Conveyor Belt
05-18-2008, 08:19 PM
We are recently returned from a trip to Disney. I got a guy at Toyota, so I decided to rent from there for the trip. I was originally going to get an Avalon. Why not ride in the seat of comfort? However, as gas prices soared, I rethought my desire for luxury in favor for ease on the pocketbook. I switched to a Prius instead of the Avalon.
I didn't know what to expect with this car. A car's a car, right? Wrong. Wow. The car looks small on the outside, but it's roomy inside. Big enough for my 380 lbs gut to have plenty of room between me and the steering wheel. Seat belts are large enough to easily swoop around me. And the cargo area is big enough to pack luggage and an ice chest for a family of 3 to go on a 10 day vacation and have room enough for souvenirs on the return.
The car is well thought out. It takes a bit of time to get used to the smaller than normal steering wheel. At first, it felt like a golf cart, but in time, it seemed like this was how steering wheels were supposed to feel all along. The almost wind shield mounted dash takes some time, too, but it works great. The touch screen system in the car is great. It constantly informs you of what is powering what. The engine is sending power to the electric motor to charge the battery, the front wheels are sending power to the electric motor to charge the battery, the gas engine is off and the car is being powered by the battery alone, etc. Instant MPG readings give you feedback so you can milk the most from the gasoline in the tank, which is a bit over 10 gallons.
The car is small, but doesn't bounce around too much on the interstate at 77mph, which is the speed we went the entire way from Petal to Orlando. We averaged 42MPG on the highway. The EPA sticker on the window says 45MPG highway. I've never come so close to an EPA rating in a car. Never.
Acceleration is great and I had no trouble weaving in and out of traffic when needed.
The continuously variable transmission is also fantastic. You never shift, so it makes the car seem sooo smooth. One of the few drawbacks I noticed was when the gas engine would cut on and off. You could hear it and sometimes feel it, and it makes you feel like the car's gone dead. It's unnerving and would take longer than the 10 days I had the car to get used to it. However, taking off at a moderate pace and keeping only the battery powering the car is fantastic. It's quite and smooth. Great!
So, on the trip, we logged around 1300 miles. I have the gas receipts and we bought just over 29 gallons of gasoline at $112.
When we turned the car in and I got into my wifes car, it just felt so antiquated. It's a 2000 Stratus, and I just felt like I was wasting gasoline... sitting there idling. Or using gas while I was braking for a light. Why isn't the car using the energy of the car braking to power the car later? I swear, I feel so ripped off driving a regular car now.
After the student loans are paid off, a hybrid or full electric car are 1st on my list of things to buy.
I feel like such a sucker having a full gasoline car.
I didn't know what to expect with this car. A car's a car, right? Wrong. Wow. The car looks small on the outside, but it's roomy inside. Big enough for my 380 lbs gut to have plenty of room between me and the steering wheel. Seat belts are large enough to easily swoop around me. And the cargo area is big enough to pack luggage and an ice chest for a family of 3 to go on a 10 day vacation and have room enough for souvenirs on the return.
The car is well thought out. It takes a bit of time to get used to the smaller than normal steering wheel. At first, it felt like a golf cart, but in time, it seemed like this was how steering wheels were supposed to feel all along. The almost wind shield mounted dash takes some time, too, but it works great. The touch screen system in the car is great. It constantly informs you of what is powering what. The engine is sending power to the electric motor to charge the battery, the front wheels are sending power to the electric motor to charge the battery, the gas engine is off and the car is being powered by the battery alone, etc. Instant MPG readings give you feedback so you can milk the most from the gasoline in the tank, which is a bit over 10 gallons.
The car is small, but doesn't bounce around too much on the interstate at 77mph, which is the speed we went the entire way from Petal to Orlando. We averaged 42MPG on the highway. The EPA sticker on the window says 45MPG highway. I've never come so close to an EPA rating in a car. Never.
Acceleration is great and I had no trouble weaving in and out of traffic when needed.
The continuously variable transmission is also fantastic. You never shift, so it makes the car seem sooo smooth. One of the few drawbacks I noticed was when the gas engine would cut on and off. You could hear it and sometimes feel it, and it makes you feel like the car's gone dead. It's unnerving and would take longer than the 10 days I had the car to get used to it. However, taking off at a moderate pace and keeping only the battery powering the car is fantastic. It's quite and smooth. Great!
So, on the trip, we logged around 1300 miles. I have the gas receipts and we bought just over 29 gallons of gasoline at $112.
When we turned the car in and I got into my wifes car, it just felt so antiquated. It's a 2000 Stratus, and I just felt like I was wasting gasoline... sitting there idling. Or using gas while I was braking for a light. Why isn't the car using the energy of the car braking to power the car later? I swear, I feel so ripped off driving a regular car now.
After the student loans are paid off, a hybrid or full electric car are 1st on my list of things to buy.
I feel like such a sucker having a full gasoline car.