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NewCarSnark
v for Versatility
The v in Prius v stands for versatility. Here's the long-awaited 2012 Prius wagon. The v uses the same powertrain as the sedan, with a few improvements to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system. The v is all about the new wagon body that provides a 58 percent increase in cargo space.
It's 230 pounds heavier than the sedan, and loses 8 miles per gallon; the EPA rating drops to 44/40 city/highway from 51/48, on 91 octane fuel. It also loses acceleration, from 0 to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds, the sedan in 9.8 seconds.
So the new Prius v is slower and thirstier than the sedan, and at $26,400 base, it costs $3300 more. The price was just announced, less than what they said it was going to be, back in June when it was introduced. Capitalism. Ongoing rotten economy. More optimism in June.
So for $3300, what you gain is family functionality. And style, finally. The Prius sedan thing has gotten old.
The v is handsome, like a swoopy small minivan. It’s 6 inches longer than the sedan, 3.3 inches higher, and 1.1 inches wider, on the same track. Nearly as wind-slicing as they come, with a 0.29 coefficient of drag.
Power comes from the 98-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder Atkinson cycle gas engine with an 80-hp electric motor utilizing a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Combined horsepower is 134, and combined torque 105 pound-feet. Transmission is by CVT (continuously variable transaxle), functional but boring without the capability to shift manually like others. Around town you're not aware the CVT is there.
The v handles and corners well, much like the Lexus CT200H. It’s easier to drive around town than the sedan, being nimble and having good visibility. Unfortunately the ride doesn’t match the handling. You can feel every bump, and it’s soon irritating. It seems to be a Prius thing.
Prius v offers more cargo space than three-fourths of the compact SUVs and midsize wagons on the market. There’s an optional panoramic roof for sky-watching. The front seat folds flat, like the Honda Fit or Jeep Patriot.
There's a Prius v Two, Prius v Three, and Prius v Five. Standard equipment in the Two leaves little to want in the cabin, too bad the fabric seats aren't sporty or rugged-looking. It's surprisingly buzzy in there, mostly engine noise but also road noise. Surprising because the Prius sedan is like that, and you'd think Toyota would have fixed it.
Bottom line is, glad the v is here, as a good alternative to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Two good cars, hybrid or diesel, make your choice.
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2008-03-10 07:59:56
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On February 25 I flew into Phoenix from Baja, where I live in a 29-foot trailer in an RV park on the beach in winter. It had been a great six weeks, kitesurfing by day and writing by night--finished the first few chapters of my next book, the memoir I'm calling "Senor Madre." My sons Maks, 10, and Tai, 13 (the child stars, as it were, of "Senor Madre") were with me for three weeks each.
Phoenix was the setting for the introduction of the new Mercedes C63 AMG. AMG has been tweaking and racing Mercedes-Benzes for 45 years, and today runs the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team. With the C63, AMG takes over the total design and construction of the cars that bear its name--including the engine, chassis, suspension, brakes, and 7-speed paddle-shifting transmission. The car is hand-assembled at the AMG factory in Germany.
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The cars will be sold at AMG Performance Centers around the country--and at the top of the list is the Roger Penske Mercedes dealership in Phoenix. Penske himself, straight from winning the Daytona 500 with his NASCAR team, was actually there at the launch.
The 6.2-liter AMG engine shares no parts with any Mercedes V8 engine. Each engine is built by just one man, and an engine plate bears his name. It's a 32-valve aluminum engine making 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, with a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds, although Car and Driver magazine has tested it at 3.9 seconds.
It'll get you to 100 mph in less than 10 seconds. It could also get you in jail in that time. What else could get you in that much trouble that fast, without leaving your chair? Besides a gun.
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Mercedes has the BMW M3 in its crosshairs, with the C63 AMG. It's priced at $53,800, same as the M3. Thirteen years ago, the original C36 AMG, with technology that seems primitive today, cost $71,000 in today's dollars! Don't tell me this isn't a Golden Era in automobile manufacturing and value.
We spent the afternoon on the short version of the road course at Firebird Raceway. As usual, I took as many hot laps as I could get away with. I drove the cars until the AMG folks chased me off the track. Unfortunately, the track was greasy and dusty, so the C63 couldn't stretch its legs. It belongs on a track like the Nurburgring.
I'll be writing a full review for www.newcartestdrive.com Look for it there. The great photos here were taken by Greg Jarem. And that's not me getting a ticket!
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Sam Moses
Previous Blogs:
Ferrari 333SP Prototype at Daytona 2007-01-01 18:52:51
Here's the trouble with life: You sometimes don't know whether you should do a lot of preparation or none, or whether you should listen to a lot of people or nobody. Not that the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 333S P at Daytona could ever under any... Read More
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