On Dec 29, 2006, at 9:14 AM, Tom C wrote: > Well sure that is progress, but it's done somewhat at the expense > of comfort > and performance. While there's nothing wrong with either of those
To my senses, the Prius comfort (measured in ride quality, interior noise, and support by the seat as it affects my back) is barely less than the posh BMW 500 series turbo-diesel sedan that I drove on the Isle of Man this past Fall, and it's roomier for my legs, holds more cargo as well That same BMW outperforms it on acceleration from a standing start easily, but in passing power from 60-80 mph seemed about the same to me. The BMW would achieve 37 mpg UK of diesel fuel when run at a constant speed in its best economy range, which is far less than I what I get overall with the Prius. > ... I think far more could be accomplished in the way of reducing > overall consumption. While I'm hopeful that this is true, there are some limits based upon physics and what you are willing to accept in the way of performance and comfort. To accelerate and sustain velocity for the mass of a vehicle will always take some amount of energy. Aerodynamic coefficients lower than 2.2 or so are very difficult to achieve without huge compromises, friction losses from bearings and tires are the same thing, so I don't know that getting double the fuel economy without large compromises to performance, safety, vehicle load capacity, and practical comfort is actually a reasonable expectation. > Comparing the Prius to the vehicles produced 15 - 30 years ago on the > comfort/performance scale is skewing things a little. The > comfort/perfromance of those older vehicles was acceptable to the > purchasers > and they got close to the same mpg. I don't see how what I was willing to accept/afford for the 1981 Toyota Tercel has any bearing on an objective ranking in these matters. Compared to that car, the Prius is a far more comfortable, quieter, roomier car with much more performance. > On the 1/10 emissions, I agree that's important. At least we can agree on something here... ;-) G -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
