That does it, no subscription renewal for Motor Trend. They have gone way down hill in the last few years.

I thought the Cadillac XRL had the COY award wrapped up this year.

 

You should have been suspicious of them with their 13.9 at 101 LS-1 1/4 mile time I never read these types of car mags.

 

Don't mean to sound too coy, but do you know what other prestigious cars have graced the Car of the Year issue? Pinto comes to mind. There are a few others you wouldn't believe as well. Anyone else remember more?

COTY is given to the best car compared to others in it's segment, not the "best" new car on the road. The XLR has certainly shown it's worth in it's segment, but in the alternative fuels/hybrid area the Prius is way beyond anything else out there. It's also profitable and very usable. Throw in the fact that hybrids and alternative fuels will eventually be the future and you can begin to see why it was chosen.

 

Perhaps if you read the article you would understand why it was selected.

 

I'm somewhat of a (lazy) hybrid enthusiast and I'm a little skeptical of the way they did the testing. For the new Malibu in the "Whats not hot" column they put "Cheesy interior plastics." and "Still no Accord or Camry." WTF?!?! The new Malibu is on a higher level than both of those.

 

I don't know if it's at a higher level than Accord or Camry, but it's certainly right there with them. Perhaps this is what Bob Lutz was talking about.

 

If most cars failed to meet the minimum MPG rating by 10 MPG or more, people would think something is wrong with it, but somehow with the PRIUS, this is okay...

(BTW, tis isn't the only source, there are others as well).

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...hreadid=197372

 

That magazine is biased. They need to hire REAL car people.

 

Uhh....actually, a lot of cars are like that. Theres nothing new there at all. Whats funny is that he didn't mention what kind of gas milage he got after it warmed up. My Insight was rated at 56/55. I got about 45 MPG as it warmed up, and about 70- 80 on warm days after it warmed up, for an average of about 67 MPG total...and thats on the CVT. The manuals are notorius for getting 90+ MPG. The Prius is the same way, just on a lower level. And now the 2004's are going to be just as good as the CVT Insights...

 

Motor Trend's Car of the year award (and this is an opinion ) isn't worth much. MT is good for reading early reviews of a new vehicle since they are always the 1st on the news stands and the first in the mailbox.

Motor Trend's problem is that they are too focused on "The New" instead of the "Good". Their COY competition is reserved for only new vehicles, and the winner is typically the newest vehicle with the biggest impact for that year.

By those standards, it's no surprize that Prius won. It has the biggest impact. Never mind that that the new GTO is quick, fast & well made, never mind the XLR is the most exciting Cadillac yet, or the high quality, Mercedes made (it's actually made in Germany) Chrysler Crossfire, or any number of cars that are fantastic, and worthy of COY (let alone all the cars that are already great cars, but just aren't fresh in the market).

Just to show you how off they are, they recently ran a Sport Truck comparison that included the Hemi Ram & the Silverado SS. There was no Lightning.

Why? Their excuse: The Lightning was a lame duck, and would be replaced in a couple of years anyway.

 

the whole concept of "car of the year" as in just one, is asinine IMO. with the volume and veriaty of brand new AND returning cars available each year its impossible to choose just one "car" to hold that honor. the COY award has absolutely no meaning. its especially true at MT, given their track record for COY awards.

at the LEAST the contenders should be subdivided into categories in which to be judged/awarded, if awards are done at all.

 

Another article about the Prius' fuel economy, or lack thereof...

Toyota Gets Mileage Out of Numbers Game
Newsday 11/30/03
author: Mark Rechtin / Automotive News

Los Angeles

In publicity for its Prius hybrid-electric vehicle, Toyota says the compact sedan is EPA-certified to get 51 mpg on the highway, 60 mpg in the city and 55 mpg in a combined driving environment.

Unfortunately for most consumers, their Priuses will never come close to that performance level.

Press a Toyota engineer, and he'll admit that most Prius owners get about 44 mpg in combined driving. That's still an impressive number, but it's 20 percent less than what Toyota tells the world.

Is Toyota pulling a fast one? Not at all. In fact, Toyota says it would prefer to let consumers know that their actual mileage will fall short. But they can't because government won't let them.

Dave Hermance, Toyota's executive engineer for environmental technology, said Toyota is not allowed to publicize any mileage claims other than EPA test results. But the EPA tests are a distortion of the real world, he said.


All vehicles fare better on the test than they do on the road. But because mileage ratings are much higher for fuel-efficient cars, a small percentage discrepancy can translate into a big mileage difference between test results and reality. The discrepancy stems from an outdated EPA test that does not accurately reflect today's driving styles or routes.

It was developed in the 1960s, when there were limitations on the test equipment at the time, Hermance said. They couldn't even brake hard because the testing equipment couldn't handle it.

Hermance drives a Prius and said he typically gets between 53 mpg and 55 mpg combined. But he knows exactly how to pulse drive the car - that is, to accelerate briskly and get it up to speed, then mostly coast and let the electric motor handle the slight modifications needed to keep the vehicle at speed.

A survey of 750 first-generation Prius owners on yahoo.com showed them obtaining between 35 mpg and 55 mpg combined driving, with an average of 44. An early poll of 30 2004 Prius owners showed most got between 45 mpg and 49 mpg.

Why are the official EPA numbers so different from reality?

The EPA city-driving test simulates an 11-mile, stop-and-go trip with an average speed of 20 mph and a maximum speed of 56 mph. The trip has 23 stops and includes time for the vehicle to idle at a standstill. The highway test simulates a 10-mile trip and averages 48 mph. Maximum speed is 60 mph.

The EPA already adjusts the fuel-economy results from its dynomometer test to account for road load - the difference between controlled laboratory conditions and the actual road. For city driving, the penalty is 10 percent; for highways, it is 22 percent.

But certain loads, such as running the air conditioning, are not considered.


Dan Harrison, manager of the vehicle programs group for the EPA in Washington, D.C., admits that hybrids are difficult to test because there are more variables with a hybrid than with an internal combustion engine.

Larry Oswald, a veteran of GM's EV1 program and now CEO of DaimlerChrysler's Global Electric Motorcars venture, says running the air conditioning takes a big-time chunk out of a hybrid's fuel economy.

People drive harder, accelerate quicker and brake faster than the EPA test cycle, Oswald says.

As a result, the EPA is studying whether to adjust its test procedures for hybrids. But the EPA's Harrison doubts such a change in the test will be made specifically for hybrids.

 

I've always suspected this happens.

Also, with DoD... will it also score high on the EPA test, but not very well in real life?

I say get rid of the EPA fleet avg mandate and let carmakers build and carbuyers buy what they want. If people really cared, that much, what they buy will reflect on it. Althoguh I guess you can't trust the carmakers to care too much about fuel efficiency if they are not being watched......