It really comes down to personal preferences, feeling/emotion each vehicle will give you while driving, and it's style in YOUR eyes. Either car is only as good as it's driver. One is a full hybrid, the other is a hybrid assist. They both are excellent vehicles and serve thier owners well. They get the SAME real world mileage comparing the first gen CVT HCH to the first gen Prius ... and the first gen MT HCH to the second gen Prius. The second gen HCH is moving up and fast. A lot of new owners are getting over EPA from the lot without effort, even though the engines are not broken in nor is it proper temperature. It looks like the HCH II is going to be the best yet for the everyday driver under normal circumstances. One is NOT better than the other unless you have ideal conditions for that particular vehicle, then yes, the Prius is the 'city' vehicle, that is if you are the type to use the EV mode to it's fullest extent. The Prius is also more of a 'status' vehicle, it stands out, it has a greater cost, pay over MSRP, and it still isn't the most fuel efficient hatchback
. Now if you want to drop an extra 10k or so for the plug-in feature go ahead, but for all that $$$ in total I could buy a second vehicle such as an Insight (which is also has a status quality to it) to keep my HCH company.
I can get over 60 mpg in my HCH I in relaxed city driving (light to medium traffic). I chose the HCH without a thought of the Prius, because personally, I cannot stand a center dash layout ... turns my stomach. Maybe if I was seated in the center as in the McLaren F1. I also prefer the HCH I guages to the HCH II ... it truly comes down to what invigorates your spirit and will make you smile, not I or the other drivers of the various fuel efficient vehicles.
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Originally Posted by PriusGuy04
I was also told by a Toyota dealer that toyota originaly sold/shared thier hybrid technology with ford and honda, and thats where they got thiers.
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Well, Honda is a completely different system ... so I wouldn't say that is where they got thiers from at all. and I will repeat what some others have said that is true ... Honda operates independantly of the IMA ... meaning it will always be able to run without the battery and IMA motor if something goes wrong ... AND some have used the battery to get a couple miles to a gas station on IMA alone (pure EV)!!! From what I recall someone stated that the Prius needs all of its components fully operational to run, someone else could verify this.
As far as the coefficient of drag, it is a .02 difference. The 06 HCH has a 0.28 (source: automotive.com) vs the prius at 0.26 (source: wikipedia.org). Unless you are traveling at higher speeds ... then this will be of NO difference ... and IF you ARE traveling at higher speeds (ex: highway) then the Prius is out of it's maximum efficiency potential. I do believe that a front liscence plate would be/make a greater difference than the stock drag difference.
I guess in summary ... get what YOU WANT for whatever reasons they may be and love the choice you made ... but also be happy with others choices and don't flame thier car just because you have a different one ... wanna know why? well there will be something if not next year, within the next 5-10 or so years that will make any of our cars seem like gas guzzling, low tech vehicles
ok, maybe not that extreme ... but if they do perfect HCCI engines (which can run of ANY fuel) ... and have stronger more powerful batteries (in the process) and higher HP/PW/KW and higher TQ/NM output electric motors on a broad band (which Honda has come out with every 3? years) ... well over 100 mpg might be easily done off the showroom floor or even much better and all in a comfortably sized car. The future is bright and possibilities limitless (if we make it that far
)
I am happy for all whatever is in thier driveway/garage ... and there is no wrong choices
freedom is a beautiful thing
Re: Prius vs. 2006 Civic Hybrid
