mmarshall

More power, though, would (likely) mean more fuel-consumption. Even when the gas-engine is not directly powering the vehicle, recharging the batteries except for the regenerative-braking, still takes some gas-engine power to drive the alternator. The Prius v, as it is, has already lost roughly 7-8 MPG to the regular Prius.

Toys4RJill

And people will not pay $30k for 20 more MPG and such a low grade interior and subpar performance. Just my thoughts, $30k is lot of money and there is not enough coming back except MPG

Nextourer

Thanks for the review, mmarshall! I should really take a look at NuLuxe again. My first impressions of it were not favourable but everyone else seems to think otherwise.

It was tweaked, sorta.

The final drive ratio was adjusted to account for the heavier weight. There were also a few updates with the Prius v over the 3rd Gen Prius. The inverter cooling system has been improved and the battery cooling system have been repackaged (again). Also, they've introduced a new "Pitch & Bounce Control" system to minimise the rocking as you travel down the highway. The system will monitor the pitching of the suspension and pulse the electric motor to cancel out the motions to smooth out the ride on the highway.


Well it's targeted at someone looking at a small SUV. At 67 cu ft with the seats down (31 with the seats up), it has more cargo room than most small SUVs with 2x the mileage.

A cruise around Toyota HQ netted me 50.4 mpg with cruise control. I'm not sure how I got it since I was trying to do a "real life, no hypermiling" route. I believe the speed limit was 60-70mph.

Toys4RJill

I suggest people compare the dimensions of the Mazda5 to the Prius V. They are almost spot on IDENTICAL. In almost every category.

mmarshall

Sure...anytime.


Compare the Lexus NuLuxe to the unimpressive vinyl/imitation-leather that Mercedes and Audi put into their vehicles (at a much higher price), and I think you will be convinced. I sure was. Of course, to compensate, in other parts of the interior, Audi has some of the best fit/finish and interior-trim materials in the industry.

mmarshall

They may be similiar outside, but under the skin, are quite different. The Mazda5 is a classic small people-mover, while the Prius v is basically a standard Prius with a little more rear-seat/cargo space. The Mazda5 also, IMO, has far better sheet metal, dash layout/controls, and interior-trim solidness.

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

by more power i really meant more torque down low. can't they alter the gearing a bit to achieve this? they probably didn't in order to get the greatest mpg numbers.

mmarshall

Yes. As you suggest, all else equal, shorter gearing in the transmission or final-drive unit (differential) will improve power and acceleration. But, of course, it does so at the cost of added engine RPM, which often means more fuel consumed and more engine wear. Using more gears in the transmission, which allows closer spacing between the gears and widens the gear-range, also helps, but, of course, makes the transmission more complex, heavier, and costly to manufacture. More gears, depending on the design, could also make the transmission more bulky and harder to fit into small places. A CVT, of course, solves a number of those problems by being both compact and having a very wide range of gears (theoretically infinite).

This, of course, applies strictly to piston-engines......not the electric motor in the Prius. As I noted in the review specs on the drivetrain, an electric motor of the type used in the Prius (AC induction/permanent-magnet) makes its highest torque at very low RPMs......theoretically at zero. So, the electric motor's best power will come just starting out from rest, with torque gradually decreasing as RPMs build. Many pure-electric cars don't have a transmission (as we know it) at all, but a simple single-speed device to transfer power to the drive-wheels.

spwolf

why 30k? You can get perfectly fine one for 27k. It is priced quite close to Prius III and with pretty good base equipment.

Toys4RJill

Earlier in the thread, somebody mentioned $30k for the way he wanted it was too high. Even $27k is a bit high in my opinion.

LexFather

Let them or anyone else show me a 5 seater with a great trunk, new tech that gets 42 MPG for under 30k.

Exactly

mmarshall

I respect your opinion, but, over and above the marketing hype, do you consider the Prius v a true 5-seater? It does, I'll admit, have decent rear-seat legroom and headroom for a guy my size (6' 2")...probably marginal for a guy your size (6' 4".........correct?). But for three adults in the back?......even three normal-sized ones? Not IMO. Not only that, but with a full-load (even two normal adults in the rear), this car would clearly struggle to start up from rest, even with the max electric-motor torque at low RPM.

LexFather

I have yet to sit in it but people have gotten soft. My dad tells stories of 5/6 people in an original mini-cooper, I never had issues with 5 people in a NIssan Sentra and sure as hell don't in any ES/GS/HS/RX etc etc....

Could things be roomier? I'm sure they can, so go buy an LS L or S c-lass LWB or a Sienna. Otherwise I'm sure room is fine. I'm fine in a Prius.

FYI the European model Prius V sits 7. We don't get that model b/c we are using the older/bigger batteries.

mmarshall

I remember the old attempts of college-kids trying to max-stuff the old air-cooled VW Beetles. (That was just a prank, of course....they didn't actually try and drive it that way). I don't know how they kept from suffocating.




Yes, I agree........but the GS, RX, and ES all are all substantially larger and more powerful than any Prius, including the new v . I see the HS, though, as being just as cramped as a Prius.

Can't comment on a Sentra.....I haven't reviewed or driven one lately, and I know the new ones are a little larger.. The older ones, though, were typical Japanese-compacts in size.




I am too....lightly loaded.

I think, in Europe, that engineers figure a smaller average-size adult than here. Still, 7 has to be pushing it.....if their version is the same size as ours.

Toys4RJill

And there is the lies the reason why the Prius V starting at $27k just won't make it. Its the same size as the Mazda5, has two less seats (even though it is designed for 3 rows) and performance will really suffer if you load this hybrid to the max.

Price it starting at $22k and topping at $27k and you have a winner. Add in the third row seat and you might just have a best seller.