"Baxter" wrote:
>
> "SMS" wrote:
>>
>> A Toyota Corolla driven at 65 mpg gets better highway mpg than a
>> Prius driven at the same speed, without all the environmental issues.
> ---------
> The Corolla sells for a Blue Book reduced price of $17,083. The car,
> according to the EPA, gets 26 miles to a gallon in the city and 34 on
> the highway.
>
> With the Prius we find a new car Blue Book price of $21,900 for the
> base model. The EPA gas mileage estimate for the vehicle is 60 mpg in
> the city and 51 on the highway.
The problem with the EPA highway estimate is that it is based on a speed
profile that assumes the average speed is 48 mph, and doesn't go above 60
mph at any point. It is therefore completely useless when comparing
vehicles at the speeds seen on interstates.
Consumer reports found that the EPA highway estimates for hybrid vehicles
grossly underestimated the fuel consumed when they were used on
interstates. That is part of the reason the method of calculation is
being redone by the EPA for the next model years.
Some discussion of the issues:
http://tinyurl.com/n77q6
http://tinyurl.com/2tsxwl
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/118986/article.html
http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023460
As to the contention that the Corolla would have better mileage than the
Prius, that is probably not true, but the actual mileage will likely be
closer than the EPA estimates would imply. |