Och

iTrader: (3)

Actually the Accord no longer has a hybrid version for this generation. And the Altima hybrid uses Toyotas drivetrain.

mmarshall

That's because, when the Accrd did offer a hybrid, it ended up being a waste of money. The performance and gas mileage were little different from conventional Accords, yet the price was higher.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well to be fair the price increase wasn't major by a hybrid standard, and it was also Honda's IMA system, which is a mild system that is much easier and cheaper to implement compared to Toyotas system. Also it was mated to a V6 version, which already isn't the volume seller compared to its I4 sibling.

jaseman

I think this pretty much sums it all up for me.

The Veyron, while a marvel of a supercar, in 50 years will just be seen as another in a long list of one-time record holders. In fact, it will more likely be remembered as one of the last, all gasoline powered supercars, than anything else.

When we look back decades from now, we will trace the vast majority of our cars back to the Prius, as an evolutionary starting point. Like the first fish to walk out of the water to land, the first ape to walk upright, the first commercial jet powered aircraft, or the first affordable home computers.

The Prius has shown us that alternative powered vehicles are a true, viable option to gas only ones. The Prius is a starting point in history, while the Bugatti will be more of an ending point.

Just my 2 cents...

I8ABMR

For me the Veyron will always represent the close to a chapter in automotive history. It is the greatest, most powerful, most expensive, and fastest production car ever created in human history....errr....that wasn't trying to save the planet.

"The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom". In this case the wisdom being needing to stop consuming gas like it fills the oceans and is replenishable . ( The Veyron will empty its tank in 12 minutes at full speed)


To me the Veyron represents the best we will ever be in the past and the Prius represents the birth or genesis of the next chapter in automotive history and evolution. They are both amazing cars to me

pagemaster

Hey mmarshall. I am curious to know what you pick is for car of the decade?

pagemaster

Very well said

UDel

I am not so sure about how popular hybrids and electric cars are going to be in the future and it could just be more of a fad if no major breakthroughs come. I have a feeling it could be realized that there may not be enough resources to make all those big batteries to make every or most cars on the road electrics or heavy hybrids and some other method will become much more popular like hydrogen if they can address the refueling stations and costs.

I have read a Prius uses more natural resources to make then a Hummer and it is a much dirtier process to the environment to obtain/mine all the materials to build a Prius then most cars especially when you consider all the shipping of materials and components from different far off countries that goes into make them.

Most Americans still want larger cars and most don't want to pay much extra for just getting better mileage, it usually never really works out in your favor money wise when you pay thousands extra for a hybrid over gas savings. With pure electric cars like the expensive Tesla you will never get your money back and have to deal with limited range and use.

Hybrid technology and cost of building is still very expensive and long term reliability is still not exactly clear. If expensive batteries need to be replaced every 8-10 years at a cost to where it may be more then the car is worth that is going to be a big issue.

Right now more powerful hybrids in larger cars are very expensive, complex, heavy, and don't see much improvement in mileage and the really fuel efficient hybrids are too small and too underpowered for most peoples tastes. Plug in electrics and hybrids still use lots of energy to recharge so you are just moving the issue somewhere else and the government and car makers can't afford to keep offering incentives and losing money for people to buy hybrids.

As long as gas prices remain relatively stable and no new major breaking technology comes to hybrids and electrics I see manufactures focusing much more on smaller more efficient gas engines and transmissions, turbo's and superchargers, technology like DI- Miller cycle- non hybrid Atkinson cycle-cylinder deactivation, smaller cars, lower weight, more diesel, etc to get fuel economy to where they need to be. Small very mild hybrid type powerplants may be utilzed more for start/stop or other minor methods of of fuel savings. I don't think hybrids or electrics are going to disappear and will be offered in larger numbers then now but I have doubts that they will make up most or all of our future transportation needs unless some kind of breakthrough happens or gas prices skyrocket.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i just don't find the prius THAT impressive. ok, it gets decent fuel economy, but how? yes, the hybrid drive train, but the car is slow as a slug. it has tiny cheesy looking wheels (yes, you can get 17s but only by piling on options and that probably impacts f/e too). the interior is ok, but all aimed at weight.

nothing wrong with wanting awesome fuel economy, and obviously a good thing given how gas prices have risen in recent years.

as for 'environmental' impact, sure they recycle parts and try to be green with it, but it still takes a lot of nasty stuff and energy to make a prius.

i will be more of a believer when the car gets competitive performance and decent f/e, and doesn't have looks that i wouldn't be seen dead in.

IS-SV

^^^ to a great extent that's how I view the Prius, I do admire its fuel efficiency.

And I do find the latest Prius to be acceptable from a styling standpoint, versus the prior 2 gens which were just extremely ugly.

But from a driver's standpoint the Prius rates very very low in almost all aspects.

soakgame

i don't know how realistic this game was (need for speed shift for ps3).. but the veyron was tough to drive.. if i had to chose i would rather drive this

the pagani zonda r



anyway.. my car of the decade is the 2nd gen GS.. yes i'm biased.. the GS changed the game as far as 4 door sports/luxury cars are concerned

jaseman

For me, it's more a matter of the impact that the Prius has. It's less about the car itself, and more about how the industry and consumers are reacting to it.

It's opened the door for whatever technology will come next. Be it hybrid, hydrogen, full-electric, or anti-matter and dylithium crystals. Automakers will be more willing to experiment with technologies, because the consumers are now more willing to accept vehicles that use them.

Will it change overnight? Probably not. But as gas prices rise, and alternative technologies advance, we will, in my opinion, start moving away from gasoline. And it will be the Prius that we all remember as opening the door. That's why it's my choice.

LexFather

While we don't get it here, the Toyota IQ is another marvel. If you read on the innovative methods they came up with for packaging it would amaze some. This tech learned will be shared with other future Toyotas.

bagwell

sorry, but I think the Veyron looks dorky...its amazing what 1001hp will do for some people....engineering-wise, yes great...it was built to break records...but the price tag is just stupid. I'd much rather have 17 $70K Z06's that 1 ugly Veyron.

mmarshall

The Toyota Prius (See post #6 in this thread). There, I explain in detail why.