.

There are reports of the original batteries on Ford Escape hybrids running past 300,000 miles. http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/...000-plus-miles A Prius taxi driver in Canada was still running past 200,000 miles. I don't have any doubts about maintenace or longevity on the batteries.

You can always find the exception to the norm. All it takes is one time and you are stuck with a fortune in battery replacement costs. A Yaris battery is cheap..and the cost benefit of a Yaris over a Prius or any other hybrid is a no brainer.

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by daf62757

You can always find the exception to the norm. All it takes is one time and you are stuck with a fortune in battery replacement costs. A Yaris battery is cheap..and the cost benefit of a Yaris over a Prius or any other hybrid is a no brainer.

It's unfortunate when it happens even to the most reliable brands out there. A battery replacement at Art's Automotive would be around $2850 (including labor) if the battery packs remain at $2500. http://www.artsautomotive.com/hybrid...e-prius-hybrid

Battery replacement on 1st gen Prius: http://www.artsautomotive.com/hybrid...ius-hv-battery

Art's Automotive from a mechanic's standpoint does point out that overall the maintenance cost and gas savings on a hybrid will cost you more than purchasing a high MPG commuter car like the Prius or "new" Fiesta.

I'm still trying to break the 40 MPG barrier and I have an Ecometer on the way. I'm going to try testing it with A/C on/off, fresh air vs circulating with with A/C off, etc to see what the MPG impact is.