[nascarnation]

I remember when the Prius first came out in the late 90s.
Everyone talked about how the battery replacement cost would make them unsaleable after 5 or 6 years.

Yet I’ve never found anyone willing to give me their used Prius....

[paterfamilias]

“I remember when the Prius first came out in the late 90s.
Everyone talked about how the battery replacement cost would make them unsaleable after 5 or 6 years.

Yet I’ve never found anyone willing to give me their used Prius....”

I think the Prius is a well-designed, well-executed hybrid, and is the paradigm for this class of cars.

However, Prius owners are motivated by different things than other motorists: they are greenies, they feel edified by their low fossil fuel use, they are not particularly interested in driving, and they are looking for an appliance to get them from place to place.

A case in point: I have been friends with a typical liberal New England yuppie couple for many years.

He, a Liberal weenie lawyer who does not know one end of a screwdriver from the other, has a 2nd-generation Prius, which has served him very, very well. She, a physician from an old New England family, drove a VW Passat wagon, recently replaced with a Jetta TDI Sportwagen.

She HATES the Prius because of heavy steering, large turning circle (even the much larger Passat wagon had a much smaller turning circle), and harsh, uncomfortable ride.

The difference? Although by no means a motorhead, she ENJOYS driving and appreciates a well-handling car. She is unwilling to trade a fun but utilitarian vehicle for a boring one.

Do this simple test: as you drive around, see if any Prius drivers seem to be having a good time, as opposed to those driving any “driver’s car.”

[jimmyray]

QUOTE: I remember when the Prius first came out in the late 90s. Everyone talked about how the battery replacement cost would make them unsaleable after 5 or 6 years.

I remember that too. However, the big difference is the Prius uses NiMh batteries, where the Volt uses Li-ion. The Prius battery is ~$2500 plus labor, and is a relatively small battery.

The Prius battery has a capacity of only 1.3kWh, weighs 42 kg (93 lb)

The Volt's lithium-ion battery (Li-ion) battery pack weighs 435 lb (197 kg), and has a capacity of 16 kW•h.