Mossback Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 Prius cars are an interesting topic to me. Probably more so than most since we have one in the family, (I know some here do too) I drove my bi-monthly 400 mile trip to Seattle and back yesterday in it and wanted to put my thoughts down. Its my wife's daily driver. She is sad I would rather take my car then hers and pouts over my disrespect. From a perspective of driving pleasure, Its a 2 or 3 on a scale of 10 for me, with the C70 being a 7-8 and my dad's old aircooled Porsche being in the 9-10 on that scale. Having Prius reminds me of when we gave up our 86 Fiero GT for the Nissan Minivan back in the mid 90's after the 2nd kid showed up. You just don't want to really be seen in the darn thing, its embarrassing and you don't want to be stereotyped. My observations of other Prius drivers (while driving a normal car) New Prius drivers are to be avoided at all costs as they will be watching their displays in real time maximizing their mileage ("priusing") and appear to feel any lane they are in is theirs to determine every ones speed limit in. Get past them before they start going up the hill as they will try to do it with minimum pedal and lose 20 mph. Look out for new dealer plates and get out of the way. Prius' have a godawful boatload of blind spots and if you get cut off by one your coming up on, they didn't check all 8 of them. Aggressive Prius drivers are aggressive I put these guys into the same category as aggressive minivan drivers. Their wife or gas prices forced them to be in the Prius, they could give a shit running that 95 HP gas engine component at WOT give you worse mileage than a Chrysler 300. They're just pissed they're driving one and no-one's going to get over on them. When I drive the Prius I take a chill pill and think about when I can get back into the C. (the ratio of pissed Prius drivers is directly proportional to the volume of Priusii in your area) Like aggressive Minivan driver, they will speed match you when you are trying to pass them, stick in the left lane at the speedlimit when the right lane is wide open etc. Sometimes after they get a good head of steam up on a flat road, they will roll by at 20 over until the hit the first good upgrade and you end up passing them again. This process goes on over and over and over until they leave the freeway. My experiences driving a Prius its not all the Prius drivers fault. Driving I found you live with your head on a swivel to keep from denting or cutting someone off. People HATE to be passed by a Prius, (particularly large pickup trucks) And will do most anything possible to stay ahead of you, probably fearing you will slow down at a hill (see new Prius driver) Ultimately the thing that kills me is mileage. In the C70, on that round trip costs me a tank of premium gas $55 to $65 at around 27 -28 MPG Yesterday I did the drive for $22 in regular gas. 45 mpg in the 65 to 75 mph area, 55 mpg om the 55 to 65 mph area. OK, anyone else got any observations ? I'm curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 As a Fellow Volvo/Prius owner, Yeah... Passing people in the Prius? It pisses EVERYONE off. even the cars that you would not expect it. We did the Drive from MN to Cali in a 09 Rental Prius (in 09) for $80 in fuel. thats what really interested us in buying one. It's roomy enough. though the seats are lacking the support volvo seats have. I've heard of people putting s60 seats in a prius. I would totally consider it if i had an older one without seat airbags. As I'm a Taller person, I have less room in the pruis. But it's roomier than say a Matrix. I don't notice the blind spots much. it feels more like driving a fishbowl because of all the glass. Nothing beats a 89 Mustang LX for bad rear visibility in my book though. I love the smart key. Radio is good. and the nav system is ok. Bluetooth is nice (except when the wife comes home from work and my call jumps into the prius because i didn't turn bluetooth off on my phone) Dual zone climate and rear vents would be nice. as would a sunroof. (we have a 08, and for 8 weeks had a 09) And you are right, Driving the prius is not exciting. it's not a "drivers Car" its much more of an appliance to get you from point A to point B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzimark Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 I HATE the Prius seats. They're so uncomfortable. And you nailed it on the blind spots. My other issue is the way the throttle responds. It seems that Toyota programmed a little bit of an overshoot into the throttle response to make it feel more "peppy", but all it does is make the car really annoying to drive at low speeds. Don't even get me started on torquing up the electric motors to simulate the effect of an automatic trans That said, my parents typically average 50-52mpg in their '06 Prius. Combined with the cost of regular gasoline, it makes for an awesomely cheap way to get around (cost of the vehicle aside..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn-E Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 I shared your Prius posts with a friend of mine who is a reformed Prius owner and who now drives a Corvette. Here is his story in all of its hilarious glory that he posted over on Corvette Forum. He only lasted 350 miles worth of ownership in the Prius. He now drives a C6 and a Jeep Wrangler for his winter beater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossback Posted July 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 I shared your Prius posts with a friend of mine who is a reformed Prius owner and who now drives a Corvette. Here is his story in all of its hilarious glory Good quote from that post: I realized at some point that I wasn't actually driving the car, but rather I was its guest, sending mild suggestions of how I'd like it to behave and then at some point later, the car might incorporate those into its own plans. I was a mindless drone stuck in a automobile coffin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdizzle Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I don't think there is a car out there that I hate more than the Prius. They have sucked the soul out of driving. Here's to hoping all hybrids die a fiery death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shackman Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 :lol: NSFW language Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastwagonhawaii Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I do agree the prius sucks in a big way, but they made up for it with the lexus line up. I still cant get over the gs line of hybrids... they are sexxy..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--Aaron-- Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Isn't a Hybrid battery/batteries in the thousands? Between the upkeep costs/purchase price it doesn't even seem worth it for the extra MPG. That being said I sort of raced a Prius one night.... http://volvospeed.co...c/139153-aaron/ My head was up my ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD at that point in time, I apologize for the doucheyness seen in that thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Isn't a Hybrid battery/batteries in the thousands? Between the upkeep costs/purchase price it doesn't even seem worth it for the extra MPG. It's like $1,500. But they can last Upwards of 200,000. Upkeep/maintenance is pretty low. Oil change every 5k w/ a tire rotation. (it's been less trouble than my t5) That being said, Their prices are still going up. I got my 09 in Dec, crashed it 8 weeks later and replaced it with the 08. Paid a little less for the 08 (higher package, but also higher miles) Now I see 08 Base Prius for sale at dealers with 50,000+ miles on them for over $5,000 more than i paid for my 08 Pack 5 Touring (Everything but the dealer add on leather) With 30,000 miles on it in Feb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--Aaron-- Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 It's like $1,500. But they can last Upwards of 200,000. Upkeep/maintenance is pretty low. Oil change every 5k w/ a tire rotation. (it's been less trouble than my t5) That being said, Their prices are still going up. I got my 09 in Dec, crashed it 8 weeks later and replaced it with the 08. Paid a little less for the 08 (higher package, but also higher miles) Now I see 08 Base Prius for sale at dealers with 50,000+ miles on them for over $5,000 more than i paid for my 08 Pack 5 Touring (Everything but the dealer add on leather) With 30,000 miles on it in Feb. Ah ok, that doesn't sound too bad then. I thought I remembered a thread from a while ago about a Honda hybrid having a bill in the K's for a battery change which is what I was thinking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caanglin Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Here's to hoping all hybrids die a fiery death. What about the Porsche's? The GT3-R gets 80 horsepower free. And I really want to see what the 918 does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper1 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Ah ok, that doesn't sound too bad then. I thought I remembered a thread from a while ago about a Honda hybrid having a bill in the K's for a battery change which is what I was thinking... Possibly a Fit? I heard those things were pretty bad. i don't think we'll be driving our 08 Forever, but It sure save gas on the commute for the Wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdizzle Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 What about the Porsche's? The GT3-R gets 80 horsepower free. And I really want to see what the 918 does. ALL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo850T5 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I would rather buy an old beater Honda to drive around and save gas than a Prius... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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