 Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Honda Insight. Click image to enlarge |
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Follow CanadianDriver on TwitterBy Grant Yoxon; photos by Bill Petro
Kingston, Ontario – Faced with increasing competition from competitors who claim to have the most fuel-efficient mid-sized vehicle (Ford’s Fusion hybrid) or the most affordable hybrid (Honda’s Insight hybrid), Toyota apparently decided that enough was enough and invited journalists to drive both the Insight and Fusion alongside their all new 2010 Prius hybrid.
We took the challenge and in a competition aimed at getting the best economy from all three, my co-driver Lorne Drury from the Metroland Media Group and I managed to get 5.3 Litres per 100 kilometres from the Fusion, 4.3 L/100 km from the Insight and 3.4 L/100 km from the Prius – a result that proved to be the best that day. For our efforts, Lorne and I were rewarded with a coffee shop gift card.
Naturally, it was a very leisurely drive through the streets of Kingston. And I can assure you that we were as light on the gas pedal with the Fusion and Insight as we were with the Prius. We had nothing more to prove other than we could drive three vehicles more efficiently than any other pair of journalists.
  2010 Toyota Camry LE (top); 2009 Toyota Highlander base four-cylinder. Click image to enlarge |
The event in Kingston not only showcased Toyota’s fuel efficient new Prius, but also focused on the company’s new four-cylinder models (See Chris Chase’s review of the 2010 Camry four-cylinder and Highlander FWD four-cylinder). The addition of a fully-loaded four-cylinder XLE Camry and a new entry-level four-cylinder Highlander are part of Toyota’s strategy to offer consumers more fuel efficient choices in desirable models. Of course, this strategy was initiated at a time when fuel prices were much higher than they are today.
It may look like bad timing on Toyota’s part, but the company is betting that when the economy turns around and people start buying cars again, that fuel prices will also return to pre-recession levels and the new four-cylinder models will be much in demand. In the meantime, the four-cylinder models offer less expensive alternatives to six cylinder models that may provide more power than a buyer needs.
Fuel efficiency has always been an important priority for Toyota and the new four cylinder engines provide better fuel efficiency without sacrificing power, in fact providing better power than the outgoing fours. And the new Camry XLE four-cylinder offers full-on luxury without sacrificing fuel efficiency.
In the Camry line, offering the four-cylinder in XLE trim is a good strategy because most buyers don’t want to give up comfort and convenience features for fuel efficiency. Toyota calls it “our more power, less fuel, no compromise philosophy.” Consumers are environmentally conscious to a point. They want to make the right choice, but as Stephen Beatty, Managing Director, Toyota Canada Inc. told auto writers in Kingston, “everyday drivers… are looking for an easy way to do the right thing.” Offering fuel efficient fours in luxury trim makes an easy choice.
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at 7:23 am
Hybrids are a wonderful thing, the more people driving them the more gas saved for those of us that race cars.
at 7:37 am
The Prius doesn’t yet make economic sense as a purchase for fuel savings, and I need more than just the approval of hippies. The cutting edge technology is what is currently attracting me to the new Prius.
at 7:40 am
“For our efforts, Lorne and I were rewarded with a coffee shop gift card.”
Well, journalists don’t usually reveal the kick-back, but whatever works for you.
at 7:45 am
That was a joke, btw. Upon review, it came out rather snarky!
at 7:50 am
We have driven a Pruis for over 250,000 kms since June 2004 and love it. Yes, we do save a lot of money on fuel.
at 8:11 am
It looks like Toyota has a wonderful product in the 2010 Prius. It’s sad that they can’t market it in a sensible way. Honda doesn’t seem to promote its Insight either.
at 8:20 am
The Prius and Insight are hatchbacks. So Fords claim of having the most Fuel Efficient “Sedan” holds true. It’s all in the wording.
at 8:27 am
First off the price tag on a Toyota Prius is ridiculous, all your fuel savings goes out the window. The second thing I find frustrating about Prius and Insight is that they are truly ugly cars. The Fusion is a nice looking car that is also great on gas. The new Fusion uses recyclable materials in their batteries (not sure this is true with Toyota or Honda).
Funny how we think by reducing our carbon foot print we will save the plant, but what do you do with the non-recyclable batteries?
at 8:32 am
I think Toyota’s marketing of the Prius makes sense. True there are many more hybrids out there – stating claims of fuel efficiency and being the first hybrid this or hybrid that – but the Prius is synonymous with being HYBRID. It is apparent in popular culture (i.e. the name, the body shape/style), now Toyota is trying to move it beyond just being a hybrid but the “future in cars – now” by showcasing its features and gadgets to differentiate it from the competition.
at 10:19 am
Ok I might be biased here b-cause I sale Honda…BUT…I wouldn’t even think of selling anyone a hybrid without asking one simple question…ARE YOU NUTS?!?
Unless you drive in downtown Cityville and NEVER use the highway or any road more than 40km/hr…oh wait that would mean I only drive in school zones…then why buy a hybrid?
Honda’s gas engine starts at 15km/hr, the Prius at 40km/hr so if fuel efficiency is what you are striving for at a cost reduction, look at a FIT first. If you want to join the tree huggers of the Green Universe then buy a hybrid so you can look the part at least.
Also whyis it the Civic Hybrid never mentioned???? Look at the motor, same as the Insight, price is better, it is a REAL car, looks normal and not like some sort of teenager’s Star Trek wantabe fantasy.
at 11:01 am
A lot of people never do the math for the full lifecycle of the car, particularly the purchase price, when looking at fuel savings, which works well for the manufacturers, but from a purely accounting perspective is silly. Some will spend money to save $500-1000/year on fuel, but not realize that they have to own the car 5, 10, 15 or more years to offset the increased cost of buying the more expensive vehicle. I traded a full sized pickup for a full sized sedan, not to save money on gas, but because my needs had changed and after 5 years I wanted a new vehicle. From a purely economic standpoint, for the extra cost of the car (the truck was fully paid for at that point), I could have continued to drive the truck at its higher fuel cost for about 10 years. Doing what I did to save money on fuel would have been the wrong reason.
People need to look at the total cost, not just “how much can I save in gas”, and see how long it takes to make up the vehicle price difference in the fuel savings. Taking 10 years to offset the price difference on a car you only intend to own for 5 years doesn’t make economic sense.
at 11:27 am
Some provinces (like BC) have incentives for buying hybrids. The incentives must be taken into account when calculating the overall cost for the life of the vehicle. I do agree that it should not take 5 years or more to pay off the price premium for the hybrid.
It’s not just tree huggers or hippies that care about the environment. I am not one of the above, but I’ll make the effort to reduce my emissions where I can (not just in my car), to offset the ignorant people. I will pay a very small premium for lower emissions for a vehicle, all things the same.
I will definitely consider a hybrid to replace our second car, but I will also consider other good fuel efficient cars, like the Fit.
at 11:31 am
I prefer wagons and hatchbacks to sedans, since you can carry so much more in the same space (you don’t need an SUV!). The Insight is better than the Civic Hybrid for that reason alone.
Another advantage of hatchbacks is aerodynamics, which is partly why their fuel consumption is so low.
I would like to buy a non-hybrid Prius with a Yaris engine, or an Insight with a fit engine. They can be more efficient on the highway because of the weight savings, and $5-10K cheaper to buy. They would also be cheaper to maintain, because of simplicity.
at 4:32 pm
True, the cost premium of hybrids does make the time it takes to make up the added cost longer, but like Ron said, there are many incentives to offset it.
Last year we got $2000 in rebates on our (non-hybrid) MINI Cooper. When we looked at the Civic Hybrid, after the rebates were accounted for, it only cost a few hundred dollars more than an LX trim gasoline model.
at 5:57 pm
The hybrids are getting more fuel-efficient with each passing year but are still too pricey to offset their initial cost. After looking at the results of the 50 litre challenge one would have to go to the Corolla, though I’m not sure how they squeezed 1100km. out of 50 litres.
at 7:43 pm
Prius against Fusion? I think it’s unfair the Fusion is bigger and more drivable than the Prius. Against the new Insight that’s fine the two carsd share the same dimensions and capacities.
But no matter who build hybrids it doesn’t worth it un less the gas go to 2.50 to 3 bucks per liter.
at 3:55 am
I really want to like the Prius however it is just hideous.. What a wasted opportunity for the next gen.. Plus, I have read more than I expected of horror stories of people being stranded in Toyota Hybrids (nothing regarding Insight – partly because the Prius has been around much longer?).
The scary part is how customers are treated by Toyota ‘Customer Service’. I have been there, will not doing it again..
at 9:14 am
Talk about opposing points of views?
This is from a 2007 Prius owner;
Pros-
1-Quiet, comfortable ride, excellent driver’s visibility.
2-Seats four well, plus moderate school bags and sports equipment.
3-Proven extremely reliable, 56K logged in miles.
4-Solid interior and exterior design.
5-Consistent combined 50 MPG.
6-$23K (U.S) out the door price, took a little haggling.
7-This car will easily reach 150K miles w/out a major repair. Have been a hobby mechanic for over 30 years, of course I would not dare mess with the Electric motor drive, but I have the Prius manual to better understand the car.
8-My teenage son will probably end up with the Prius as his first car. Equipped w/ side curtain airbags, ABS, traction control, stability skid control, and backup camera package. Perhaps, a plug-in conversion of the Prius can be a future school project.
9-We would replace the current Prius with another Prius if we had to.
Cons-
1-Ivory interior soils fast. Go with the gray instead, hides stains better.
2-As stated before, fits 98% of our family transportation needs, but…..on any skiing or short vacation trips, we end up driving the gas hog V-8. The Prius is not a family vacation vehicle or a sports car.
Now, if only Toyota would make the RAV-4 a hybrid. The Hybrid Highlander cost vs MPG saving do not add up. The RAV-4 smaller size, but fair cargo capacity, and hybrid MPG would be a compromise worth considering.
at 1:36 pm
I like the new Toyota Prius, but a few things bother me. For one, a fully loaded Prius is $36,000 in Canada. The same model is $27,000 in the USA. Why are we paying a $9,000 premium? Even the base model has questionable pricing. The base model is $22,000 in the US versus $27,500 here, a $5,500 premium.
Secondly, we already have vehicles that get close to Hybrid fuel economy and are most cost effective, diesels. While our choices of diesel cars currently isn’t acceptable, I would pick a VW Jetta (or the new Golf when it comes out soon) in the TDI trim. For one, the pricing is similar to the US (about a $2,000 difference) and is thousands less than the Prius. Plus, I don’t have to worry about the complex CVT (as I can get a VW with a manual transmission), the fancy electric/battery system, or worry about how much the batteries will cost to replace down the road (around $3,000) which would affect resale value.
What we need are more clean diesel vehicles, which could come this way if more Americans warm up to them.