For consumers, reliability and running expenses of a product are the determining factors of choice among many options available. According to Blischke and Prabhakar, “High reliability is achieved through design efforts, choice of materials and other inputs, production, quality assurance efforts, proper maintenance, and many related decisions and activities, all of which add to the costs of production, purchase, and product ownership” (xxv).
Toyota Prius V, the 2011 best rated vehicle by consumers, is being evaluated to ascertain its reliability and running cost vs.
of other brands of vehicles. Toyota Japanese vehicles have considerably penetrated the world’s auto market, including in the United States of America. According to Dee-Ann Durbin, an Associated Press writer, in 2011, “Japanese brands took the top seven spots in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability rankings, pushing aside their U. S. and European rivals. Toyota Motor Corp.
‘s Scion, Lexus and Toyota brands took the top three spots and the Toyota Prius C; a subcompact hybrid got the best score of all”.
Toyota Prius is believed to be one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the current market. This is rendered possible due to its gasoline and electrical paired engine, also known as hybrid engine. The gasoline part of the engine does not run continuously, thus resulting in a less quantity of gasoline consumption per mile. Consumer reports indicate that a Toyota Prius uses 44 to 48 miles per gallon.
Some users went further by reporting much better gas consumption of above 50 miles per gallon. In addition to gasoline consumption effectiveness stated above, the Toyota Prius has been found to be a maintenance cost effective vehicle too. The reason is it has fewer parts than a standard car. In fact, a Toyota Prius does not have an alternator, a starter, a timing belt, a power steering belt, a power steering pump. Instead, it has regenerative brake pads that will never need replacement.
Furthermore, in case the need of the complete engine replacement arises, it will still cost lesser than it would be for a traditional gasoline engine. Moreover, a Toyota Prius offers a lot of technological perks, particularly when it comes to handling or manipulation, including the driver’s ability to change gears on a computer monitor instead of a gear stick, the fuel usage being displayed on several panels, and the existence of a build in camera which allows the driver to safely back up during parallel parking.
Another important feature of a Toyota Prius is its platform that has been stretched by six inches, thus drastically increasing its interior, and making it as convenient as a SUV-like level of passenger room. Rear passengers have got the option of sliding seats by moving forwards or backwards. The vehicle’s cabin can then be configured for either cargo hauling or people moving duties. These dimensions improvements have considerably enlarged its cargo capacity.
Unparallel fuel and maintenance cost economy, increased cargo capacity, spacious passenger room, comfort; technology innovations are some of the reasons as to why the 2012 Toyota Prius V is such a significant vehicle for consumers. It is a reliable and expenses efficient best choice of vehicle for a potential buyer, if compared to many other brands. Wallance R. Blischke and D. N. Prabhakar Murthy. Case Studies in Reliability and Maintenance. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2003 Dee-Ann Durbin. Japanese cars top reliability rankings. October 30, 2012 9:42 Am.