Toyota turns back on Prius as hybrid mileage champ, emphasizes performance

The 2016 Toyota Prius gets better gas mileage than the previous generation, 54 mpg in the city and 50 mpg on the highway. The engine and electric motor produce a total of 121 horsepower. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I have yet to meet a car that is as fast as my Tesla Model S in a stop-light grand prix -- that sprint from zero to 30 mph or 40 mph.

It certainly wasn't the 2016 Prius that was next to me at a light near Route 80 in northern New Jersey the other night, when I blew off his doors.

But I figured the young driver had seen the Toyota TV ad with bank robbers getting away in the redesigned Prius, first shown during the Super Bowl, and thought he owned a really fast car.

LOL.

How trite, I thought when I first saw the ad.

Now, Toyota has turned its back on the environmental benefits of more than 15 years of producing the world's most popular gas-electric hybrid.

Just about every automaker tries to appeal to the boy racer in prospective car buyers, ignoring women altogether.

Aren't you sick of seeing Mercedes-Benzes, Audis and BMWs in lurid slides or Nissans and Lexus sedans racing across sun-baked desserts?

Now, you can add the Prius to that list, and that's a sad development.

Top-rated, relatively rare Tesla Model S attracts smiles, thumbs ups -- and envy

At the supermarket, above, or at a free Tesla Supercharger Station on the New Jersey Turnpike, below, the gorgeous, relatively rare Model S turns heads.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Oh, there goes another Mercedes (Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Cadillac etc. etc).

When you drive a Tesla Model S, other drivers really notice, and you don't see yourself coming and going.

In its third year of production, the luxury 4-door hatchback still is relatively rare.

I've gotten thumbs ups from a passing motorcyclist on the interstate, a pedestrian and others.

The reaction of other drivers is mixed.

Some are aggressive, like the moron in a Volvo wagon who tried to pass me on Thursday after both of us got on Route 80 west in Englewood, N.J.

My Model S 60 is a couple of seconds slower to 60 mph than the P85D that just broke the Consumer Reports ratings system, earning a perfect road test score of 100.

But the zero to 30 mph and 40 mph times are dazzling when I've been challenged to a stoplight grand prix start.

I've yet to lose one.

E-ZPass discounts

Tesla's Model S uses an external E-ZPass that is mounted over the bottom of the license plate, but you'll have to jump through hoops to get the "green" one that entitles you to off-peak discounts as the owner of a zero-emission vehicle.

The off-peak discounts are available on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and at the Hudson River crossings.

First, you have to register your car, then send in a copy of your registration showing the make and model, and if you're lucky, in four to six weeks the so-called Green Pass will come in the mail.

My first attempt, using snail mail, failed. The second time, I faxed in my request and got the exterior E-ZPass, but it was black like the one on my Model S.

I called, and was told exterior passes come only in black, but that my pass is programmed to give me the green discounts.

The E-ZPasses we use to get off-peak discounts in my two Toyota Priuses are green, not white.

Our 2007 Prius with 64,000 miles on it is for sale. If you want to get 40 mpg to 50 mpg and help the environment, send an email to the address at the top of this blog.

LOADED: Navigation system, Bluetooth, six-disc CD player in dash.

Carpool discounts

All drivers are entitled to a carpool discount at the Hudson River crossings -- 24/7 -- but you have to call your E-ZPass provider and register for the discount.

Then, you have to stop in a staffed cash/E-ZPass lane so a toll taker can see you have three or more people in the car.

The regular off-peak E-ZPass toll at the Hudson River crossings is $9.75, the Green Pass off-peak toll is $6.25 and the carpool toll is $5.75.

The peak E-ZPass toll is $11.75, and the cash toll is $14.

The Model S on vacation at the Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain in Vermont, where we also recharged our own batteries.

With pure EVs widely available, buying a new car has become a political statement

Tesla Motors' Model S 60 looks great in red.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Did you hear about the cramped C-Class sedan from Mercedes-Benz you can get packed with a 503-horsepower, twin-turbo V-8?

Who needs 503 horsepower in the congested New Jersey-New York metropolitan area?

The AMG C63 S has an MSRP of $71,900, and you'll probably have to visit a gas station every week to satisfy this monster with premium fuel for its 18-gallon tank.

The mileage ratings aren't listed on the company's Web site.

That's $2,000 more than the base price of my roomier, more luxurious Tesla Model S 60, which I brought home last week.

Climate change

Mercedes-Benz isn't the only carmaker engaged in a mindless horsepower race, which aggravates climate change and deadly air pollution.

Today, with a range of all-electric vehicles that can fit any budget, buying a car that still uses gasoline is irresponsible.

Supporting the oil industry has become political now that the Koch brothers are using their billions in a bid to buy Congress and the White House for conservative Republicans.

Fast and quiet

My Model S 60 does 0-60 in 5.9 seconds -- quietly and effortlessly -- fast enough to engage in stop-light grand prix starts with gas guzzlers from Mercedes and other manufacturers.

The car's electric motor is blessed with instant torque, so I love to see them fading in my rear-view mirror. 

Now, let's hope the internal-combustion engine fades into history.

Once you own a Model S, just about every other car on the road seems so, well, ordinary.