Is Cars Guide biased?

**The_Hawk** · 30-04-2012, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by kaanage

The Priuses aren't plug-in hybrids - think of them as having KERS.

I think the general media are infatuated with hybrids due to heavy lobbying by the Japanese.

Yep I know that, it just seems like a very low number almost making the electric part pointless? Assuming you can run even 5km on batteries over a 30km trek (assuming it regains power as it goes) is a 16% reduction in fuel powered driving worth lugging about the additional electric engine and all that?

**Spyda** · 03-05-2012, 04:11 PM

Why dont they mention that the batteries in the prius need to be replaced, at a masive cost (at about a third the cost of the car) and are not recyclable? All hybrids are a full of it in regards to economy and being environmentaly friendly.

**kaanage** · 03-05-2012, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by The_Hawk

Yep I know that, it just seems like a very low number almost making the electric part pointless? Assuming you can run even 5km on batteries over a 30km trek (assuming it regains power as it goes) is a 16% reduction in fuel powered driving worth lugging about the additional electric engine and all that?

Not really. I hate the Prius (and Lexus hybrids) but it does work well in traffic where you start/stop a lot and the battery acts as a sort of speed averaging device for engine loading. It does require that you actively use the brakes a lot to kick in the energy recovery so you have to drive in a rather choppy manner to get the best out of it (the "Engine Braking" B mode isn't as efficient if you continually select that for gently coasting down the way you would do with a normal car).

If you look at an F1 car, KERS would provide bugger all drive on its own but is useful as a short term boost.

The batteries should be as recyclable as any other lithium-ion battery.

**Greg Roles** · 03-05-2012, 05:18 PM

Don't know about reporter bias, but I can report that an extended 2 week stint on the poxy space saver spare, including one very slow trip an hour west to Toowoomba, showed me that apart from being speed limited and noisy, the space saver is a lot better than you would think! Does excellent single spinner burnouts too!

**THE_EGG** · 03-05-2012, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by Greg Roles

Don't know about reporter bias, but I can report that an extended 2 week stint on the poxy space saver spare, including one very slow trip an hour west to Toowoomba, showed me that apart from being speed limited and noisy, the space saver is a lot better than you would think! Does excellent single spinner burnouts too!

lol...

**GarryO** · 03-05-2012, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by kaanage

The batteries should be as recyclable as any other lithium-ion battery.

And here is one of the main reasons why it just doesn't happen.

**PassatB6** · 03-05-2012, 08:58 PM

Back to Transporters comments.. The Prius C is pretty much a Toyota Yaris hybrid which will be sold in Europe. The Yaris currently doesn't compete well with the VW UP! or Skoda Citigo which look like dominating that segment.

VW POLO WCOTY 2010 "nothing to write home about"??? By calling this Toyota a 'Prius', Toyota are hoping to lift the image of an otherwise unattractive and boring vehicle which is basically a reworked Yaris. Review looks way off to me, little effort put in. I wonder if he even drove the vehicles.

**Diesel_vert** · 03-05-2012, 09:08 PM

All publications (and people for that matter) exhibit a degree of bias. It's up to the reader how they choose to digest it.

In regards to VW reviews, I've seen many articles that either excessively praise or overly criticise in equal measure.

I usually don't take reviews at face value, and I personally confirm or nullify their findings by going for a test drive myself.