Prius And Real World Hypermiling?

hypermiling is such a small segment of the car driving population… and since there’s already few Prius owners on Y!Answers, you’d be better off asking actual owners rather than the random people on Y!Answers.
But most of your hypermiling info can be found at: http://www.cleanmpg.com/cmps_index.php?p…
The Prius receives Edmunds’ Lowest True Cost to Own award in its market segment (sedan under $25,000): http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2008/…
Although I think that Edmunds’ depreciation costs are a bit high (used Prius are selling for new prices right now due to availability and high demand), so the Prius should be even better than what is listed…
The Prius consistently is rated on the best bets for used cars and new cars lists, too.http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/…http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/…http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/a…
I’ve never seen anyone do a cost-benefit analysis for a v4 vs v6 vs diesel engine, so why do one for a hybrid drivetrain? Most cost analysis articles neglect trade-in value which the Prius does very well in maintaining. (in some areas, used Prius are still selling for near new prices for availability and rising gasoline prices!). Don’t forget to include federal and any state tax incentives in your calculation (Consumer Reports forgot, and had to issue a retraction that hybrids are cheaper to own/operate than their gasoline cousins). Edmunds.com still doesn’t take into account the true depreciation value (as seen by manually looking for a Prius trade-in value) when calculating their TCO, but they still say that hybrids will pay for themselves even when using their lower than actual trade-in amounts:http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.a…
Hybrids do cost less in the long term than their conventional counterparts. (Intellichoice used a 5 year ownership comparison in 2006) See http://www.intellichoice.com/press/Hybri… and http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying10…
While Consumer Reports in 2006 only found the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid would pay off within the same 5 year frame. The Honda Accord Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid were also studied. (I’ll note that there was a mathematical error in the initial publication of Consumer Reports’ hybrid vehicle cost analysis, which a retraction was published later… http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11637968/ ) Since this publication, many more hybrid models have become available, so I can’t use this to say about hybrids “in general.” However, in the US, the Toyota hybrids have sold so many that they no longer qualify for the US Federal hybrid vehicle income tax credit, but Honda and others still have theirs.
There is more to vehicle ownership besides initial purchase cost and the amount of gasoline used – there is also the costs to maintain and insure it, and also depreciation costs.
However, the societal costs for emissions are not usually included. The hybrids tend to be at worst an ULEV, with many (like the Prius and HCH II) an AT-PZEV. Some are only sold in CA-emissions states. (Compare that to the often suggested VW TDIs, which cannot be sold new in CA-emission states because of their poor emissions.) In the US, hybrid models (like the Prius and HCH II) tend to be the best in fuel economy in their respective classes, using the same testing procedure to compare all cars (hybrid/gasoline/diesel/flex-fuel/etc.), and that is for BOTH highway and city driving: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/best…
Maintenance is about the same as a regular car – use your favorite mechanic or DIY. Typically just oil/filter changes and tire rotations.
Toyota scheduled maintenance guides: http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/