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Comments
How did your leather come out?
It seems to be geared fairly tall. I'd guess engine revs at 2500-3000 rpm for 70 mph cruising, based on sound and feel.
Since the last time I testdrive the Prius, it was a disapointment in the power department...
As I understand it from the Prius, and it may be different with the TCH, the Atkinson cycle engine turns at about 1600 rpms while cruising but frequently it can be 'turned down' for periods to under 1000 rpms....all while cruising at say 60 or 65 or 70.
If you let your foot off the pedal and begin to coast/slow down then the engine often goes to idle til under 42 mph when it can just shut down. With pressure on the pedal then it starts instantly.
That may be true, but IMHO, it costs more, uses more gas, and doesn't look as good doing it.
I asked a simple question, which you refused to answer, for some reason. I didn't ask the question as a loaded question. I am sincerely interested in hearing the opinion of someone who has driven both the TCH and the HAH. I do not own either, and both of them are interesting to me. I wish there WERE more discussion on the forum you suggest, but there isn't.
When I eventually get mine, I'd like to lay some tape measures in there or some type of grid pattern so people can better bask in the smallness of the trunk!
And on top of that, I think the 2006 Accord is unattractive...
Have you tried the HAH forum over on greenhybrid.com?
I have just ordered my TCH fully loaded. The dealer was unable to tell me if it would come with the remote start option. Is that odd that they couldn't tell me? Does anyone know if it comes with the fully loaded model? Thank you.
I think they did a pretty good job. The leather's a little thicker than the factory leather would probably be, but it matches the textured plastic perfectly :-) I was concerned about the back seat area in the corners down where it meets the carpet coming up from the floor, but looking at the pictures of the car in the most recent eBay listing, I think the corner "flare" I'm seeing is normal.
For anyone waiting on a TCH, there are a LOT of them showing in inventories in the Houston area now... I'm even seeing some that only have leather without Nav or moonroof.
Interesting... Last I read on the HyHi thread, HyHi sales (number-wise) are ~34% of the total Highlander sales...
Hong.
:confuse:
:-)
Wicked cool. Grab the handle, touch the brake pedal and push the start button..........
If you accelerate like hell to get up to speed quickly you then get into coast mode sooner or does that burn more gas than a smooth gentle acceleration but that takes longer to get up to speed. Would be interested to know your opinions/understanding of this question.
I though I had read that the internal combustion engine was most efficient under full accleration load so my gut feeling is hard acceleration up to speed quickly would end up with better economy.
Any engineers in the know out there????
All TCHs are keyless- pushbutton starting.
tom
It was originally thought that using the battery to slowly creep up to speed of say 20-ish mph would be the best use of the system. This is the view that many, including the non-automotive press, have kept in their mind. The original Prius was a slow vehicle too so this impression was reinforced for the initially curious.
The Gen2 Prius and certainly the HH and 400h changed all that. The latter two are rockets at any time. With the more powerful HSD the Prius II is very quick off the line while not being a rocket like the other two. The TCH is a good mixture of the two - fast enough for any driver but not excessively powerful/expensive like the Accord hybrid.
What drivers have found since the HSD sytem came out is that the little bit of extra fuel one might use by accelerating up to speed at a normal pace is more than balanced by the ability to use the 'Pulse & Glide' and 'Feathering' more frequently to save fuel while cruising at a constant speed.
Common sense comes into play as well if one is driving in a residential neighborhood where the speed limit is 25 mph. There is no 'benefit' to going quickly from 0 to 25 then to 0 then to 25 say from stop sign to stop sign. In this case it's probably more efficient to just drive in a relaxed, safe, legal manner using battery/e-motor as much as possible; i.e. staying off the pedal. On the final 1+ mile part of my commute each day in my neighborhood I can drive the entire way on battery power at about 20 mph thereby using no fuel at all.
Hey Bob, I'm heading to the Outer Banks on Sunday. Honk if you see a Titanium TCH!
Hey Alp8 Toyotas and Lexus are normally know for their queitness and relability and cushy,soft ride. The word "fun" is normally not mentioned.
The Accord is a nice reliable car also, a little more sporty, a little noisier, a little more road feel but not a true sports sedan that is "fun" like a BMW or a true sports car like a S2000. The Mazda3s and Mazda6s are more sprty than either the Accord or Camry, but a little less reliable and not quite as sophisticated or efficent engines.
Currently , I do not consider Toyota to have a sports sedan or a sports car, however, there is rumor of the Supra coming vack LOL.
Good Luck and Shift On,
MidCow
It isn't hard simply having your key somewhere on you- backpack, purse, pocket, and then pushing a big button.
The fact your foot has to be on the brake is, well, proper.
With the remote start you need to find your keys and push the remote. With a normal start you walk up to the car which unlocks for you, get in, and puch the button.
I know the gas engine will seemlessly kick-in if necessary, but that would defeat the purpose of having a hybrid.
Actually, that is one of the main features of the hybrid. :surprise: (edit: I think I misunderstood what he was tryin to say lol)
As far as the cold temps, I don't think they would be a big problem. (but since I live in Cali. it sort of falls under "not my prob") The hybrid batt. is sealed within the trunk. It has a vent to cool it because it gets pretty warm on its own. Either way the system is smart enough to do what it needs when it needs it.
If they added one little arrow it could tell you that too- but it doesn't matter to me. I like the simplicity of it while focusing on driving. (and txt messengin) It tells you if the ICE is on or not ($$) and I find it reacts more quickly than the MPG meter. I really like how I can put that on and use the nav for all the other tasks it needs to do. It also tells you how charged the batt is very quickly. I do put the big one on to wow passengers.
Cold winter days will lower your mileage, since gas engines must run richer until warm, and the internal resistance of batteries increases as temperature decreases, meaning that more power will be required to bring them up to charge. However, the hybrid will still outperform a similar gasser in terms of mpg.
I know the gas engine will seemlessly kick-in if necessary, but that would defeat the purpose of having a hybrid.
No, it won't. The battery is primarily a resevoir where energy recaptured during braking/decel can be stored. The fact that it will also drive the car by itself under certain conditions may be nice, but you'd still come out ahead in mileage even if it could not (as with the Honda IMA hybrids).
If they added one little arrow it could tell you that too- but it doesn't matter to me. I like the simplicity of it while focusing on driving. (and txt messengin) It tells you if the ICE is on or not ($$) and I find it reacts more quickly than the MPG meter. I really like how I can put that on and use the nav for all the other tasks it needs to do. It also tells you how charged the batt is very quickly. I do put the big one on to wow passengers.
The arrow is already there. If you are running on battery only and hit the brake, the mini-display will show energy flowing from wheel to battery. Mind you, it's not that big a deal, but I thought I'd point it out. I agree that the mini-display is nice to have when using the Nav screen for things like...... Nav.
I need to have a deeper understanding of exactly what is going on in there! :confuse:
Without the nav you may have to do some deductive reasoning.
If you look at the instant milage gage and determine that the ICE is running but you don't have your foot on the gas then the ICE and the regen is charging the battery.
If the ICE is not running and your foot is off the gas then regen alone is recharging the battery.
With just the small gage the one situation you won't be able to see is when the ICE is charging both the battery AND propelling the vehilce via the wheels. On the Nav screen there are times when you can see the ICE arrow going to both the wheels and the motor, with an arrow from the motor to the battery. I don't think in this mode that the "mini" gage can show this.
Bottom line, if your foot is off the gas you're saving gas. It's either in battery assist mode or the ICE is running and you're still in the 60mpg instant range.
The instant mileage indicator is a good incicator of what's going on, it's just not as graphically "pretty" as the Nav screen
I need to have a deeper understanding of exactly what is going on in there!
For a deeper understanding, just use the big Energy display (even when not wowing the passengers). AFAIK, that display is a complete and accurate representation of reality.
If the mini-display shows the engine is driving the wheels, and it doesn't show the battery ALSO driving the wheels, it's probably safe to assume that the battery is being recharged by the ICE. In other words, I think it's rare that energy is not flowing to/from the battery in some direction.
Anyone know about the color.
Very strange. When I use a Houston zip (77002) Jasper Pearl comes up as a color option with Ash or Bisque interior. Ditto for a Minnesota zip (55025). So it doesn't look like it's a discontinued color. And it's my understanding that KS & MO aren't in an area that's controlled by a distributorship, so that makes it even more odd.
If they added one little arrow it could tell you that too- but it doesn't matter to me. I like the simplicity of it while focusing on driving. (and txt messengin) It tells you if the ICE is on or not ($$) and I find it reacts more quickly than the MPG meter. I really like how I can put that on and use the nav for all the other tasks it needs to do. It also tells you how charged the batt is very quickly. I do put the big one on to wow passengers.
The arrow is already there. If you are running on battery only and hit the brake, the mini-display will show energy flowing from wheel to battery. Mind you, it's not that big a deal, but I thought I'd point it out. I agree that the mini-display is nice to have when using the Nav screen for things like...... Nav.
I think they are talking about a little arrow from ICE to battery. It is not there, but I agree: it doesn't matter.
Thanks again
All sales in all products are controlled regionally. Toyota has no direct say or control. It is only a manufacturer.
After putting down a large down payment (50%) and signing all 10 pages of contracts 4 days ago, today I found out the dealer sold my car today to someone else, eventhough I had a VIN on my contracts and even the mileage of the car.
Does anyone know whether you can do this? If so, any ideas on how?
I know that I can buy (for a mere $300) new 2007 software for the Sienna, I'm just assuming it the same as what I just bought.
The other suggestion I got was to call Toyota and complain to their customer service.
good luck!
You push the lock button twice within 2 seconds and then push and hold it or somthing like this and your car will start from the comfort of your living room.
Useful for those of you who live in cold climates- not so useful for those of us who live where it rarely gets cold enough to snow!
tom
I will take better ones when it is detailed.
I used limo on the back, 10 on the rears and 30
for the fronts.
I could not be happier with it.
Why the delay between signing the papers and taking delivery, if I may ask?