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Hybrid: Which One Is Better?


shihanc

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Hi all,

Need your expert ideas on this. Planning to get a hybrid(Prius Gen-3 or Insight 2010), need to know which one is better?

Key areas;

  • Fuel Consumption
  • Maintenance cost
  • Safety and Performance
  • Availability of spare parts
  • Re-sale value
  • Know issues (If any)

Thanks in advance!

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Hi all,

Need your expert ideas on this. Planning to get a hybrid(Prius Gen-3 or Insight 2010), need to know which one is better?

Key areas;

  • Fuel Consumption
  • Maintenance cost
  • Safety and Performance
  • Availability of spare parts
  • Re-sale value
  • Know issues (If any)

Thanks in advance!

The answers to most of your questions aren't available since both cars only entered the market last year. So we can't comment on things like resale value, availability of spares, known issues as most of them haven't broken down or sold yet.

The only thing to point out is that the hybrid synergy drive of the Prius is a much more advanced and efficient system than the Insight (the prius is a true hybrid able to blend in power from the battery and the engine simultaneously rather than one or the other)so theoretically it should have better fuel consumption. It is also the best selling Hybrid in the world so if I really wanted a Hybrid it will be the one I will chose.

For reviews go to parkers.co.uk and select the model.

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Hi all,

Need your expert ideas on this. Planning to get a hybrid(Prius Gen-3 or Insight 2010), need to know which one is better?

Key areas;

  • Fuel Consumption
  • Maintenance cost
  • Safety and Performance
  • Availability of spare parts
  • Re-sale value
  • Know issues (If any)

Thanks in advance!

As a Prius gen2 user I can comment only on this.

Fuel economy combined 21km/l.

Maintenance is almost same or less than conventional vehicles since it's hybrid system is very reliable.

There are few places which bring down spare parts. And few places to do maintanance including toyota lanka.

Resale value is high at the moment as there is a big demand.

There are very few known issues related to the hybrid system.

Edited by rover
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Im not quite sure of the resale value since the battery of hybrid vehicle is expensive, when you use the car for more than 3 years, then I think the resale value will be lower to that of a conventional gasoline or diesel vehicle since you have to replace the battery. I just calculated the cost of fuel for a normal gasoline vehicle and a hybrid for a period of 5 years and added the value of a battery to the hybrid car, then the cost was more or less the same.

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Im not quite sure of the resale value since the battery of hybrid vehicle is expensive, when you use the car for more than 3 years, then I think the resale value will be lower to that of a conventional gasoline or diesel vehicle since you have to replace the battery. I just calculated the cost of fuel for a normal gasoline vehicle and a hybrid for a period of 5 years and added the value of a battery to the hybrid car, then the cost was more or less the same.

You have a point mate. But is it necessary to change the battery or just assuming?

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The Don: Thanks for the info and the link... Link is very useful indeed!

rover: Thanks for sharing your experience, may I ask what are the few issue that they have?

I was refering to the coolant pump failure of 2nd gen models upto 2007, and the ABS software malfunction of gen3 models built after 2010. You can find more about these if you do a search. Also go through few other websites also and do a thorough search. It's now possible to know your car inside and out even before buying it.

Edited by rover
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I was refering to the coolant pump failure of 2nd gen models upto 2007, and the ABS software malfunction of gen3 models built after 2010. You can find more about these if you do a search. Also go through few other websites also and do a thorough search. It's now possible to know your car inside and out even before buying it.

Will do rover. Thanks for your time. ;)

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You have a point mate. But is it necessary to change the battery or just assuming?

Well as you know with the type of batteries used (I think they are LiMh) they become less efficient over time and at some point they won't hold charge at all the same as all batteries so the battery will have to be replaced. Toyota thinks the battery will last at around 5 years but beyond that point its dependent on usage environment etc. So you have to factor that cost in when thinking of cost of ownership.

Also remember while as there are specialist part suppliers, service companies springing up all over town to service these vehicles, if you have been a member of this site for long enough you will know that there are not that many good mechanics around to even service conventional gasoline engines, so they will have to prove themselves as to how good they are when dealing with not only the hybrid engines but the very complicated electronics and also the drive train etc which also contain specialist parts. In the UK The Prius is rated very highly for its reliability but also noted for being one of the most expensive cars when it does require repair.

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Hi all,

Need your expert ideas on this. Planning to get a hybrid(Prius Gen-3 or Insight 2010), need to know which one is better?

Key areas;

  • Fuel Consumption
  • Maintenance cost
  • Safety and Performance
  • Availability of spare parts
  • Re-sale value
  • Know issues (If any)

Thanks in advance!

Hi Shihanc

Probably this is not answering any of you Questions. However Prius invading into the South Australian Taxi Fleet. They taking the place of bigger Holdens and Commodors etc. I have'nt seen any Insights in the Taxi fleet. There could be a reason for this replacement with Prius rather Insight {efficiency, durability, Parts(in Australia) etc}.

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As for me the HV battery is the least of my worries. It's The auxiliary 12v battery which will die after 5 years. Recently I did a general inspection of my car at Toyota Lanka. The inspection covered comprehensive analysis of the hybrid system as well as mechanical parts. My car is 4 years old and both batteries are still healthy.

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As for me the HV battery is the least of my worries. It's The auxiliary 12v battery which will die after 5 years. Recently I did a general inspection of my car at Toyota Lanka. The inspection covered comprehensive analysis of the hybrid system as well as mechanical parts. My car is 4 years old and both batteries are still healthy.

Is Toyota Lanka doing services and inspections on hybrids. Once I saw a paper advertisement saying they won't be able to help hybrid users since they don't have the trained mechanics and so on. Good to know that things have changed...

Edited by shihanc
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Is Toyota Lanka doing services and inspections on hybrids. Once I saw a paper advertisement saying they won't be able to help hybrid users since they don't have the trained mechanics and so on. Good to know that things have changed...

Well what's more interesting is that they don't bring it down brand new, at least not yet. But Toyota has invested a lot into Hybrid technology so it's probably only a matter of time. But at the moment Hybrids are only widely sold in Europe, North America and Japan.

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Is Toyota Lanka doing services and inspections on hybrids. Once I saw a paper advertisement saying they won't be able to help hybrid users since they don't have the trained mechanics and so on. Good to know that things have changed...

Lot of things have changed during the last year.Even the mentality of some people ;) .

Anyway FYI toyota Lanka advertised recently that they are fully equipped to handle hybrid maintenance. I had a chat with one of the supervisers there (at Maharagama branch) and he and few other guys had actually been to Japan for specialised training. Apparently he has stripped down a 3rd gen prius. But having said that I have to admitt still they have a lot to learn that comes only with experiance.

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Any inputs from insight owners...? I saw some banners + few latest insight models in one of their showroom (near baseline road; near welikada prison)... seems like they are launching it officially...

Edited by shihanc
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Both Toyota And Honda have pretty reliable Hybrid systems. if you ask me to choose i would go with the Toyota. My girlfriend owns a Civic hybrid and its been running great except for the Cvt transmission vibration (if you get regular transmission flushes with Honda CVT Fluid this problem will come in at higher mileage). on the other hand Toyota, i haven't heard anything wrong with their system. i have seen a Camry hybrid taxi with 280,000 Miles in Washington D.C with still original parts until this day. i have also seen quite a few Prius's making up to 200,000 mile mark.

if you look at statistically, battery failures in hybrids are very low. All batteries reduce its capacity and eventually fail. Longevity of the battery depends on the weather, how often you drive the car and the luck.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks guys, really appreciate your inputs... So I decided to go for the Toyota Prius... Today Morning I bought a "Toyota Prius S TOURING SELECTION 2010/09" from a Japaneses auction... :dance2:Will let you know the pros and cons in few weeks time... :)

Edited by shihanc
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Thanks guys, really appreciate your inputs... So I decided to go for the Toyota Prius... Today Morning I bought a "Toyota Prius S TOURING SELECTION 2010/09" from a Japaneses auction... :dance2:Will let you know the pros and cons in few weeks time... :)

Congrads on your purchase!. But I think you will be paying more if you are importing now due to the higher value of the dollar.

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