Toyota Prius...Anyone?

[Bkkorupcountry]

Prius has good milage only at moderate speeds

The way I look at it, especially considering Bkk traffic, I will only be driving at moderate speeds and the bumper to bumper situationsare the perfect scenarios for the Prius. I will probably be having a grin on my face as I inch forward using only my electric motor whilst everyone else will be literally pressing money down drain with their foot with every tap of the accelerator. During my test drive yesterday in Sanam Pao (not exactly Sukhumvit / Asoke where I live), I could hardly get my speed above 60 km/h so I reckon this is where my investment is justified.

Prius versys BMW M3 V8, Prius used more fuel driven at same speed

For starters, I don't think I could afford a BMW M3 V8. Secondly, real life driving is such that one has to navigate through lots of city traffic being getting to the open road for fuel consumption mileage comparisons purposes. Thirdly, I imagine that a single BMW service would equate to 3? Toyota services.

Ultimately, as a 50 yr old professional with a baby on the way, my days of flooring pedals are a bit past me. Also, I'm not a speed freak, preferring instead to cruise comfortably and listening to Dire Straits and Al Stewart. Finally, I reckon this car will be low on the list of car thieves

[Bkkorupcountry]

Ford Focus diesel is much greener, drives much better and cost less

Diesel is not "green". That's why they can't sell the Focus (or any Diesel car) in the USA - ... Diesels have a lot of advantages, I drive one too, but being green is not one of them.

Those slagging the Prius - sorry but that's just bizarre. The Prius was the first hybrid car, introduced over 10 years ago; it had lots of technological advancements to make it not only possible, but also practical. That's why it became a best seller. People don't want to compromise on power, or range, or, really, anything - in order to save the environment.

No Diesel can match the city rating for a Prius. A Diesel is great on the highway, but in stop and go traffic and lots of kms on very short routes, it's terrible. That's where the Hybrids shine.

Ok so it looks like a shoe. But it's a good car. Really exciting it's coming to Thailand. 1.2M is a bit steep though. You didn't think Thailand would give tax breaks to environmentally friendly cars - oh no!

1.2 million for the new one, what was the price of the old one ?

Was one in a Tent the other week a 2005, price 910.000 baht. Do they hold there price or was the old model far more expensive ?

Slight correction. Car is actually 1,290,000. I definitely won't pay 910,000 for a 2005 model as this would be Generation 2 and the new one (Gen 3) is a huge revamp in terms of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system, as well as lots of interior and exterior modifications. It seems to me that they must be holding their value quite well if a Tent can even consider listing a second hand at this price so maybe mine was not a bad financial decision as well, something I'm not exactly famed for (just ask my stock broker)

Edited June 25, 2011 by Bkkorupcountry

[katabeachbum]

Prius has good milage only at moderate speeds

The way I look at it, especially considering Bkk traffic, I will only be driving at moderate speeds and the bumper to bumper situationsare the perfect scenarios for the Prius. I will probably be having a grin on my face as I inch forward using only my electric motor whilst everyone else will be literally pressing money down drain with their foot with every tap of the accelerator. During my test drive yesterday in Sanam Pao (not exactly Sukhumvit / Asoke where I live), I could hardly get my speed above 60 km/h so I reckon this is where my investment is justified.

Prius versys BMW M3 V8, Prius used more fuel driven at same speed

For starters, I don't think I could afford a BMW M3 V8. Secondly, real life driving is such that one has to navigate through lots of city traffic being getting to the open road for fuel consumption mileage comparisons purposes. Thirdly, I imagine that a single BMW service would equate to 3? Toyota services.

Ultimately, as a 50 yr old professional with a baby on the way, my days of flooring pedals are a bit past me. Also, I'm not a speed freak, preferring instead to cruise comfortably and listening to Dire Straits and Al Stewart. Finally, I reckon this car will be low on the list of car thieves

As for fuel costs, Thailand most sold taxis Toyota Altis CNG uses a few satang in fuel for every baht in a Prius, and it costs like 850k baht equipped like Prius but a larger car

BMW M3 is just one example to show how energy/fuel consuming Prius is when covering distance within a time frame

If you only need 60 kmh and want to save fuel, you could have chosen something like this

Sorry, couldnt resist :jap:

Was very curious abot Camry and Prius Hybrid, but have found them to be environmental jokes.

Thai Government and tax rules favour hybrids and ethanol, thus we wont see the real environmental friendly cars here. Volvo eDrive V70, a large estate with state of the art diesel tech, has emissions like 115g/km and covers +20km/ liter in a car capable of 0-100kmh in 10 seconds and tops 200kmh. Real world figures.

Side by side with Prius covering BKK-Hua Hin in 2 hours I assume the Volvo Estate would do it with 1/2 of the fuel. In 3 hours, 2/3 of the fuel

BTW changing to 17 inchers, done on the Volvo emission and milage is changed so much, it moves up 200k baht in taxes in some European countries. Taxes based on emission = milage

[Bkkorupcountry]

As for fuel costs, Thailand most sold taxis Toyota Altis CNG uses a few satang in fuel for every baht in a Prius, and it costs like 850k baht equipped like Prius but a larger car

My wife's ex-employer drives an Altis so that rules that out : D . Also, have you seen the queues for CNG at the fuel stations? And with a CNG tank at the back of the car, where do I put my golf bag and the baby cot? Street cred is also different

BMW M3 is just one example to show how energy/fuel consuming Prius is when covering distance within a time frame

This actually flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Top Gear is one of my fav programs but I think we all know that Jeremy Clarkson is not exactly the most objective reviewer on record. TG is also more of an entertainment program than a serious car show and the comparison between the Beemer and the Prius is nothing more than entertainment.

If you only need 60 kmh and want to save fuel, you could have chosen something like this

Sorry, couldnt resist :jap:

Good one but saving fuel is not my main consideration so I'll pass.

Was very curious abot Camry and Prius Hybrid, but have found them to be environmental jokes.

Thai Government and tax rules favour hybrids and ethanol, thus we wont see the real environmental friendly cars here. Volvo eDrive V70, a large estate with state of the art diesel tech, has emissions like 115g/km and covers +20km/ liter in a car capable of 0-100kmh in 10 seconds and tops 200kmh. Real world figures.

Can't get the eDrive V70 in Thailand (that I know of) so that's out of the question. Also, have driven Volvos in the past (S80, XC90) and not impressed at all. The XC90 in particular is a monster (in a bad way) to drive, especially in town. Turning radius that of a super tanker - 3 point turns at every ramp in the parking lot of most office buildings.

Side by side with Prius covering BKK-Hua Hin in 2 hours I assume the Volvo Estate would do it with 1/2 of the fuel. In 3 hours, 2/3 of the fuel

Isn't driving for the sake of driving supposed to be fun? I would happily cover Bkk-Hua Hin in 3 hrs and I reckon with the proper driving technique for Hybrids, I would use only 2/3 of the fuel of a Volvo. Pure conjecture of course.

BTW changing to 17 inchers, done on the Volvo emission and milage is changed so much, it moves up 200k baht in taxes in some European countries. Taxes based on emission = milage

My reasons for buying the Prius would naturally differ from many on this forum, due to priorities and circumstances. I'm hoping that the Prius, while far from being the best car out there in terms of performance, price and mileage, gives me the best balance.

[katabeachbum]

As for fuel costs, Thailand most sold taxis Toyota Altis CNG uses a few satang in fuel for every baht in a Prius, and it costs like 850k baht equipped like Prius but a larger car

My wife's ex-employer drives an Altis so that rules that out : D . Also, have you seen the queues for CNG at the fuel stations? And with a CNG tank at the back of the car, where do I put my golf bag and the baby cot? Street cred is also different

BMW M3 is just one example to show how energy/fuel consuming Prius is when covering distance within a time frame

This actually flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Top Gear is one of my fav programs but I think we all know that Jeremy Clarkson is not exactly the most objective reviewer on record. TG is also more of an entertainment program than a serious car show and the comparison between the Beemer and the Prius is nothing more than entertainment.

If you only need 60 kmh and want to save fuel, you could have chosen something like this

Sorry, couldnt resist :jap:

Good one but saving fuel is not my main consideration so I'll pass.

Was very curious abot Camry and Prius Hybrid, but have found them to be environmental jokes.

Thai Government and tax rules favour hybrids and ethanol, thus we wont see the real environmental friendly cars here. Volvo eDrive V70, a large estate with state of the art diesel tech, has emissions like 115g/km and covers +20km/ liter in a car capable of 0-100kmh in 10 seconds and tops 200kmh. Real world figures.

Can't get the eDrive V70 in Thailand (that I know of) so that's out of the question. Also, have driven Volvos in the past (S80, XC90) and not impressed at all. The XC90 in particular is a monster (in a bad way) to drive, especially in town. Turning radius that of a super tanker - 3 point turns at every ramp in the parking lot of most office buildings.

Side by side with Prius covering BKK-Hua Hin in 2 hours I assume the Volvo Estate would do it with 1/2 of the fuel. In 3 hours, 2/3 of the fuel

Isn't driving for the sake of driving supposed to be fun? I would happily cover Bkk-Hua Hin in 3 hrs and I reckon with the proper driving technique for Hybrids, I would use only 2/3 of the fuel of a Volvo. Pure conjecture of course.

BTW changing to 17 inchers, done on the Volvo emission and milage is changed so much, it moves up 200k baht in taxes in some European countries. Taxes based on emission = milage

My reasons for buying the Prius would naturally differ from many on this forum, due to priorities and circumstances. I'm hoping that the Prius, while far from being the best car out there in terms of performance, price and mileage, gives me the best balance.

Wishing you all the best with your Prius. Its not a bad car. Its just marketing it as the Environmental Supercar is a total miss

[MoonRiverOasis]

Pushing all the green arguments to the side, ignoring the cheap plastics, and it's B-segment NVH and dynamics, the real problem with the Prius is price - at 1.2 - 1.3M Baht it just doesn't stack up, no matter how you try to manipulate the numbers.

As KBB noted, for 800K Baht you could buy an Altis CNG, which no matter how you add the numbers is substantially less costly to own, and arguably better for the environment.

You've also got the Lancer EX 1.8L FFV, which runs on cleaner burning, and only 22B/Litre E85 (though currently only really available in BKK). The Lancer EX is more stylish, better finished, better equipped, better handling, better NVH, less environmental waste, and a full 40HP more than the Thai 1.8L Prius...

And with a running cost of ~ 2.00 Baht/KM vs. the Prius' ~1.75 Baht/KM, the Prius would need some 1,600,000 KM to just break even against it

Just my 2 Baht

[wandrinstar]

MRO,I love the Plastics comment. Why did they use cheaper plastics in it?.. "Hello Toyota here", got some cheap Plastic for our Prius ?.. Pray explain.... Like my Dentist, she just liked it because they both play Golf. Many folks don't care about much other than it suits them.

[Bkkorupcountry]

Pushing all the green arguments to the side, ignoring the cheap plastics, and it's B-segment NVH and dynamics, the real problem with the Prius is price - at 1.2 - 1.3M Baht it just doesn't stack up, no matter how you try to manipulate the numbers.

As KBB noted, for 800K Baht you could buy an Altis CNG, which no matter how you add the numbers is substantially less costly to own, and arguably better for the environment.

You've also got the Lancer EX 1.8L FFV, which runs on cleaner burning, and only 22B/Litre E85 (though currently only really available in BKK). The Lancer EX is more stylish, better finished, better equipped, better handling, better NVH, less environmental waste, and a full 40HP more than the Thai 1.8L Prius...

And with a running cost of ~ 2.00 Baht/KM vs. the Prius' ~1.75 Baht/KM, the Prius would need some 1,600,000 KM to just break even against it

Just my 2 Baht

I defer to your far superior knowledge adn expertise in all this. Ultimately, buying a car is a very subjective and qualitative decision and not always based on cold hard facts (very much like choosing a wife I guess ). It's hard to put a value on the convenience of a hatch back for eg but some people would never be caught dead driving one. I drive a CLK in Kuala Lumpur but this is far from the best car I've driven performance wise. However, you can always be sure the hotel valets will be racing to park it for you in anticipation of higher tips.

I'm really hoping that I will be happy with my purchase - will put some feedback up after having driven it for a while. Can hardly wait till Monday

[Bkkorupcountry]

MRO,I love the Plastics comment. Why did they use cheaper plastics in it?.. "Hello Toyota here", got some cheap Plastic for our Prius ?.. Pray explain.... Like my Dentist, she just liked it because they both play Golf. Many folks don't care about much other than it suits them.

Ha, I thought you were sitting in your Lady Dentist's chair, not her car

I agree with MRO's comments that the figures don't stack up but hey, marrying absolutely, completely does not stack up financially either. Having said that, I've been married and divorced twice so don't sought me out for investment advice. Considering that I'm a qualified accountant, one might want to consider taking an accounting degree from Melb Uni

[MoonRiverOasis]

I agree with MRO's comments that the figures don't stack up but hey, marrying absolutely, completely does not stack up financially either. Having said that, I've been married and divorced twice so don't sought me out for investment advice. Considering that I'm a qualified accountant, one might want to consider taking an accounting degree from Melb Uni

I didn't mean to offend - the Prius just happens to be one of those few cars I don't understand at all

I'm sure it won't turn out to be a bad choice - it's pretty hard to lose with a Toyota in TH, so TCO should work out just fine - definitely way better TCO than marriage

Edited June 25, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[Bkkorupcountry]

I agree with MRO's comments that the figures don't stack up but hey, marrying absolutely, completely does not stack up financially either. Having said that, I've been married and divorced twice so don't sought me out for investment advice. Considering that I'm a qualified accountant, one might want to consider taking an accounting degree from Melb Uni

I didn't mean to offend - the Prius just happens to be one of those few cars I don't understand at all

I'm sure it won't turn out to be a bad choice - it's pretty hard to lose with a Toyota in TH, so TCO should work out just fine - definitely way better TCO than marriage

Haha, no offence taken at all. In fact, all your posts on this and other threads have been most informative. As a real car enthusiast, I understand completely that a Prius is unlikely to tickle your fancy. Sadly, some of us have to compromise on our decisions

[wandrinstar]

Even if you drive hi mileage,im often shocked my Average Speed Gadget say 14/15 KPH.and i rarely go into Cities.So perhaps you new Car will be worthwhile, long term.That Que for Gas is getting longer, im happy im not in it.

[Atmos]

About 4yrs ago a NZ taxi company started in Wellington - Green Cabs - using Toyota Prius vehicles.

Just looked and they are still going, have expanded operations to Auckland and Queenstown, and still using the Prius.

As taxis they'd have high mileage by now.

About the same time friends bought one, saw them last month and still happy with it.

Expensive though - from the NZ Toyota site Hybrid 5 Dr Hatch 49,690; Hybrid i-Tech 5 Dr Hatch $63,690 that's 1.2 - 1.6m baht.

By comparison the Corolla range is from $30-39,000.

[wandrinstar]

About 4yrs ago a NZ taxi company started in Wellington - Green Cabs - using Toyota Prius vehicles.

Just looked and they are still going, have expanded operations to Auckland and Queenstown, and still using the Prius.

As taxis they'd have high mileage by now.

About the same time friends bought one, saw them last month and still happy with it.

Expensive though - from the NZ Toyota site Hybrid 5 Dr Hatch 49,690; Hybrid i-Tech 5 Dr Hatch $63,690 that's 1.2 - 1.6m baht.

By comparison the Corolla range is from $30-39,000.

Pehaps like here Toyota do a Taxi Version,and Tax Relief eases the price.Also if you do Taxis,the Sales Figures look good.Honda Sales are not that bad for example if you subtract Toyotas Taxi Fleet Sales.