Consumer Reports finds the Toyota Prius to be the best overall value for the automotive dollar and the Nissan Armada the worst in its annual Best New-Car Value analysis.
Tag Archives: Prius
Ford claims Prius-beating economy for C-Max hybrid
A day after we covered the new Prius + hybrid MPV, Ford has said it can do even better. The 2013 C-Max hybrid has not yet been officially tested in Europe, but Ford says initial tests in the USA show the C-Max beating the Prius by approximately three mpg.We have to be a bit careful as final data has not yet been confirmed, but Ford is talking of a total power output of 188 bhp from its combination of 2.0 normally aspirated petrol engine plus electric motor. The petrol engine is likely to be unique to the hybrid – it is not a turbocharged Ecoboost unit, unlike all other 2.0 litre petrol Fords in Europe. Like the Prius, it is an Atkinson-cycle engine, which has different valve timing to a conventional engine to boost economy at the expense of power.
Two new Toyota Prius models
Toyota is adding two new models to the Prius – a plug-in hybrid version of the current hatchback and a seven seat MPV. The first plug-in hybrid was supplied to its celebrity owner earlier this week – His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco (it’s a good job our own Prince Philip doesn’t go by that title, don’t you think?). The headline figures are spectacular: 49 g/km of CO2 and 134.5 mpg, with a battery range of 15.5 miles. However, potential buyers should be warned that those figures are the result of the vagaries of the EU test cycle. Unless you can recharge the car from the mains every 30 miles, your fuel consumption and CO2 figures are likely to be around half the official ones. The price is £27,895.
