Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Just driven one of the brand new Gen2 (?) Prius toyota things my boss has just had delivered.
Welcome to the future.....
My god, its loaded with toys. Keyless auto locking cars (distance sensor, when you walk away it autolocks, can drive the car when my boss was standing outside it!!). Prediction auto parking rear camera when reversing took a little getting used to.
It sounds electric. Totally silent until moving at slow speeds, when it sounds like a quiet milk float. When stationary, the engine is totally off, so no sound at all. This also means you cannot stall it.
More buttons and toys than I could spot, visually wasn't toooooo bad, ok alloys (ok so they arn't pimping 19"s etc). Loads of glass so light inside, heads up speed display on the window......
Its coming, it is the future.. Its not all bad, it leaves more petrol for us gas drinking hooligans.
Just thought i'd share my thoughts, as its a weird experience, one I didn't want to try, but sitting in it for 10 minutes pottering around, I could be converted (as a daily driver, NOT for driving experience though, I still need noise, power, rawness and excitement, none of which this car can give).
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DannyB
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Registered: 6th Feb 08
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Sounds like everything I hate in a car 
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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When your old like me and have your own place and have to cut costs and only spend out on things you enjoy, I have to say it makes sense.
When your younger, you don't care, you love the noise, the bouncy suspension, the noisey engine and exhaust..
I said i'd never ever grow out of it and always have a modified car. I was the biggest most excitable modified car person ever.....
I grew old 
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DannyB
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Registered: 6th Feb 08
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I was thinking about this today, a fella I know drove past me in his PT Cruiser and he looked so miserable, like he was about to drive it into a field full of bouncing betties. I can honestly never see myself driving a boring car, I like throwing my little tin can around these roads too much and as soon as I have money for something faster it will be bought. Driving is something you spend a lot of your time doing, might aswell make it fun.
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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I said that and a lot more 8 years ago...
Mind you, i've got the missys VXR, and my 2 bikes, so all is not lost...
But if I had a daily car driver, a derv (cough with remap) or something like this would be on the cards.
More money to spend on faster toys then 
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DannyB
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Registered: 6th Feb 08
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True, I have no commitments, no major things that I have to pay per month, all I pay is rent and fuel  even when I do I'd still like a fun car, I'll not be selling this car for years. When I do get something else this will be kept for track use only, that won't be for ages yet though.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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Id love something like this that was affordable, quiet and comfy for the commute, one of these all electric cars that look like a proper car and can achieve 100mph for 200 miles before a charge is excellent, means you can get to work and back for 10p, means you can have a nice second car / bike whatever
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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The prius isn't a bad car, just butt ugly.
Dad's 58 plate one has now covered 35k in 9-10 months, it's comfy, quiet and refined, got a little poke when asked to go.
Only costs him £140 in the 40% tax band for company car tax as well, a decent saving on the 2.0TDi A3 he has before
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Fad
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Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
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I was given a hire Prius and tbh I was slightly impressed and it felt nippy enough. Has enough toys to keep me occupied in traffic in london and a fairly decent Radio.
I can see the appeal in them but as David says it is butt ugly
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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quote:
Originally posted by VXR
I grew old
or grumpy, yet to be confirmed  
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Sunz
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: SE England
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Top gear test was interesting with the Prius and the BMW 520d.
If you even give the prius a tiny bit of stick the economical factor goes totally out of the window.
Materials that mined from the Usa then sent to europe, then china and finally to Japan totally cancels out all that work to make it economical in he first place.
No appeal, personally think its just clever marketing, save the planet buy our cars never mind we load up massive tankers to ship tons of materials around the planet.
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Its a Mk2, only just been released, its an entire facelife model. He's been waiting 2 months for it.
Sunz, yeah I thought that about the Prius, but again thats the Mk1.
tbh, the Mk2 seems like a totally differnet car, visually its quite similar though. Supposed to be a ground up brand new car though, new engine (1.8 instead of 1.6), new electric motor, new material parts etc...
Ahhh there we go, his is like the 3rd car of these 4 (only 2 prius showing)... Others in the company have the top model..
Not saying im liking it visually, and again not all that comfy inside (lame non supportive seats), but loads of toys, and epic economy...
Plus he only pays £50 fuel tax allowence compared to £125 or something on his previous 1.9 VAG derv car.
[Edited on 14-10-2009 by VXR]
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Baskey
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Registered: 31st May 06
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Do they do a t sport. My mates got an L plate mr2 and recond one did him off the lights
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Kevxx
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Registered: 14th May 08
Location: Forfar, Angus
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I heard there so much torque in these, if you turn the traction control off, you'll just snap/twist driveshafts  .
My friend works with toyota, says they alright, i'm still not impressed.
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Sunz
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: SE England
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Prius 2009 model - 295 lb·ft from the electric motor same as the BMW 335i which is a 3 litre stright 6.
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j10E W
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Registered: 30th Sep 04
Location: maidstone
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they dont feel like 295lb/ft! we have a few of them at work which im most likely getting in the next few months , i like the toys head up display is nifty but still its ugly as sin
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AndyCorsaSport
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Registered: 12th Feb 06
Location: Horsforth, West Yorkshire
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They are weird to drive, but so much fun to sneak up on people in the car park at work, sneak up behind them and blast the horn
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deano87
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Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
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There was a pimped one in Auto Express. It actually looked quite good
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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VXR, aren't you the guy who's always going 'tree huggers' and 'eco twats' whenever possible?
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chrex
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Registered: 26th Aug 07
Location: Brawdy/Wirral
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im glad they have a more efficient car like that...coz it means theres more fuel for me and my XE wit carbs to enjoy and as theres no cat, i can make up the pollution for all those driving these, and not feel bad!
Woo!
[Edited on 14-10-2009 by chrex]
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
VXR, aren't you the guy who's always going 'tree huggers' and 'eco twats' whenever possible?
Who care's about the tree hugger aspect....
Its the financial costings, something us mear mortal poor folk have to think about Cost to run it, cost in tax as a company car (£100 vs £25 i've found out, thats a fuel duty card, so £25 in petrol per month, and fill it up however many times you want), plus the emissions are bugger all so the eco hippy government will let you off with huge tax savings.
And tbh, the more tree huggers use this kinda car on a daily basis, means more petrol left for us octain drinkers who's machines like to consume it at a silly rate.....
So
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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You've hit it on the head there Daimo. Dad's is not for tree hugging purposes, not for eco status, not for the fact it does some MPG, the pure fact it costsd him £100 less a mponth in tax than the previous VAG TDi car. And it's comfortable, quiet and has cruise control!
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whitter45
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Registered: 15th Nov 02
Location: Norton
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quote:
Originally posted by pow
The prius isn't a bad car, just butt ugly.
Dad's 58 plate one has now covered 35k in 9-10 months, it's comfy, quiet and refined, got a little poke when asked to go.
Only costs him £140 in the 40% tax band for company car tax as well, a decent saving on the 2.0TDi A3 he has before
i would sooner pay the extra bit and have a great car to drive
the BMW doesnt hit my 40% tax bracket that hard - 128 on CO2 rating
Get over 50mpg, 120 a year road tax, under 7.5 seconds to 60 and has done over 40k in 2 years
I reckon I could get very high 50's MPG if I drove the car normally
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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I think they're all right, but pretty damn ugly. Although idea is pretty good, and if you're wanting get more mileage for your buck then a hybrid (at the moment) is probably the best thing to go for. But what most "tree-huggers" (ones that want to save the earth with CO2 emissions/Carbon footprint etc) with Prius's seem to forget is that it actually costs more in emissions/energy to manufacture than petrol/diesel cars - so although it may produce low emissions, add in the manufacture of the car and it starts to look grim.
And all electric cars are pretty much out of the picture for saving the planet until we get clean sources of electricity.
Hydrogen fuel cells are probably where it's at, although even then it's costly (money and energy) to manufacture and to store.
Radiation/Nuclear batteries (as what is use in pacemakers, satellites etc) might also be another option, although efficiency at the moment is poor.
[Edited on 15-10-2009 by Dom]
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Well my old man adopts the same attitude.
He doesn't care what car he drives day to day, he's in traffic, can't use it, so would rather pay less and be comfy..
Then at the weekends, he can use his gf's MX5 for blatting round country lanes, or take out one of his x4 motorbikes... So for a "go to work and to the shops" car, he wants it as cheap and cost effective as possible.
Why have a super nice fancy gas guzzling car, if your gonna be stuck in traffic or doing 40mph on the go to work run?
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