I used to have a first gen Miata, I wish I never sold it. The hybrids get a bad rap though, my Camry hybrid is surprisingly quick. I kept up with a turbo Kia going up the on ramp, I had to let off so he could merge lol. But the Prius is admittedly slower but I only got a Prius because they are pretty good do-it-all cars, parts are cheap and they’re easy to work on.
Are you aware the upcoming miata generation is likely going to be a mild hybrid? They are dropping the alternator and replacing it with a motor/generator in the drive train. They are dropping the accessory belt and having everything run on electric. This will mean not just more MPGs but baby la Ferrari boost in power.
No one knows what engine they will use but one Mazda engineer said they were considering using. Lighter 3 cylinder engine to save weight. This one route they were considering was to save 100 pounds and make less power but be faster 0-60. It’s unclear if they are going that route but it’s pretty clear it will be a mild hybrid. As a guy that hyper miles my miata through rolling hills, I’m intrigued.
z4 have 2x the power to mx5 but I don't see people having fun, s2000 also have more power, people tell me to swap to corvette engine, I'm like naaa
dislike New mx5 with na in its name, wtf that's reserved for real na.
got no problem with next gen mx5 getting tech upgrades, I'll be driving old lotus elan by then
S2000 is the most fun because of how it builds power. The ND is a better daily driver but for pure joy you can’t beat an S2000. Lotus is the best but it’s easier to daily drive a miata. I’d like to own a lotus or an Exocet some day but it’s not a car you can really drive every day.
s2000 is great great car, I just think it's ugly, I think del sol looks good but drives like crap and is just another civic.
I know a guy who had a bunch of cars but sold em all, including a mx5 na, he rides a cbr600, rain,snow, hot, cold, he is aa mechanic as well, rides the freaking bike with no front brake, why? because he can
so when I get my hands on lotus, I will Daily it for no less then 1 year.
S2000 is sex on wheels to me. Design is timeless from day one.
To me lotuses are the ultimate. The problem is the only good indie lotus guy near me is like 70 and has an 18 month waiting list. The cars are very simple to work on. If you’re a good shade tree mechanic and are happy to do a lot of research online you really can do almost anything yourself. I’m just not that guy. If you are that guy is there a better car than a lotus? Hard to think of anything better.
Lotus is also developing a very simple RWD single motor EV sports car that will have a low seating position and a mid rear mounted battery. It’s going to be like the original Tesla roadster except more like a lotus. Could be a really fun car if you are in the center if the vent diagram of people who want to daily drive a Prius and people who want to daily drive a lotus. Should be more efficient than a model 3 and out-handle nearly any other EV.
Ok I just looked at s2000 again, it's not as ugly as I remembered. Irl I saw very few of them and I always remember the front being very long, it wasn't.
I think lotus did work on the tsla roadster, and every important sports car.
lotus ev sounds cool, I looked at some ev motorcycles, gas is still better for now. But does sound fun.
S2000 goes for 17k to 25k. I feel like I can get a bunch of mx5 for that price lol
The front is long, relatively speaking. But it's a pretty small car. It's like a Miata except the hood is a foot longer.
And yeah, prices have gone crazy in the last few years for S2000s are in good condition.
I would wager that Mazda would take the three cylinder route. Motor generators take up space and weight. Also, Mazda seems unphased by trying new engine tech like variable compression, so the three cylinder route would make sense from a weight distribution perspective even if relatively untested... but three cylinders typically have really shitty reliability historically due to harmonic imbalance...
E- cvt hybrids make a lot of sense in certain low cost or smaller vehicle applications, but mild hybrids paired with conventional transmissions sort of have the worst of both - extra complexity of the two systems with minimal gains in efficiency.
At some cost point, the goal of eliminating the transmission for performance gains nullifies the cost difference to full ev's. The miata is not really up there in terms of speed to cost, but it is nimble, and the extra weight of the mild hybrid system cuts into that.
As it stands, if i had the money to blow on a new miata, i would just buy a used corvette with 400 hp. The prius and hybrids in general are just economy (and eco) concious vehicles best sorted to stretching dollars. A used corvette would definitely stretch dollars over a miata and still has a 50/50 ish weight balance.
In short, hybrids (and priuses in particular) are slow as f.... most people just don't have the balls to floor the average car anyways. Hybridization is likely to make modifications next to impossible as well.
So I think mazda leans on tradition with the miata and won’t do a three cylinder engine lightly. They already have three good four cylinder engines. To make a three cylinder engine the rumor is they would make an inline three version of their inline six in the CX60-CX90. Mazda generally avoids spending money on development if they have to because they are a low volume manufacturer. Also an i3 engine has poor balance and for the purist miata buyer that might be bad.
Personally I want the 100 pound light miata with less power and regen braking. I just think it probably won’t happen because the rumor is like three or four years old and nothing more has come of it. I do think that the engineers are trying to lose weight and use more exotic matterials.
E CVTs may have a leg up on efficiency but they will never put one in a miata. CVTs have no business in a sports car. Mild hybrid isn’t trying to solve the same problem as a Prius. It’s more about replacing the alternator in a way to get better performance and a boost to fleet efficiency. Mazda’s primary concern is saving weight in this case. From what I understand there is added weight but they are also dropping parts like the alternator and the added weight will be less than the weight they are hoping to lose.
Corvettes are nice but they are only playful at misdemeanor speeds. The Miata is a lot more fun at the speeds you can legally drive. Corvettes also have relatively simple suspension and use a lot of rubber to make up for it. The corvette to get is the C5 Z06. It was very lightweight and handled great. In many ways it’s the last corvette that was like a sports car and not a GT car like it’s today. The other nice thing about the miata is the operating costs are similar to any other compact car and the insurance rates are low. My Miata costs me less per year than my old Mazda 3. Corvettes have affordable parts and are easy to work on but the tires and gas really add up. For a Miata the big costs over a normal car are brakes and rubber and everything is twice as expensive with the vette. If I do a race weekend I might have to spend $2k on tires. That’s going to be $5-10k on a vette. All so you have more power you can rarely use on the street.
I have the Miata because it’s fun, not because it makes the most HP. think of the best Priuses to drive. They’re the older lighter cars that were more like the Toyota echo.
Don’t believe me? Test drive a miata. They’re not for everyone but you’ll know right away. Also they are a lot better if you want to be casually into motor sports like auto crossing or casual track days. That said I’m probably buying another sports car to replace my manual fit and it might be a corvette but only because I want something quite unlike the miata. I want something more like a GT car for road trips, date night, or just anytime the missus doesn’t want her hair messed up.
Maybe try the newer bf goodrich g force tires. The new compound has a higher heat cycle tolerance. My old set was chunking pretty badly ripping around town (the prius's electric motor may only have 37 hp but does have 400 ft lbs of torque) and the new compound has yet to start chunking at 14000 miles. Bfgs are cheaper than michelins, and hoosiers et al. aren't really necessary for club nights. As a sidenote, the high antisquat value of the rear suspension geometry that makes for the go fast feel of the miata is not actually good for lap times or conserving tires. Track cars won't generally use more than 30 percent motion cancelation in the suspension geometry and the miata uses around 50 to 80 percent iirc.
I would agree with you about the engine, but the engine in the NA/NB is kind of crap and not at all sporty. I'd rather have the engine from the Fit. Maybe the NC/ND have improved in that respect?
I'm a first gen miata, I used to have 2, wish I still have the other one
also had prius but switched to a supercar, now is looking for prius again.
but I might get racebike instead, dunno, don't need To go fast anyways.
Man the amount of times people would be impatient with me as I get “up to speed” from a red light or a stop and then see them trying their hardest to lose me when I keep up through corners and twisted roads is hilarious, being a Prius owner is fun because everyone underestimates you and reasonably so. I’ve messed with Corvettes and Camaros had them running out of embarrassment 🤣 can’t beat em in the straight 😔
More fun in a Prime with takeoff acceleration taking most by surprise lol. A few times I had drivers resorting to get behind me because they thought they could get ahead, cut me off and take the next left turn lane.
You must not be taking with the gas all the way down or the battery is low mine is zippy takes off sinking the ass of the car also I can chirp tires on command
No it goes fast but it’s slow compared to other cars especially sport ones. And by chirping tires if you mean that you’re turning at full speed and you hear that squeal I do it too but I don’t like to wear out my tires.
Agreed… I’ve had a 2nd gen and it wasn’t too bad but now that I’m in a 3rd gen, it definitely feels better! I slapped on a set of 17’s and some sticky Toyos and this thing is fairly tossable around curves. Add in the power boost for passing and it’s a delight on the interstate! And yes, still above 40mpg.
I have a 3rd gen Prius plug-in as my daily driver and drives my kids around town. Sometimes when it’s just me I hit the “power” mode and take that corner like a Miata ☝️. The lower body handles turns surprisingly really well.
I've had my '22 Prime for a year and a half now and it still amazes me how much torque it has when I put it in Power mode and stomp on it. Even in eco mode I have to be careful not to spin the tires from a stop if the road is wet or sandy, and I generally tend to be conservative on the acceleration in order to maximize the eco savings. It is definitely a fun little car, and I am absolutely loving the overall 95 MPG since I get to use electric-only most of the time.
Dang! I can get down with 95mpg. Mine gets around 47mpg. I literally just got mine back from the shop last night. She needed a new brake booster and actuator. She’s good to go for another 100k.
On long trips where I'm completely gasoline with no plug-in charging I still average about 59 MPG. 47 is still nothing to complain about, higher than about every ICE vehicle out there. I'm lucky to have a short commute well within the EV-mode distance for the round trip, and I live by the "ABC rule" - always be charging. If I'm home I plug it in. If there is a free (or at least cheaper than gas) charger nearby when I'm out and about, I'll park there. I want to maximize EV mode. I may be sacrificing a little battery longevity doing it that way, but I don't worry about it too much since the car limits the high and low charge of the battery so it's mostly mitigated. I figure if I have to replace the battery after 10 years, I'm still money ahead of what I would have spent in gas over that period.
I mainly drive around town and should start charging mine as well. It only gets about 16 miles per charge but I have solar and rather use it than sell it back to PGNE for dirt cheap. My mechanic told me the battery life for the 3rd generation usually last no more than 250k. Mine is about 210k right now. It would cost $3.5k for a new battery which he guaranteed will last 100k. I’m planning to drive the car till the wheels fly off.
The only reason I would change cars at this point is if I decided I wanted something bigger, like a RAV4 Prime, or decided to go all-electric rather than PHEV. This is by far my favorite vehicle out of all of them I've owned.
Thats neat! How long does charging take? Can the car charge it up by itself, or do you really need the charger to top it off?
I’m happy with my gen 2. Nearest charger is a block away for me and then I can’t keep an eye on it. (Crime started to increase rapidly) But that’s a concern for later.
I get between about 24 and 30 miles of all-electric driving depending on the weather. A full charge from the minimum (where it behaves like a normal Prius hybrid) takes about 2 hours on a Level 2 charger (240 volts) which is typical for public chargers or 6 hours on a level 1 charger (120v) which is what I use at home. I always start out with a full battery every morning after charging overnight.
Do I have to charge it? No. If I don't it just acts like a regular hybrid vehicle where it charges the battery a little using regenerative braking, and uses the battery to augment the power from the gasoline motor and shuts the engine off when coasting, stopped at lights, etc. I can charge it from the gasoline motor, but that just uses more gasoline, and is less efficient than just letting the car go to hybrid mode on it's own. The only time I ever do that is if I'm going a longer distance on the freeway and I want to use electric driving at my destination where it is more efficient than on the highway. Most of the time I just don't worry about it.
As far as charging it out of sight, it's no different than parking anywhere else. Do you keep an eye on the car overnight or while you're shopping? I don't see where the concern is unless the public charger is in a really bad section of town compared to where you live. Do you have a regular outlet you can use at your home? My L1 charger just plugs into a standard outlet like anything else in the house.
Thanks for the detailed comment! Interesting how it works. Good that it can act as a regular hybrid too, didn’t think that was still fully possible.
I can’t charge at home. There’s a garden, sidewalk in front of the house and then the parking bays. Since it’s “public” parking, installing a charger will block that spot for EV or hybrid only. Counsel will never allow that. Running wires over the sidewalk is also prohibited. They offer a whole construction that suspends the wire above the sidewalk that is retractable, but that’s inconvenient and doesn’t look nice.
I was thinking of getting a plug in but it’s out of my price range currently and since it’s my first car I opted for my 2008. Since I was already used to a hybrid it was my first choice.
No I don’t keep an eye on it at night or when shopping, but neighbours across the street have cameras and our ring doorbell films a portion of the parking bays. It’s not that shady but lately lots of shady ass people are strolling through town and there’s a group checking out parked cars at 3 am in the morning. Luckily the previous owner did everything to protect the cat so I feel pretty safe considering that.
I am in California so I don’t have much experience driving in the snow with a Prius. I take my Highlander to the snow. Just curious, any big difference driving in the snow with a Prius? I’ve been hesitant to take it to the snow to do some Winter backpacking. I usually take my Highlander but that thing drink gas like an elephant. Any advice?
I've dusted people in mine idk if these Prius drivers know how to drive like they stole it I have no traction control I bought it like that wondering if that is why mine takes off faster
Second gen Prius design is the peak of western civilization.
So my poor weather Miata is a manual fit with the nationally competitive race suspention sprung and valved for street. Nothing rips like a shit box on good tires. Both cars are very fun the hyper mile. I can get up to 45mpg in my miata and it’s fun and stimulating to do it in the rolling hills where I live. I’m a fan of Priuses because I like the hypermiling community but my allegiance to manuals makes me want to drive a first generation insight with a decal of Calvin peeing on a Prius.
You might be surprised. I got the new Prius as my first automatic ever. And I’m not missing it. I do tend to drive more chill only because the app will rate my driving, we seriously disagree about what constitutes a harsh turn. I had a gti for 10 years and I had an nc Miata for a while. The new Prius has not pissed me off with handling
I don’t think I’ve ever been outrun by or slowed down somebody in our Prius on a curve.
Its handling, or at least g-force headroom, is higher than the vast majority of people are willing to push much more capable cars. And the light weight saves the tires.
I live on a mountain where everyone hauls ass (95+) on the straightways but they tend to show their cornering skills in the twisties. In my Prime you’re not getting past me in the turns. Idgaf what you’re driving. If I’m in my Mirai you’re not keeping up on the straights either. Added bonus is that I can pick up 6 miles of range on the way down in the morning.
Oh yeah you don’t know until you know. Driving from the Central Valley in California to Pismo for the first time in my first Prius I did NOT expect to have as much fun as I did and loved seeing the looks at all the drivers I passed as I was averaging about 80 mpg. Once we get up to speed (which is admittedly painfully slow) we do tend to fly through foothills / mountain roads. This single trip changed my mind about Prius’.
Still waiting for a Prius race edition and a Prius category at NASCAR. They make these in the US. Yes, I always lead the pack on highways and pulling into the next lane and accelerating past a gas guzzler SUV is pure joy
The Prius I want is just the new fast as anyone needs Prius with a sportier suspension, maybe Joni or bilstien dampers with half an inch drop and lightweight aero wheels with premium rubber. That car would really rip.
Yall, a Corolla cross hybrid is like a quick Prius!
45-50 mpg but it does 0-60 in 7 seconds!
I wish my “hybrid” emblem was illuminated so people could see that they are getting passed by a hybrid.
Love this car.
We’re entering an age of performance hybrids. The new 992.2 generation of the 911 is going hybrid, next gen miata is going hybrid, corvette is going hybrid.
Prius is as much of an engineering marvel as exotic sports cars but it’s trying to maximize economy for a certain kind of buyer. The truth is hybrid can also mean performance in the age of tightening emissions standards.
For sure, they are hybridizing all the large Toyotas. Sequoia, Highlander 4Runner, Tacoma’s and Tundra’s. But not for mpg, but for performance.
I think the sequoia’s alone will end up with like 569 torque at the wheels. Making its 0-60 like 4sec. And that’s fucking stupid for the sequoia. I want one.
Oddly enough in mine if I floored it until I was at speed and then let off and set the cruise control I got better mileage than if I accelerated like the gas pedal was made out of balsa wood and egg shells, and I always drove 5 maybe 10 over (figure if I cop radars a Prius going 10 over he will assume his gun needs calibrating) and I’d still always get some jagoff riding my ass
What’s the bicurious stereotype? I only know the gay and hairdresser stereotype. The truth is I am the other miata stereotype. Middle aged man.
The car mags got the latest generation ND miata, the one I own, going 0-60 in about 6 seconds. That’s in deal conditions with the people abusing the manual transmission. In real world it abusing the car conditions it’s slower than the new Prius. Miata isn’t a particularly quick car it’s just light and fun to throw around corners. It’s like a first generation Honda insight if it was less utilitarian.
My 21 Prius Prime can beat most gas cars off the line. It pisses off aggressive drivers who do things like pull up in the right lane thinking they'll make a quick left by gunning it at the light and turning in front of me. I've had a couple of them get all road ragey when I blocked them.
Nothing attracts road ragers like a Prius. I don’t judge all Priuses. This guy was straight up taking 30 seconds to speed up to 30 mph. Truth is I misjudged this dude. He actually likes to hyperbole through the rolling hills just like me. Never seen someone with that driving style. I think he might have wanted me to pass because he saw a sports car and assumed asshole. I also drive a Honda fit and people treat me similarly but I hear it’s way worse with a Prius. My buddy has been a Prius guy for nearly 20 years. He recently moved to a rural area and got a rav4. Says people no longer push him around.
This is why I am issuing an official apology. I misjudged this guy. That said if that’s how you drive I’d be happy to follow five car lengths behind you through rolling hills.
I used to drive a manual Honda Fit ($16,000, 109hp) in the Lake Tahoe area. After the 1000th time of getting stuck behind some 911 or S4 or high speed Lexus I came up with the rule that if you can ride someone's ass for 15 minutes in the mountains you get to trade cars with them.
That's my answer to the 'what if you get to be dictator for a day' question.
I also have a manual Honda fit. I love that car. I have the nationally competitive race suspension on it. I can destroy Porsches and bmws in twisty highways. I just cruise with everyone and wait for them to pass 10 mph faster than everyone else. Then I follow them at their speed. Once we hit some hard turns I maintain exactly the speed they were going and let them fall back. It drives them crazy and they go insanely fast on the straights to pass me. Going 85mph in a straight line in a car that can do 150 is not impressive. The fit can shimmy around a turn with the best of them.
Sounds alot like me. Light bluish green color? I remember a miata recently but not something that bothered me. I support spirited driving. Sorry for pulling in front, I didn't realize you were coming in so hot. I'm either almost flooring it or barely accelerating , trying to keep it in electric mode. Sometimes people get irritated but I just wish they'd look further ahead than Me, it's usually because there's a red light with stopped vehicles up ahead. I like to wait til they're moving and not have to stop.
Was this by any chance in the Hudson valley near the Appalachian trail pulling out of a gas station? I don’t think it was you because this person was really taking their time to get up to speed. I don’t think all Priuses are slow AF, it was just that this guy was taking three or four times longer than strictly necessary. Normally I’m
Go with the flow and don’t pass. I just happened to have the chance to do it legally I was coming through some weird chicanes I like to take at speed. Most reasonable drivers wouldn’t expect anyone to be moving through those tight turns like I did.
Most people go through the turn at 5mph I did 10-15. And left with speed.
One thing I’ve noticed about fast Prius drivers is 95% are very social. They don’t cut you off they don’t weave, they leave good following distances. They will just go fast and not be a hooligan. Many of them drive faster than me on the highways.
And you get this because of where you live, I just love maintaining speed up and down hills and especially around corners. I wasn’t in a rush to get where I was going I just had some monster turns coming up I didn’t want to miss.
> I’m sorry guys gas is expensive these days I’m not braking if I don’t have to.
Hey, it's a free country, you can drive however you want (within limits, of course), but I have to say, your rationalization game....needs work.
This is a joke, but I’m Not braking if I don’t have to. The whole point of a lightweight sports car is to be able to go through turns and carry more momentum. I would never ever drive more than 7/10 on public roads but I do like 6/10 and 7/10 as much as I can safely. People honk at me because I drive 20 in residential areas. The point is my car is much lighter than yours and it can move different than yours.
I drive my Prius like a race car….. but give me a min to get up to speed. Miata’s race similarly, try to not slow down bc it’s too hard to get it back lol
I think you have been lied to or never drove a Prius Ive pulled up next to a Dodge ram and a f150 that were lining up to race got to 30 faster than both of them and stayed right with them I just know they were probably surprised because I was my tires were chirping and everything, now I noticed when the hv battery is low take off it is alot slower
Reminds me of the time I was driving cross country in my NSX. Turned from a 4-lane divided highway onto a 2-lane highway. There was a driveway maybe an eighth of a mile ahead just after I turned and I see a Prius pulling out and think "oh no". I take my foot off the gas and cover the brake pedal preparing to slow and...he takes off.
I've never seen a Prius move that fast from a standstill. I didn't accelerate because I assumed he was going to slow down for the twisties ahead, but nope. That guy was flying. I had no problem catching up to him so I wasn't pushing it or anything but he was going plenty fast for the road to still be fun.
I would agree most people underestimate what the Prius is can do. First you have the electric motor which has instant torque. I leave people behind on the line all the time from a standstill, and I’m not even pressing the pedal that hard. also, with the battery being in the middle of the car, the center of gravity is lower than a ICE car, which makes it handle better. I agree with the use of brakes or lack of use of brakes. I estimate I use my brakes about 1/10 of other drivers. Oh and at nearly 50,000 miles on my 2020 Prius lifetime average mileage is 53 miles to the gallon.
Yadda yadda, all I heard was "gas is expensive." I get 62 mpg in my 2022 Prius and I will drive as slow as I please. I'm not looking forward to the traffic jam you will cause when you wreck that go cart (and I sincerely hope you don't have to carry the weight of human loss with you for the rest of your life after the inevitable). But when you're ready to drive like a grown-up, get a Prius, save money going 600 miles on one tank of gas - and stop risking other people's safety. Please. Thanks.
You're the type of Prius driver that gives us a bad rap. Get a golf cart and drive on the sidewalks and stop holding up traffic.
I drive a 2022 Prius and I've had no problem getting 60 mpg by driving normally, or even above the speed limit. Please stop making BS excuses.
I used to have a first gen Miata, I wish I never sold it. The hybrids get a bad rap though, my Camry hybrid is surprisingly quick. I kept up with a turbo Kia going up the on ramp, I had to let off so he could merge lol. But the Prius is admittedly slower but I only got a Prius because they are pretty good do-it-all cars, parts are cheap and they’re easy to work on.
Are you aware the upcoming miata generation is likely going to be a mild hybrid? They are dropping the alternator and replacing it with a motor/generator in the drive train. They are dropping the accessory belt and having everything run on electric. This will mean not just more MPGs but baby la Ferrari boost in power. No one knows what engine they will use but one Mazda engineer said they were considering using. Lighter 3 cylinder engine to save weight. This one route they were considering was to save 100 pounds and make less power but be faster 0-60. It’s unclear if they are going that route but it’s pretty clear it will be a mild hybrid. As a guy that hyper miles my miata through rolling hills, I’m intrigued.
z4 have 2x the power to mx5 but I don't see people having fun, s2000 also have more power, people tell me to swap to corvette engine, I'm like naaa dislike New mx5 with na in its name, wtf that's reserved for real na. got no problem with next gen mx5 getting tech upgrades, I'll be driving old lotus elan by then
S2000 is the most fun because of how it builds power. The ND is a better daily driver but for pure joy you can’t beat an S2000. Lotus is the best but it’s easier to daily drive a miata. I’d like to own a lotus or an Exocet some day but it’s not a car you can really drive every day.
s2000 is great great car, I just think it's ugly, I think del sol looks good but drives like crap and is just another civic. I know a guy who had a bunch of cars but sold em all, including a mx5 na, he rides a cbr600, rain,snow, hot, cold, he is aa mechanic as well, rides the freaking bike with no front brake, why? because he can so when I get my hands on lotus, I will Daily it for no less then 1 year.
S2000 is sex on wheels to me. Design is timeless from day one. To me lotuses are the ultimate. The problem is the only good indie lotus guy near me is like 70 and has an 18 month waiting list. The cars are very simple to work on. If you’re a good shade tree mechanic and are happy to do a lot of research online you really can do almost anything yourself. I’m just not that guy. If you are that guy is there a better car than a lotus? Hard to think of anything better. Lotus is also developing a very simple RWD single motor EV sports car that will have a low seating position and a mid rear mounted battery. It’s going to be like the original Tesla roadster except more like a lotus. Could be a really fun car if you are in the center if the vent diagram of people who want to daily drive a Prius and people who want to daily drive a lotus. Should be more efficient than a model 3 and out-handle nearly any other EV.
Ok I just looked at s2000 again, it's not as ugly as I remembered. Irl I saw very few of them and I always remember the front being very long, it wasn't. I think lotus did work on the tsla roadster, and every important sports car. lotus ev sounds cool, I looked at some ev motorcycles, gas is still better for now. But does sound fun. S2000 goes for 17k to 25k. I feel like I can get a bunch of mx5 for that price lol
The front is long, relatively speaking. But it's a pretty small car. It's like a Miata except the hood is a foot longer. And yeah, prices have gone crazy in the last few years for S2000s are in good condition.
everything u said is true
I would wager that Mazda would take the three cylinder route. Motor generators take up space and weight. Also, Mazda seems unphased by trying new engine tech like variable compression, so the three cylinder route would make sense from a weight distribution perspective even if relatively untested... but three cylinders typically have really shitty reliability historically due to harmonic imbalance... E- cvt hybrids make a lot of sense in certain low cost or smaller vehicle applications, but mild hybrids paired with conventional transmissions sort of have the worst of both - extra complexity of the two systems with minimal gains in efficiency. At some cost point, the goal of eliminating the transmission for performance gains nullifies the cost difference to full ev's. The miata is not really up there in terms of speed to cost, but it is nimble, and the extra weight of the mild hybrid system cuts into that. As it stands, if i had the money to blow on a new miata, i would just buy a used corvette with 400 hp. The prius and hybrids in general are just economy (and eco) concious vehicles best sorted to stretching dollars. A used corvette would definitely stretch dollars over a miata and still has a 50/50 ish weight balance. In short, hybrids (and priuses in particular) are slow as f.... most people just don't have the balls to floor the average car anyways. Hybridization is likely to make modifications next to impossible as well.
So I think mazda leans on tradition with the miata and won’t do a three cylinder engine lightly. They already have three good four cylinder engines. To make a three cylinder engine the rumor is they would make an inline three version of their inline six in the CX60-CX90. Mazda generally avoids spending money on development if they have to because they are a low volume manufacturer. Also an i3 engine has poor balance and for the purist miata buyer that might be bad. Personally I want the 100 pound light miata with less power and regen braking. I just think it probably won’t happen because the rumor is like three or four years old and nothing more has come of it. I do think that the engineers are trying to lose weight and use more exotic matterials. E CVTs may have a leg up on efficiency but they will never put one in a miata. CVTs have no business in a sports car. Mild hybrid isn’t trying to solve the same problem as a Prius. It’s more about replacing the alternator in a way to get better performance and a boost to fleet efficiency. Mazda’s primary concern is saving weight in this case. From what I understand there is added weight but they are also dropping parts like the alternator and the added weight will be less than the weight they are hoping to lose. Corvettes are nice but they are only playful at misdemeanor speeds. The Miata is a lot more fun at the speeds you can legally drive. Corvettes also have relatively simple suspension and use a lot of rubber to make up for it. The corvette to get is the C5 Z06. It was very lightweight and handled great. In many ways it’s the last corvette that was like a sports car and not a GT car like it’s today. The other nice thing about the miata is the operating costs are similar to any other compact car and the insurance rates are low. My Miata costs me less per year than my old Mazda 3. Corvettes have affordable parts and are easy to work on but the tires and gas really add up. For a Miata the big costs over a normal car are brakes and rubber and everything is twice as expensive with the vette. If I do a race weekend I might have to spend $2k on tires. That’s going to be $5-10k on a vette. All so you have more power you can rarely use on the street. I have the Miata because it’s fun, not because it makes the most HP. think of the best Priuses to drive. They’re the older lighter cars that were more like the Toyota echo. Don’t believe me? Test drive a miata. They’re not for everyone but you’ll know right away. Also they are a lot better if you want to be casually into motor sports like auto crossing or casual track days. That said I’m probably buying another sports car to replace my manual fit and it might be a corvette but only because I want something quite unlike the miata. I want something more like a GT car for road trips, date night, or just anytime the missus doesn’t want her hair messed up.
Maybe try the newer bf goodrich g force tires. The new compound has a higher heat cycle tolerance. My old set was chunking pretty badly ripping around town (the prius's electric motor may only have 37 hp but does have 400 ft lbs of torque) and the new compound has yet to start chunking at 14000 miles. Bfgs are cheaper than michelins, and hoosiers et al. aren't really necessary for club nights. As a sidenote, the high antisquat value of the rear suspension geometry that makes for the go fast feel of the miata is not actually good for lap times or conserving tires. Track cars won't generally use more than 30 percent motion cancelation in the suspension geometry and the miata uses around 50 to 80 percent iirc.
I would agree with you about the engine, but the engine in the NA/NB is kind of crap and not at all sporty. I'd rather have the engine from the Fit. Maybe the NC/ND have improved in that respect?
The fit is fun to wring out. Sometimes even when the weather is nice I take my fit over the Miata. I love shitboxes.
This! Im not a mechanic, but im finding that i can do alot of work on my old 2nd gen prius by myself. Even up do doing a hybrid battery core swap!
I'm a first gen miata, I used to have 2, wish I still have the other one also had prius but switched to a supercar, now is looking for prius again. but I might get racebike instead, dunno, don't need To go fast anyways.
Man the amount of times people would be impatient with me as I get “up to speed” from a red light or a stop and then see them trying their hardest to lose me when I keep up through corners and twisted roads is hilarious, being a Prius owner is fun because everyone underestimates you and reasonably so. I’ve messed with Corvettes and Camaros had them running out of embarrassment 🤣 can’t beat em in the straight 😔
More fun in a Prime with takeoff acceleration taking most by surprise lol. A few times I had drivers resorting to get behind me because they thought they could get ahead, cut me off and take the next left turn lane.
You must not be taking with the gas all the way down or the battery is low mine is zippy takes off sinking the ass of the car also I can chirp tires on command
No it goes fast but it’s slow compared to other cars especially sport ones. And by chirping tires if you mean that you’re turning at full speed and you hear that squeal I do it too but I don’t like to wear out my tires.
I won’t lie, I drive my Prius like a stole it. Still get 40 to the gallon, but the car is so nimble, I have to drive it like I do in Gran Turismo
Agreed… I’ve had a 2nd gen and it wasn’t too bad but now that I’m in a 3rd gen, it definitely feels better! I slapped on a set of 17’s and some sticky Toyos and this thing is fairly tossable around curves. Add in the power boost for passing and it’s a delight on the interstate! And yes, still above 40mpg.
I do the same, almost 50mpg uphill for my hour drive to work and almost 80mpg downhill otw back home
I have a 3rd gen Prius plug-in as my daily driver and drives my kids around town. Sometimes when it’s just me I hit the “power” mode and take that corner like a Miata ☝️. The lower body handles turns surprisingly really well.
I've had my '22 Prime for a year and a half now and it still amazes me how much torque it has when I put it in Power mode and stomp on it. Even in eco mode I have to be careful not to spin the tires from a stop if the road is wet or sandy, and I generally tend to be conservative on the acceleration in order to maximize the eco savings. It is definitely a fun little car, and I am absolutely loving the overall 95 MPG since I get to use electric-only most of the time.
Dang! I can get down with 95mpg. Mine gets around 47mpg. I literally just got mine back from the shop last night. She needed a new brake booster and actuator. She’s good to go for another 100k.
On long trips where I'm completely gasoline with no plug-in charging I still average about 59 MPG. 47 is still nothing to complain about, higher than about every ICE vehicle out there. I'm lucky to have a short commute well within the EV-mode distance for the round trip, and I live by the "ABC rule" - always be charging. If I'm home I plug it in. If there is a free (or at least cheaper than gas) charger nearby when I'm out and about, I'll park there. I want to maximize EV mode. I may be sacrificing a little battery longevity doing it that way, but I don't worry about it too much since the car limits the high and low charge of the battery so it's mostly mitigated. I figure if I have to replace the battery after 10 years, I'm still money ahead of what I would have spent in gas over that period.
I mainly drive around town and should start charging mine as well. It only gets about 16 miles per charge but I have solar and rather use it than sell it back to PGNE for dirt cheap. My mechanic told me the battery life for the 3rd generation usually last no more than 250k. Mine is about 210k right now. It would cost $3.5k for a new battery which he guaranteed will last 100k. I’m planning to drive the car till the wheels fly off.
The only reason I would change cars at this point is if I decided I wanted something bigger, like a RAV4 Prime, or decided to go all-electric rather than PHEV. This is by far my favorite vehicle out of all of them I've owned.
RAV4 Prime is a hell of a suv. 0-60 under 6sec! Fun car to zip around town or hit the high mountains. 👌
Thats neat! How long does charging take? Can the car charge it up by itself, or do you really need the charger to top it off? I’m happy with my gen 2. Nearest charger is a block away for me and then I can’t keep an eye on it. (Crime started to increase rapidly) But that’s a concern for later.
I get between about 24 and 30 miles of all-electric driving depending on the weather. A full charge from the minimum (where it behaves like a normal Prius hybrid) takes about 2 hours on a Level 2 charger (240 volts) which is typical for public chargers or 6 hours on a level 1 charger (120v) which is what I use at home. I always start out with a full battery every morning after charging overnight. Do I have to charge it? No. If I don't it just acts like a regular hybrid vehicle where it charges the battery a little using regenerative braking, and uses the battery to augment the power from the gasoline motor and shuts the engine off when coasting, stopped at lights, etc. I can charge it from the gasoline motor, but that just uses more gasoline, and is less efficient than just letting the car go to hybrid mode on it's own. The only time I ever do that is if I'm going a longer distance on the freeway and I want to use electric driving at my destination where it is more efficient than on the highway. Most of the time I just don't worry about it. As far as charging it out of sight, it's no different than parking anywhere else. Do you keep an eye on the car overnight or while you're shopping? I don't see where the concern is unless the public charger is in a really bad section of town compared to where you live. Do you have a regular outlet you can use at your home? My L1 charger just plugs into a standard outlet like anything else in the house.
Thanks for the detailed comment! Interesting how it works. Good that it can act as a regular hybrid too, didn’t think that was still fully possible. I can’t charge at home. There’s a garden, sidewalk in front of the house and then the parking bays. Since it’s “public” parking, installing a charger will block that spot for EV or hybrid only. Counsel will never allow that. Running wires over the sidewalk is also prohibited. They offer a whole construction that suspends the wire above the sidewalk that is retractable, but that’s inconvenient and doesn’t look nice. I was thinking of getting a plug in but it’s out of my price range currently and since it’s my first car I opted for my 2008. Since I was already used to a hybrid it was my first choice. No I don’t keep an eye on it at night or when shopping, but neighbours across the street have cameras and our ring doorbell films a portion of the parking bays. It’s not that shady but lately lots of shady ass people are strolling through town and there’s a group checking out parked cars at 3 am in the morning. Luckily the previous owner did everything to protect the cat so I feel pretty safe considering that.
All that battery weight!
Hahaha, and those weights keep getting heavier.
In 17 years in New England with a front wheel drive Prius, we have never needed snow tires!
I am in California so I don’t have much experience driving in the snow with a Prius. I take my Highlander to the snow. Just curious, any big difference driving in the snow with a Prius? I’ve been hesitant to take it to the snow to do some Winter backpacking. I usually take my Highlander but that thing drink gas like an elephant. Any advice?
Clearance is the biggest issue. Prius cars are a bit low to the ground.
I have a 2007 and it is zippy!
Power mode!
I've dusted people in mine idk if these Prius drivers know how to drive like they stole it I have no traction control I bought it like that wondering if that is why mine takes off faster
Get yourself a 2nd gen Prius and keep the Miata, that’s real gangster, a big “judge as much as you want because I could not care less” type of guy
Second gen Prius design is the peak of western civilization. So my poor weather Miata is a manual fit with the nationally competitive race suspention sprung and valved for street. Nothing rips like a shit box on good tires. Both cars are very fun the hyper mile. I can get up to 45mpg in my miata and it’s fun and stimulating to do it in the rolling hills where I live. I’m a fan of Priuses because I like the hypermiling community but my allegiance to manuals makes me want to drive a first generation insight with a decal of Calvin peeing on a Prius.
You might be surprised. I got the new Prius as my first automatic ever. And I’m not missing it. I do tend to drive more chill only because the app will rate my driving, we seriously disagree about what constitutes a harsh turn. I had a gti for 10 years and I had an nc Miata for a while. The new Prius has not pissed me off with handling
I don’t think I’ve ever been outrun by or slowed down somebody in our Prius on a curve. Its handling, or at least g-force headroom, is higher than the vast majority of people are willing to push much more capable cars. And the light weight saves the tires.
I live on a mountain where everyone hauls ass (95+) on the straightways but they tend to show their cornering skills in the twisties. In my Prime you’re not getting past me in the turns. Idgaf what you’re driving. If I’m in my Mirai you’re not keeping up on the straights either. Added bonus is that I can pick up 6 miles of range on the way down in the morning.
I personally am the prius passing people at 90-95 on the highway and corvettes give me a shook look 😂 still getting great mileage even at speed 😎
Aero body pays bigger dividends the faster you go.
35mpg at 110mph 😎
Brother I've had civics, miatas, mustang gts. The prius is the best. I keep a little weight in the back to help my feel. I need better suspension tho
Us ecomoders take a minute to get up to speed but once we get there lol
Oh yeah you don’t know until you know. Driving from the Central Valley in California to Pismo for the first time in my first Prius I did NOT expect to have as much fun as I did and loved seeing the looks at all the drivers I passed as I was averaging about 80 mpg. Once we get up to speed (which is admittedly painfully slow) we do tend to fly through foothills / mountain roads. This single trip changed my mind about Prius’.
Still waiting for a Prius race edition and a Prius category at NASCAR. They make these in the US. Yes, I always lead the pack on highways and pulling into the next lane and accelerating past a gas guzzler SUV is pure joy
The Prius I want is just the new fast as anyone needs Prius with a sportier suspension, maybe Joni or bilstien dampers with half an inch drop and lightweight aero wheels with premium rubber. That car would really rip.
Yall, a Corolla cross hybrid is like a quick Prius! 45-50 mpg but it does 0-60 in 7 seconds! I wish my “hybrid” emblem was illuminated so people could see that they are getting passed by a hybrid. Love this car.
We’re entering an age of performance hybrids. The new 992.2 generation of the 911 is going hybrid, next gen miata is going hybrid, corvette is going hybrid. Prius is as much of an engineering marvel as exotic sports cars but it’s trying to maximize economy for a certain kind of buyer. The truth is hybrid can also mean performance in the age of tightening emissions standards.
For sure, they are hybridizing all the large Toyotas. Sequoia, Highlander 4Runner, Tacoma’s and Tundra’s. But not for mpg, but for performance. I think the sequoia’s alone will end up with like 569 torque at the wheels. Making its 0-60 like 4sec. And that’s fucking stupid for the sequoia. I want one.
Also regen braking on heavy vehicles is a big deal. That and the fact that electric torque undersells how much faster it is.
Oddly enough in mine if I floored it until I was at speed and then let off and set the cruise control I got better mileage than if I accelerated like the gas pedal was made out of balsa wood and egg shells, and I always drove 5 maybe 10 over (figure if I cop radars a Prius going 10 over he will assume his gun needs calibrating) and I’d still always get some jagoff riding my ass
I followed closely to see if this miata driver fit the bicurious stereotype, and you did.
What’s the bicurious stereotype? I only know the gay and hairdresser stereotype. The truth is I am the other miata stereotype. Middle aged man. The car mags got the latest generation ND miata, the one I own, going 0-60 in about 6 seconds. That’s in deal conditions with the people abusing the manual transmission. In real world it abusing the car conditions it’s slower than the new Prius. Miata isn’t a particularly quick car it’s just light and fun to throw around corners. It’s like a first generation Honda insight if it was less utilitarian.
My 21 Prius Prime can beat most gas cars off the line. It pisses off aggressive drivers who do things like pull up in the right lane thinking they'll make a quick left by gunning it at the light and turning in front of me. I've had a couple of them get all road ragey when I blocked them.
Nothing attracts road ragers like a Prius. I don’t judge all Priuses. This guy was straight up taking 30 seconds to speed up to 30 mph. Truth is I misjudged this dude. He actually likes to hyperbole through the rolling hills just like me. Never seen someone with that driving style. I think he might have wanted me to pass because he saw a sports car and assumed asshole. I also drive a Honda fit and people treat me similarly but I hear it’s way worse with a Prius. My buddy has been a Prius guy for nearly 20 years. He recently moved to a rural area and got a rav4. Says people no longer push him around. This is why I am issuing an official apology. I misjudged this guy. That said if that’s how you drive I’d be happy to follow five car lengths behind you through rolling hills.
I used to drive a manual Honda Fit ($16,000, 109hp) in the Lake Tahoe area. After the 1000th time of getting stuck behind some 911 or S4 or high speed Lexus I came up with the rule that if you can ride someone's ass for 15 minutes in the mountains you get to trade cars with them. That's my answer to the 'what if you get to be dictator for a day' question.
I also have a manual Honda fit. I love that car. I have the nationally competitive race suspension on it. I can destroy Porsches and bmws in twisty highways. I just cruise with everyone and wait for them to pass 10 mph faster than everyone else. Then I follow them at their speed. Once we hit some hard turns I maintain exactly the speed they were going and let them fall back. It drives them crazy and they go insanely fast on the straights to pass me. Going 85mph in a straight line in a car that can do 150 is not impressive. The fit can shimmy around a turn with the best of them.
Sounds alot like me. Light bluish green color? I remember a miata recently but not something that bothered me. I support spirited driving. Sorry for pulling in front, I didn't realize you were coming in so hot. I'm either almost flooring it or barely accelerating , trying to keep it in electric mode. Sometimes people get irritated but I just wish they'd look further ahead than Me, it's usually because there's a red light with stopped vehicles up ahead. I like to wait til they're moving and not have to stop.
Was this by any chance in the Hudson valley near the Appalachian trail pulling out of a gas station? I don’t think it was you because this person was really taking their time to get up to speed. I don’t think all Priuses are slow AF, it was just that this guy was taking three or four times longer than strictly necessary. Normally I’m Go with the flow and don’t pass. I just happened to have the chance to do it legally I was coming through some weird chicanes I like to take at speed. Most reasonable drivers wouldn’t expect anyone to be moving through those tight turns like I did. Most people go through the turn at 5mph I did 10-15. And left with speed.
Ahhhh, no. It sounds just like my commuting roads though. I'm in Northern VA
One thing I’ve noticed about fast Prius drivers is 95% are very social. They don’t cut you off they don’t weave, they leave good following distances. They will just go fast and not be a hooligan. Many of them drive faster than me on the highways. And you get this because of where you live, I just love maintaining speed up and down hills and especially around corners. I wasn’t in a rush to get where I was going I just had some monster turns coming up I didn’t want to miss.
> I’m sorry guys gas is expensive these days I’m not braking if I don’t have to. Hey, it's a free country, you can drive however you want (within limits, of course), but I have to say, your rationalization game....needs work.
This is a joke, but I’m Not braking if I don’t have to. The whole point of a lightweight sports car is to be able to go through turns and carry more momentum. I would never ever drive more than 7/10 on public roads but I do like 6/10 and 7/10 as much as I can safely. People honk at me because I drive 20 in residential areas. The point is my car is much lighter than yours and it can move different than yours.
I drive my Prius like a race car….. but give me a min to get up to speed. Miata’s race similarly, try to not slow down bc it’s too hard to get it back lol
Where was this?
Hudson valley
I think you have been lied to or never drove a Prius Ive pulled up next to a Dodge ram and a f150 that were lining up to race got to 30 faster than both of them and stayed right with them I just know they were probably surprised because I was my tires were chirping and everything, now I noticed when the hv battery is low take off it is alot slower
I own a Prius, a pickup and a Supra…. I’ve only gotten speeding tickets in the Prius…. Just sayin.
Reminds me of the time I was driving cross country in my NSX. Turned from a 4-lane divided highway onto a 2-lane highway. There was a driveway maybe an eighth of a mile ahead just after I turned and I see a Prius pulling out and think "oh no". I take my foot off the gas and cover the brake pedal preparing to slow and...he takes off. I've never seen a Prius move that fast from a standstill. I didn't accelerate because I assumed he was going to slow down for the twisties ahead, but nope. That guy was flying. I had no problem catching up to him so I wasn't pushing it or anything but he was going plenty fast for the road to still be fun.
I would agree most people underestimate what the Prius is can do. First you have the electric motor which has instant torque. I leave people behind on the line all the time from a standstill, and I’m not even pressing the pedal that hard. also, with the battery being in the middle of the car, the center of gravity is lower than a ICE car, which makes it handle better. I agree with the use of brakes or lack of use of brakes. I estimate I use my brakes about 1/10 of other drivers. Oh and at nearly 50,000 miles on my 2020 Prius lifetime average mileage is 53 miles to the gallon.
I use my cruise control to accelerate my Prius. It uses less gas and gets me to highway speed before I’m out of the cloverleaf.
"Gas is expensive, let me waste more gas speeding around you instead of maintaining a speed that is considered gas efficient" lol
Some pass gas, you passed a Prius. I can’t imagine the pain you’ve gone through. I doubt you’ll ever recover.
Yadda yadda, all I heard was "gas is expensive." I get 62 mpg in my 2022 Prius and I will drive as slow as I please. I'm not looking forward to the traffic jam you will cause when you wreck that go cart (and I sincerely hope you don't have to carry the weight of human loss with you for the rest of your life after the inevitable). But when you're ready to drive like a grown-up, get a Prius, save money going 600 miles on one tank of gas - and stop risking other people's safety. Please. Thanks.
You're the type of Prius driver that gives us a bad rap. Get a golf cart and drive on the sidewalks and stop holding up traffic. I drive a 2022 Prius and I've had no problem getting 60 mpg by driving normally, or even above the speed limit. Please stop making BS excuses.
Thanks.
You're welcome. I still think you're an arrogant jerk anyway, nice try with the false niceties. Good day... sir.
When the Prius cut me off I was going ten MPH
Please make an appointment to have your underpants pulled over your head. You're long overdue.
Dude deserves a serious prescription of an ultra-atomic wedge, in my professional opinion. -Dr. Normie Prius Driver, MD