[Electra]

Finally got my new 2004 Prius!!! Just loving it. :lol:

I picked it up from Whitby Toyota (just east of Toronto) on Friday evening and have been having a lot of fun driving and learning about the car. It felt like a very long 10 week wait since I originally ordered it, but well worth the wait.

I've been practicing running in stealth mode. I managed to turn some heads earlier today while cruising quietly down the main drag in Port Perry. I've even let my husband drive it (so I could get familiar with all the constaint feedback from the screen).

BTW, my husband owns a VW TDI, so there is a little competition started regarding who is going to get better fuel economy. Yes, I know, the Prius of couse!

The sun has finally set, so now it is time to go for another drive so I can check out the lights. Then, back home to read some more of the manual and check out some more threads on this site.

Linda

 

[Brian]

Enjoy the car. It is very fun in the first couple of weeks to get to know it.

 

[Daniel]

... my husband owns a VW TDI, so there is a little competition started regarding who is going to get better fuel economy...

As you argue with your husband, don't forget to remind him (over and over) how clean the Prius is (SULEV rated) and how dirty the diesel is. Also, your mileage will improve as the car breaks in, and will be much lower in winter, and higher in warmer temperatures. But it will always be SULEV clean! The diesel might show less seasonal mileage variation, but it will always be dirty. Have fun.

 

[windsurfdog]

Electra,

Congrats! If you are like me, you will love this car better than any before it.

Did you get the HID headlights? Mine are perfect and after plenty of night driving, I've only gotten "flashed" while on low beams once--I think some people might tend to flash anyone with HID's.

Don't be put off by Daniel's comments about the VW....they conjure up memories of being behind old Isuzu and Mercedes diesels with smoke belching and taillights/bumpers darkened with soot. The latest VW diesel technology is much cleaner than that though certainly not as clean as the Prius.

Enjoy!

 

[Bob Allen]

Finally got my new 2004 Prius!!! Just loving it. :lol:

I picked it up from Whitby Toyota (just east of Toronto) on Friday evening and have been having a lot of fun driving and learning about the car. It felt like a very long 10 week wait since I originally ordered it, but well worth the wait.

I've been practicing running in stealth mode. I managed to turn some heads earlier today while cruising quietly down the main drag in Port Perry. I've even let my husband drive it (so I could get familiar with all the constaint feedback from the screen).

BTW, my husband owns a VW TDI, so there is a little competition started regarding who is going to get better fuel economy. Yes, I know, the Prius of couse!

The sun has finally set, so now it is time to go for another drive so I can check out the lights. Then, back home to read some more of the manual and check out some more threads on this site.

Linda

Linda: Congratulations on your Prius. I'm in the same situation you are. My life partner drives a Jetta TDI which runs on bio-diesel that he makes himself in the garage. In environmental terms, I think he is actually cooler than I am in my Prius, although we do have some good natured joking about the two cars and the "competitive" approach to environmental issues. If your husband runs his TDI on bio-diesel, than he is certainly in the same league as you are; if he runs it on conventional diesel, then you are way ahead. Mileage is only part of the issue. Emissions are a huge problem with current diesel engines running on petrol based diesel; that should improve as we get rid of high sulphur diesel in 2006, but for the present, your Prius is way cleaner than his TDI unless he runs it on bio diesel, which cuts cancer causing emissions by 90%, greenhouse gases by 80% and particulates by 55%, over conventional diesel.
Type "TDI vs Hybrid" into Google and you'll get into an interesting chat line/forum/bulletin board where you and your hubby can get some factual ammo in your debate.
Bio-diesel, by the way, should be available everywhere, although it's very expensive, which is why my partner makes his own for about 70 cents a gallon. No problems. He hasn't been to a gas station in three months.
Keep me posted about your family rivalry. Both cars are part of the solution, really.
Bob