Selintas tersenyum dalam batas
Paras wajahmu mekar mawar
Merah delima lembut tersenyum
Melati putih kembang di taman
Kristal lembut jatuh di daun
Mentari hangat menyapu kalbu
Rona Pelangi menghiasi kembang
Hawa hangat di sini ku sesap
Mekar mawar ku nikmati dalam lukisan
Jelita manis ku sentu dalam maya
Jelita indah kini ku sapa dalam kata
TOYOTA NEW COLLECTION
More Mature
In short, the Prius represents a far more mature approach. Clearly, Toyota spent vastly more in developing the Prius than Honda did the Insight - and this shows in every area of the car. The Prius is astonishingly complex and accomplished – an amazing combination to achieve from Day 1 of a new technology. The integration of the powerful electric motor (30kW on this first model) with the engine via the Power Split Device makes the seamless mixing of petrol and electric power a daily reality. The Prius always feels torquey and strong at low speeds, despite its high 1250kg weight and lack of outright power. Although reverse gear uses only electric power (the petrol engine cannot drive the car in reverse) it can still quietly torque its way up my steep driveway. On the open road, engine revs automatically vary with load: you know you’re climbing a steep hill because engine revs rise. But all the driver needs do is put their foot on the throttle – the incredibly complex electronic and mechanical controls do the rest.
Inside, the Prius is roomy and well packaged. There’s adult space in the front and rear and the boot is reasonably sized (although in this first model not very long). The ride is soft and comfortable and the seats well matched to the spring rates. The colour LCD in the middle of the dash is Soarer-sophisticated and the controls all work with typically Toyota quality and ease.
However, the handling is poor and the steering dreadful, being vague and over-assisted around centre.
Take a look under the skin of the Prius and the engineering thoroughness is formidable. I’ve had my car in lots of pieces (it’s been supercharged and then subsequently turbocharged) and I also bought a front cut which I disassembled. Everything – and I mean everything – is superbly made and engineered. The high voltage connectors, the filtered fan-forced cooling of the battery box, the water cooling of the power converter under the bonnet, the use of standard Toyota hydraulic trans fluid in the Power Split Device. Even the use of only a slightly modified Echo 1.5-litre VVTi engine means that this was always a car that Toyota expected to work well over the long term – the engine was a known quantity. The book The Car That Shook the World gives some idea of the thoroughness with which Toyota approached the task, to the extent that for example Panasonic had to change the way that they made Nickel Metal Hydride batteries to meet Toyota’s durability expectations.
The Insight is very different. Perhaps the biggest difference is in the body. Rather than optimising a very sophisticated driveline to gain the huge economy advantage the Prius had (and has) over conventional petrol engine cars, Honda decided to go for a more basic driveline and get the gains mostly from the body. The result was an all-aluminium design with a very low drag co-efficient. A low drag number is no good if the frontal area of the car is high so Honda decided the Insight would be a small, low car. The body-in-white weighed about half as much as a contemporary Civic and yet was stiffer in both bending and torsion, and was also safe in a crash.
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