About Time Machine: Prius v Takes Me Past and Present Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/about-time-machine-prius-v-takes-me-past-and-present-165
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 by admin
Toyota introduced the original 2001 Prius to the U.S. in Y2K, nearly a dozen years ago. Since then, Japan’s behemoth automaker has sold a cool two million of its shovel-nose gas-electric, with half that tally being consumed in the United States. In Los Angeles, the Prius is conspicuously common and comprehensibly cool-about as ubiquitous as a Hollywood wannabe yet as special as a Hollywood star. That it took Toyota well over a decade to give its haute hybrid a sibling brings one thought to mind: What took so long?
I spent a weekend with the Prius’ new big little brother, the Prius v, and came away trying to convince my wife she needs one. Toyota says the v stands for versatile, although van seems more apropos. At 181.7 inches long, 69.9 wide, and 63.0 tall, the v is slightly smaller than the original 1995 Honda Odyssey, a vehicle that, while not a huge sales success, set Honda down the path of minivan greatness.
Both the Prius v and Gen 1 Odyssey have four conventional doors (slide this, modern haulers) and share comparable anteater profiles. The v is 17 years the Odyssey’s junior, and although its style is reminiscent of the Honda’s, its performance is a remarkable sign of progress. Consider the following: The 3500-pound Odyssey had a 2.2-liter four-cylinder and four-speed auto good for 140 horsepower, could get from 0 to 60 in 10.3 seconds, and ran the quarter mile in 18.3 at 76.9 mph. The 3400-pound Prius v, in contrast, uses a 1.8-liter four (plus electric motors) paired to a CVT to dispatch 134 horses, to go from 0 to 60 in 10.2, and run the quarter mile in 17.6 at 78.2. I know what you’re thinking: Those are such similar stats, so where’s the progress? In a single word: Efficiency.
In 17 years’ time, Toyota has figured out how to build a vehicle of Odyssey mass and speed that is 115 percent more fuel-efficient. Think about that: For every 10 gallons of gas the Odyssey drinks, the Prius v sips just 4.7. That equates not only to significantly less fuel usage on the front end, but also a monumental emissions reduction on the back end. Over a 15,000-mile period, the Prius v would burn through about 356 gallons of gas (at a cost of roughly $1300) and emit around 3.45 tons of CO2. The Odyssey? Make that 765 gallons (around $2800) and 7.43 tons.
Even compared with a modern mini minivan such as the 2012 Mazda5, the Prius v deserves LEED certification. At 42 mpg combined, the Toyota flips the Mazda’s combo of 24, essentially doubling efficiency and halving emissions. Ford’s upcoming C-Max van was going to come stateside with a standard gas-only engine. But with the Prius v’s arrival, Ford is switching to solely gas-electric.
And the C-Max better be fun to drive, because the v is-something I never expected to say about an oversized Prius. Thanks to Toyota’s Pitch and Bounce Control technology, which uses electric-motor torque to neutralize unwanted vehicle behavior, not to mention available W-rated tires capable of another 65 mph on top of the v’s 103-mph top speed, the plump Prius stays surprisingly flat through aggressive cornering and feels-dare I say?- sporty. The v is proof that quick and powerful aren’t prerequisites for fun to drive.
Since the original Prius, Toyota has clearly been onto something special. Over three generations, the Prius’ technology and MO have been envied and imitated, always to less success. The v’s arrival might be a bit tardy, but better late than never, although I doubt the competition feels that way.
I spent a weekend with the Prius’ new big little brother, the Prius v, and came away trying to convince my wife she needs one. Toyota says the v stands for versatile, although van seems more apropos. At 181.7 inches long, 69.9 wide, and 63.0 tall, the v is slightly smaller than the original 1995 Honda Odyssey, a vehicle that, while not a huge sales success, set Honda down the path of minivan greatness.
Both the Prius v and Gen 1 Odyssey have four conventional doors (slide this, modern haulers) and share comparable anteater profiles. The v is 17 years the Odyssey’s junior, and although its style is reminiscent of the Honda’s, its performance is a remarkable sign of progress. Consider the following: The 3500-pound Odyssey had a 2.2-liter four-cylinder and four-speed auto good for 140 horsepower, could get from 0 to 60 in 10.3 seconds, and ran the quarter mile in 18.3 at 76.9 mph. The 3400-pound Prius v, in contrast, uses a 1.8-liter four (plus electric motors) paired to a CVT to dispatch 134 horses, to go from 0 to 60 in 10.2, and run the quarter mile in 17.6 at 78.2. I know what you’re thinking: Those are such similar stats, so where’s the progress? In a single word: Efficiency.
In 17 years’ time, Toyota has figured out how to build a vehicle of Odyssey mass and speed that is 115 percent more fuel-efficient. Think about that: For every 10 gallons of gas the Odyssey drinks, the Prius v sips just 4.7. That equates not only to significantly less fuel usage on the front end, but also a monumental emissions reduction on the back end. Over a 15,000-mile period, the Prius v would burn through about 356 gallons of gas (at a cost of roughly $1300) and emit around 3.45 tons of CO2. The Odyssey? Make that 765 gallons (around $2800) and 7.43 tons.
Even compared with a modern mini minivan such as the 2012 Mazda5, the Prius v deserves LEED certification. At 42 mpg combined, the Toyota flips the Mazda’s combo of 24, essentially doubling efficiency and halving emissions. Ford’s upcoming C-Max van was going to come stateside with a standard gas-only engine. But with the Prius v’s arrival, Ford is switching to solely gas-electric.
And the C-Max better be fun to drive, because the v is-something I never expected to say about an oversized Prius. Thanks to Toyota’s Pitch and Bounce Control technology, which uses electric-motor torque to neutralize unwanted vehicle behavior, not to mention available W-rated tires capable of another 65 mph on top of the v’s 103-mph top speed, the plump Prius stays surprisingly flat through aggressive cornering and feels-dare I say?- sporty. The v is proof that quick and powerful aren’t prerequisites for fun to drive.
Since the original Prius, Toyota has clearly been onto something special. Over three generations, the Prius’ technology and MO have been envied and imitated, always to less success. The v’s arrival might be a bit tardy, but better late than never, although I doubt the competition feels that way.
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