My wife and I were driving down the highway today and saw a Camry hybrid. She was surprised that the Prius got better mileage, because she thought they were about the same size and based on the same platform--i.e., the bottom frame on which everything is built. I said I thought the Prius was a different platform--new. Who's right? This oughta be a newbie question and not something from a guy with over 400 posts on this website, but I just don't know.
Im sure someone will correct me- but I remember reading its based on the Avensis (Japanese only model). "Platforms" are less important than you think nowadays. Car to car they share very little tooling other than a few key points that stuff mounts to. These arent 90's GM plastic clad crapboxes were talking about where they changed the headlights and the color of the gagues from one car to another. If you go to swap parts between a Matrix and a Carolla, or a Camry and a Highlander, you will be suprised how few parts (other than engines and switches) fit.
Not correcting you, but I read that the GEN III shared a Corolla/Auris platform with a stretched wheelbase. OTOH, we could both be right
The platform isn't really relevant to mileage. Weight, drag, and propulsion efficiency are the key. The Camry is heavier, with a larger engine and more aerodynamic drag. Tom
