Why we shouldn't hate the Prius

G_Body_Man wrote: ....With all these reasons to actually like the Prius, why do so many people still dislike them?

Climb outside the car and look at it.

It would be nice if they made one that didn't HAVE to "look" like a hybrid. That said they are one of the only hybrids anyone should probably buy (much better basic design then the "bolt a big starter motor on it" hybrids).

foxtrapper wrote:

fujioko wrote: If they made a rwd two door GT I would take a second look.

I rather agree with that. No one makes a sporty or even sportyish eco weeny vehicle, besides Tesla. An electric or hybrid Miata or similar ilk might be quite marketable.

CR-Z???

Now, you can argue that Honda totally missed the mark with it, and I'd not completely disagree(having never driven one), but it seems that was exactly their intent.

Because electricity is totally clean.

I mean, it just comes out of the wall, right?

When I pass a Prius (being driven 54.5mph in the fast lane) I downshift 2 gears to offset the low carbon footprint

Around here, they tend to drive very quickly. Drag racing off the lights, foot on the mat until 10 over the speed limit. They do a pretty good job of maximizing their own C footprint.

Left lane bandit? That's just random shiny happy people, not specific to Prius.

I just have no desire to own one. No hate but there boring. I like being able to hear my exhuast burble and gas mileage isnt a big deal for me. I drive 6 miles a day.

In reply to G_Body_Man:

My wife has a Prius. It provides quiet comfortable transportation very efficiently. It does what it does extremely well. I appreciate it for this reason.

Prius hate is a lot Miata hate. It has little to do with the vehicle itself. It has everything to do with perceptions who drives them. You can this in the personal stereotypes that have been shared on this thread already.

petegossett wrote:

foxtrapper wrote:

fujioko wrote: If they made a rwd two door GT I would take a second look.

I rather agree with that. No one makes a sporty or even sportyish eco weeny vehicle, besides Tesla. An electric or hybrid Miata or similar ilk might be quite marketable.

CR-Z??? Now, you can argue that Honda *totally missed the mark* with it, and I'd not completely disagree(having never driven one), but it seems that was exactly their intent.

It'd be nice if MINI would build the Superleggera Vison, which was supposed to be electric.

If you're willing to leave five-digit pricing behind, you have, with varying levels of focus, the BMW i8, Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid.

The Cadillac ELR has some nifty suspension stuff going on. Supposedly handles. I've never so much as seen one in person.

We have someone on here who is racing an electric Chevy Spark. The i3 is supposed to have some sporting ability.

I do think we need sport packages of affordable electrics and hybrids. More concepts: Chevy Volt Z Spec: Nissan LEAF Nismo:

Type Q wrote: In reply to G_Body_Man: My wife has a Prius. It provides quiet comfortable transportation very efficiently. It does what it does extremely well. I appreciate it for this reason. Prius hate is a lot Miata hate. It has little to do with the vehicle itself. It has everything to do with perceptions who drives them. You can this in the personal stereotypes that have been shared on this thread already.

All of this.

The Prius is an excellent car. There is no reason to hate it, nor people who drive them.

These threads always seem to bring about lots of ignorance though. Some of you guys seem one step away from rolling coal.

Seems like a cool car for a wife. If you got a freaky wife, get her a v6 accord.

But, I don't really like them. My main beef is the boring ride and the harvesting feel. The guys I know who have them drive their repetitive routes to work every day, work their repetitive desk jobs, drive back home the same way and then complain to me that their life is dull and boring. I know it's not the BIG piece of the puzzle (they are berkeleyed in other ways), but I do wonder if they would get any more enjoyment if they drove something a little less dull/expectable. Then that twisty back road becomes a test of shifting and that on ramp becomes a drag strip.

I agree, we shouldn't hate the Prius because of the people that drive it or for the 'superior' attitude that surrounds it.

I hate the Prius because its a truly terrible thing to drive. Crap steering feel and poor handling didn't add fuel economy. Efficiency doesnt have to equal soul-less appliance. Ex: Suzuki Swift, pretty fun - 45 mpg highway.

If Toyota wanted to make a good handling hybrid with stellar fuel economy and great steering, they could. Instead the latest Toyotas have available wireless cell phone chargers.

I had a 1st gen at work due a while and it wasn't bad. It never left Manhattan so it got phenomenal mileage. Sadly it was crushed by an inattentive cabbie. I have a Suburban now because I need a snow plow and some bulky equipment and while it's nice most of the time I'd rather have something easier to park and less thirsty.

I hate the Prius for a few reasons:
- the interior is hideous and not a pleasant place to spend time (at least on the pre 2013 ones)
- boring to drive
- terrible steering feel

Beyond that, yes, way too many Prius drivers like to drive SLOW in the WRONG berkeleyING LANE! But then again so do Camry owners and SUV / minivan owners - and LEAF owners thanks to their mediocre range. Those cars are the regular offenders of my daily commute...

I test drove on when I was looking for something fuel efficient after DD my FD RX7 and spending about $400-500 on gas per month. I also test drove a Volt. The Volt drives like a normal car and has a nice interior, decent steering and isn't totally boring to drive thanks to the cool drivetrain. Plus I get to use the HOV lane which saves me an hour a day in commute time.

ProDarwin wrote:

Type Q wrote: In reply to G_Body_Man: My wife has a Prius. It provides quiet comfortable transportation very efficiently. It does what it does extremely well. I appreciate it for this reason. Prius hate is a lot Miata hate. It has little to do with the vehicle itself. It has everything to do with perceptions who drives them. You can this in the personal stereotypes that have been shared on this thread already.

All of this. The Prius is an excellent car. There is no reason to hate it, nor people who drive them. These threads always seem to bring about lots of ignorance though. Some of you guys seem one step away from rolling coal.

See i actually do hate coal rolling brodozers!

1988RedT2 wrote: It's not the technology of the Prius that I abhor, but rather the politics.

That's like so 2005....

wbjones wrote:

EvanR wrote: The Scion averages 31mpg and the Prius gets 50. Dimensionally, they are very similar. It's a toss up right now.

when driven in town … don't think it gets quite that much when running along at 75 - 80 out on the highway

My driving is about 80% city/suburban type roads and 20% highway, mostly for road trips. Even if it only gets, say, 42mpg on road trips, I'm still ahead of the game.

Trans_Maro wrote: Because electricity is totally clean. I mean, it just comes out of the wall, right?

I believe it is a natural property of 2x4s and sheetrock.

The Prius viewed solely as a car is fine. Boring as all hell, but it gets decent milage, is reliable, and is packaged in a way that makes decent use of its size. It's like a better Camry for the 21st century and for a lot of normal people that makes perfect sense.

But the stereotypes don't come from nowhere. On plenty of occasions I've spat some pretty terrible expletives at self righteous, left lane hogging Prii decked out in the full complement of political bumper stickers. I've experienced the condescending eco-snobbery of the dipsticks that think they're saving the world by buying them. Get off your high horse and get a berkeleying clue. If you really want to minimize your "carbon footprint" go buy a 1990 CRX and keep it running on junkyard parts for the next 20 years. Or ride a motorcycle.

I would never own one, life's too short for boring cars. If I'm gonna be stuck in the car commuting for an hour and a half per day, I would rather spend it in something worthwhile to drive.

Trans_Maro wrote: Because electricity is totally clean. I mean, it just comes out of the wall, right?

and it's free if that wall is in a public parking garage.. according to my Prius and Leaf driving uncle, you make the planet greener every time you plug one in and no one has to pay for it because the electric company donates that electricity to the city..

what's really amazing is that there are people out that that truly believe stuff like this

EvanR wrote:

wbjones wrote:

EvanR wrote: The Scion averages 31mpg and the Prius gets 50. Dimensionally, they are very similar. It's a toss up right now.

when driven in town … don't think it gets quite that much when running along at 75 - 80 out on the highway

My driving is about 80% city/suburban type roads and 20% highway, mostly for road trips. Even if it only gets, say, 42mpg on road trips, I'm still ahead of the game.

does it get that high out on the highway …. serious question …?

Apart from the mediocre driving experience, the Prius hate seems to be little about the Prius.

I get aggravated by self-righteous attitude in all forms, so I guess I'll just have to live with the fact that whatever car I drive, I'll share that attribute with some grade A clowns.

We have one and I absolutely enjoy having it around. It is few hundred miles shy of 200k. My wife drives it most of the time. It is hers.

We got it because she liked the way she fit in it and I approved because back when we got it, it was one of the cheapest ways to get bluetooth, navigation and a smartkey.

I took it to an intermediate autocross school...it was terrible--especially when the battery run down--but it got around the course just fine.

Having said that for driving around town, I enjoy it a lot. I cannot make myself replace it even with the high mileage. In 3.5 years of ownership we have averaged 39+mpg. I could do much better but it is not my primary car. Highway mpg is between 40 and 51 depending on load, terrain and WIND. Most of the time we get about 44 loaded down. For a car to commute in, it just works. I have an 07 civic si which is my DD, but oftentimes I find myself driving the prius around.the electric motor makes it pretty torquey once you are moving. I didnt think I would like it, but I have changed my mind. Live with one for more than a month and see if you hate. I do like it a lot. My MIL has one exactly like ours with about 60k miles. I have dibs on it. I like them that much.

Tl,dr. I like the prius a lot. It appeals to the options loving cheapskate in me. Try one, you may well be converted.

I just think there UGLY, like fell through the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down ugly. No real world driving experience to compare them to.

I want to put a LSX motor in one or better yet some how take the drive line from a C5 and put the body from a Prius over it.

wbjones wrote:

EvanR wrote:

wbjones wrote:

EvanR wrote: The Scion averages 31mpg and the Prius gets 50. Dimensionally, they are very similar. It's a toss up right now.

when driven in town … don't think it gets quite that much when running along at 75 - 80 out on the highway

My driving is about 80% city/suburban type roads and 20% highway, mostly for road trips. Even if it only gets, say, 42mpg on road trips, I'm still ahead of the game.

does it get that high out on the highway …. serious question …?

Yeah.

Our Gen1 only once returned <40mpg on a trip segment. A combination of heavy rain, wind, & high speeds brought our average down to 39mpg. Most highway trips, you could expect 42-44. And for an appliance its a nice car to drive through the mountains. Around Asheville there is no shifting taking place... engine speed/trans speed just adjusts seamlessly as you go up and down the mountains. It'll hold whatever you set the cruise to with no problems - which is impressive for a car of its size with 70hp.

In the city it would do about the same. Gen1 really gives up a lot to Gen 2 & 3 in the city as it still has belt-driven A/C & water pump (on top of other advancements). Gen 2 has electric A/C, gen 3 has no belt at all.

The newer ones do better. Gen 3 is rated at 53 city, 51 hwy. They also have a lot more power.

Ours was totaled by someone running a red light. It was bound to be replaced soon due to our baby on the way. If a Prius V was down in our price range we would almost certainly have one.