25 Car With Mpg Good As Hybrids

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by UberSilver

While your sooooo happy with the prius, lets not forget the extra 1/2 ton of toxic waste the earth needs to deal with, when I prius is wrecked.

This is something very few(if any)Prius owners every deal with or think about.

The Prius is loaded with toxic waste! And Prius owners are helping to pollute our planet, Just so they can feel warm and fuzzy about using less gasoline.

.....including the elephant in the room --- replacing the hybrid battery. A lady called into the nationally syndicated Car Pro radio show this last weekend wondering if she should trade in her Prius. Jerry said that dealers, when looking at the value of a Prius trade in, peg the life of the hybrid battery at about 150,000-160,000 miles in most climates (shaving a bit off that range if the car has 'lived' in extreme heat or extreme cold). He said that the replacement cost has been coming down, but that the current replacement cost is about $4,000 (sometimes a bit less).

[jack black]

Originally Posted by UberSilver

While your sooooo happy with the prius, lets not forget the extra 1/2 ton of toxic waste the earth needs to deal with, when I prius is wrecked.

You clearly don't know what you're talking about and recycle oil companies lies/propaganda that Hummer is more environmentally friendly than Prius.
In the unlikely event you know what you're talking about, please explain what is "the 1/2 ton of toxic waste the earth needs to deal with, when I prius is wrecked."

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Hmm my wifes Camry battery lasted 6 years and my ECHOs battery seven....the Yaris still has it org one and its five years old.

Exactly. The heat index in your area doesn't get as high during the summer nor stay as relentlessly high as it does here. That this heat shortens the life of car batteries here is a rule of thumb to the automotive people I've spoken with. I wondered aloud (on a thread, last year IIRC) the 'what causes what' re this, and CTScott posted the precise details.

On the other end of the spectrum, perhaps you are too far south to get clobbered by lower MPG re how cold it gets, but I've read quite a few posts from Canadian Yarisworld members detailing such laments .

Perhaps the number of miles I've driven in that heat also effects the life of my batteries?......(IDK about that.....I don't think that was part of my 'wondering aloud' on that past thread). I don't think it helped that my first two batteries after the OEM were such 'cheapies' and that they were series 26R not series 35 (the series 35 cheapest Sears and series 35 cheapest Wal-Mart wouldn't fit in my Yaris because the bar that secures the battery in place wouldn't fit over either of those batteries).

[bronsin]

What scares me is the public is accepting skyrocketing increases in the price of their cars for questionable "advances" like hybrid drive, ABS, 12 air bags, traction control, increased size of vehicle (compare an 85 Camry with a 2014) and many others

My 1980 Subaru Hatchback was $4600 OTD, 88 VW Fox $7000 ditto, 2001 ECHO $13.100, 09 Yaris Im not sure because I had a 0 percent loan but Im thinking ~$15500.

A new Yaris OTD is nearly $20k.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by bronsin

What scares me is the public is accepting skyrocketing increases in the price of their cars for questionable "advances" like hybrid drive, ABS, 12 air bags, traction control, increased size of vehicle (compare an 85 Camry with a 2014) and many others

My 1980 Subaru Hatchback was $4600 OTD, 88 VW Fox $7000 ditto, 2001 ECHO $13.100, 09 Yaris Im not sure because I had a 9 percent loan but Im thinking ~$15500.

A new Yaris OTD is nearly $20k.

yeah, and some of the price increases are to justify adding a few mpg's, which adds so little value once you get up around 40 mpg's.

but, I will take the airbags. they could leave everything else out.

[jack black]

Originally Posted by bronsin

questionable "advances" like hybrid drive, ABS, 12 air bags, traction control, increased size of vehicle

You're funny!
Apparently people like them a lot last time I checked (sales numbers).

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by jack black

You're funny!
Apparently people like them a lot last time I checked (sales numbers).

What I want to see is that 1980 Subaru on a showroom floor with a $4600 price tag on it.

How many of those would they sell?

[roxy1]

I have to point out that many city commutes are relatively short, or if there is city driving included in a longer commute, that portion is relatively short.

many people get away with poor mileage cars in short city commutes because even at 15 mpg and 60 miles per week (of true city commute), it costs only $16/week.

if I lived in the city and had an all city commute, I probably would get a 15 yr old beater that gave me 15 mpg. at least most folks I know that live in the city and work in the city don't drive very many miles per week.

[mirapatec]

What I love about the Yaris is that one can achieve around 40 MPG average with a plain-old gasoline engine and an automatic transmission in a car that is much less-expensive than a hybrid. For me, that makes some economic sense in the long run. Just my two pennies...

[UberSilver]

Also, then the old batteries go down to Mexico to poison poor kids. What's wrong with this picture?

http://sadhillnews.com/2011/12/09/bu...kill-a-mexican

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by UberSilver

Also, then the old batteries go down to Mexico to poison poor kids. What's wrong with this picture?

http://sadhillnews.com/2011/12/09/bu...kill-a-mexican

I agree with you. Being a fellow Bay Area person I don't have to explain liberal hypocrisy or the fake symbolism motivated by guilt that some people exhibit. For some reason what jumps out at first off the top of my head on this subject is Leonardo DiCaprio driving a Prius to reduce his carbon footprint while at the same time having his own Gulfstream V.

[why?]

Wait, sounds like a good plan. Kill of the mexican drug lords with lead poisoning.

[roxy1]

went to the Milwaukee area late last night from southwest MI. this was pretty much all I-94 interstate at 45-70 mph, depending on construction zones/congestion, and some rain. admittedly id say 70% of the trip was at 50-65 mph, so good conditions for mpg's.

414.8 total miles. 9.18 gallons used.

45.18 mpg's. computer showed 44.9.

the only stopping was for tolls. the rest was literally going with the flow of traffic. there was enough traffic (mostly the greater Chicago/Milwaukee area) that most of the lanes were going about the same speeds.

no hypermiling. a monkey could have been driving and gotten the same mileage.

2014 5 speed manual. completely stock, except for the weather tech floor liner and OEM SE shift knob.

[Shroomster]

@roxy1
The only differences between your car and mine :

A/T vs M/T (negligible difference in this car)
Cruise control is set whenever possible (for me)
Tanabe exhaust vs stock
aFe intake vs stock
36-38 psi vs ?
stock wheels & tires on both (I'm assuming)


I average 15 miles one way for work, usually a/c off and Windows down, I drive at the speed limits (40-65) +/-5mph
with no jackrabbit starts

the average temperature here right now is about 85-90


I'm getting 340-360/tank and I usually fill up about 10.5-11 gallons

Could climate, air quality & location be to blame for this difference?


Sent from my metallic purple honami

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by Shroomster

@roxy1
The only differences between your car and mine :

A/T vs M/T (negligible difference in this car)
Cruise control is set whenever possible (for me)
Tanabe exhaust vs stock
aFe intake vs stock
36-38 psi vs ?
stock wheels & tires on both (I'm assuming)


I average 15 miles one way for work, usually a/c off and Windows down, I drive at the speed limits (40-65) +/-5mph
with no jackrabbit starts

the average temperature here right now is about 85-90


I'm getting 340-360/tank and I usually fill up about 10.5-11 gallons

Could climate, air quality & location be to blame for this difference?


Sent from my metallic purple honami

I don't know. driving 40-65 mph with a warmed up engine should make 40+ mpg's very doable. my brother drives an 08 sedan automatic for a casework job. he pretty much drives 40-60 mph all day with small city stops and gets 4o mpg or more on every tank. but, id be pulling 44+ easily under those conditions.

most folks I see here and on fuelly pulling really good mileage are diving manuals. I just think in the real world, the difference between the manual and auto is more significant than what the epa results would indicate.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Shroomster

@roxy1
The only differences between your car and mine :

A/T vs M/T (negligible difference in this car)
Cruise control is set whenever possible (for me)
Tanabe exhaust vs stock
aFe intake vs stock
36-38 psi vs ?
stock wheels & tires on both (I'm assuming)


I average 15 miles one way for work, usually a/c off and Windows down, I drive at the speed limits (40-65) +/-5mph
with no jackrabbit starts

the average temperature here right now is about 85-90


I'm getting 340-360/tank and I usually fill up about 10.5-11 gallons

Could climate, air quality & location be to blame for this difference?


Sent from my metallic purple honami

I think you might improve your MPG if you rolled the window up and used the A/C (how much drag created by having the window open ???)

I agree with roxy1 in his reply....that real world difference between the manual and the automatic is greater than recognized by the EPA.