Does a Prius kick our butts? - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

unicycle · 11-20-2008, 08:58 PM

I've been borrowing my sis-in-law's Prius while my Cheewawa is being worked over for the 20K service. I have to say, it's awesome.

Driving at only mildly hypermiler speeds and styles, it can easily hit 50 mpg on the hway. I maintained 55 mph for about an hour. Since it was a bit downhill overall, I actually recorded mileage about 55 mpg, but on the return trip it was closer to 48 mpg. Wow.

Then there's slow and/or city driving. As long as you're below some speed (30 mph?), you're basically on battery mode. The thing gets even better mileage under some conditions. I drove the kids to school the past few days and had MPGs in the high 40s over about 30 miles, and again, I wasn't hypermiling it (like turning the car off at stops). Wow again.

All this with passenger room for 5. No wonder these cars are so popular. The trunk space is negligible, but it makes up for that with the passenger space and overall roominess for 4 or 5 ppl, and you can store things on the roof if necessary (unlike a smartie).

Oh, and it has cruise control!

Of course, there are a few things where the smart has the Prius beat:
1. Cuteness. No comparison.
2. Parking. OMG. By comparison, the Prius is a Sherman tank. I gave up trying to park in Manhattan today and had to sit in the car for half an hour. There were 'smart spots' all over the friggin' place but nowhere for a normal size Prius, let alone a behemoth like the big American car companies produce.

For me, it would have to be a smart; parking trumps everything at this point in my life. But for my wife (who has to ferry more than one kid at a time), it's the Prius. And if I didn't have to drive to Manhattan everyday.... Well, it would be close.

NCC1701 · 11-20-2008, 09:03 PM

Is the Prius as much fun to drive as a smart?
They sure cost more than a smart.
And then there's the recycling issue.

forestacademy · 11-20-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unicycle

I've been borrowing my sis-in-law's Prius while my Cheewawa is being worked over for the 20K service. I have to say, it's awesome.

Driving at only mildly hypermiler speeds and styles, it can easily hit 50 mpg on the hway. I maintained 55 mph for about an hour. Since it was a bit downhill overall, I actually recorded mileage about 55 mpg, but on the return trip it was closer to 48 mpg. Wow.

Then there's slow and/or city driving. As long as you're below some speed (30 mph?), you're basically on battery mode. The thing gets even better mileage under some conditions. I drove the kids to school the past few days and had MPGs in the high 40s over about 30 miles, and again, I wasn't hypermiling it (like turning the car off at stops). Wow again.

All this with passenger room for 5. No wonder these cars are so popular. The trunk space is negligible, but it makes up for that with the passenger space and overall roominess for 4 or 5 ppl, and you can store things on the roof if necessary (unlike a smartie).

Oh, and it has cruise control!

Of course, there are a few things where the smart has the Prius beat:
1. Cuteness. No comparison.
2. Parking. OMG. By comparison, the Prius is a Sherman tank. I gave up trying to park in Manhattan today and had to sit in the car for half an hour. There were 'smart spots' all over the friggin' place but nowhere for a normal size Prius, let alone a behemoth like the big American car companies produce.

For me, it would have to be a smart; parking trumps everything at this point in my life. But for my wife (who has to ferry more than one kid at a time), it's the Prius. And if I didn't have to drive to Manhattan everyday.... Well, it would be close.

For carying people and stuff the Prius is king for MPG
For carying the advaradge commuter the Smart kick its but. It would take a lot of miles to make up the price diference, and by the time you get to those miles (even more miles at todays gas prices) you may have to replace the batteries.

THe environmental impact of creating those bateries is quite high.

Their was a time I wanted one but could not afford the payments and wound up with a Versa. Im quite happy with it and it's fit and finish.

SuperGeek · 11-20-2008, 09:08 PM

I debated a Prius vs. the Smart when I made my purchase 6 months ago. My reasons for choosing the Smart:

1) Cost. $25-28k fully equipped Prius, vs $15k fully equipped Smart. It'd take me over 500,000 miles to make up the difference in fuel cost. In 6.5 months I've driven 3,700 miles.

2) Batteries - how long will the Prius battery last? Nobody seems to know; how much will it cost to replace in 8-10 years? Again, who knows? And the environmental impact... The Smart is recyclable and partially biodegradeable.

3) Ugly as sin. The Prius screams Hippie Soccer Mom - after I saw one with a soccer ball sticker on it with a kid's name, that just ruined it for me.

4) Size. I can whip into any parking spot, and am constantly amazed at the amount of free space I have when I think I'm too close to something. The Smart is the only car small enough to fit at some very crowded restaurants, where one or two neighboring cars will be just over the line. I have an extra two feet of space.

5) Uniqueness. Seriously, did Priuses get this much attention even when they were new?

vwW12 · 11-20-2008, 09:12 PM

«It'd take me over 500,000 miles to make up the difference in fuel cost.»

Hybrids are a niche market for those who can afford the luxury of paying more money for comparable transportation.

Kermit · 11-20-2008, 09:14 PM

Prius is an awesome geek car.

Smart is an awesome extrovert car (or closet wanna be extrovert).

I've driven quite a few hybrids and love them but most are bland....except the old Insights. I really miss my regular 70mpgs I got in that Insight. (65mpg average over 35k miles I had it).

For the most part....I got 2 Smarts for the price of one loaded out Prius. Double the smiles per miles and should something happen to one car, I have a backup. Enough said.