I turned in my Prius today

Really? It's the same to me regardless.

 

What's interesting to me, is when I told my brother I had bought a Prius he said something to me, such as I'd be happy when gas prices went up.

My gut reaction was that he just sounded stupid.

Rising gas prices don't make me happy. Hybrid efficiency and the resulting gas mileage it produces in a Prius was only one part of many many reasons I have always wanted a Prius.

If I'm being totally honest, perhaps one of the biggest reasons I've always wanted a Prius is the fact that it is simply a different machine. It's more than novelty that I like the fact that the engine turns off when it can. I like the fact that it's a "Prius" as a whole.

I take a perverse and perhaps unjustified pleasure sometimes when riding in friends vehicles that may cost much, much more, but noting that my base model Prius still does things their $40,000+ vehicle simply by design, can not. I figure if people can justify the personal expense of a Sports Car purchase because that machine can go from 0-60 in less than 6 seconds...than I can enjoy the relative bargain in comparison that my Prius can do things like shut off at stops, and run on battery power for distances...My Dog does neat tricks....just different tricks than your dog.

I like being in a traffic jam, and being in a group of 10 or more vehicles in a section and being perhaps the only vehicle NOT burning fuel as everyone inches along.

Sure, great gas mileage and less fuel usage are often primary reasons why people buy a Prius or Hybrid. And would I buy a Prius if it was essentially the same vehicle but only got 25-30 mpg? I'd have to say hell no.

But I've said it before, the reasons people buy, own and enjoy a Prius are very diverse and individual.

 

Similar situation with me.

I used to get upset sitting at lights or stuck in traffic while the engine idled needlessly.

I still don't enjoy being forced to lose momentum by braking for a red light, but at least my engine won't be burning gas and I will harvest a fraction of the loss through the regenerative braking.

The price premium probably will never be made up by my gas savings, but I am glad for the lower irritation levels. When I decided to buy the car I was driving almost daily through a major multi-year construction project.

 

Now there's a thought...a Prius that runs on dog poop!!!

 

They do have plenty of gas!

 

I question the credibility of those who question the brakes.

They work great, and they wrok for a very long time before pads are needed to be replaced.

If your going fast over gravel or ice/snow or potholes and need the brakes quickly, its a driver error more so then a car issue.

Ive raced these cars in canyons with limited traction, and found nothing wrong at all in varied conditions.

 

I don't believe that the cause is actually the brakes; instead it is the rather sudden increase in deceleration when the engine turns off while the driver is cruising to a stop.

Some days I notice it much more than others, but I've never been bothered enough to complain about it.

In racing conditions, it would likely not be a factor, as I doubt you would ever be slowing to a crawl on a course!

 

It was even more freaky before Toyota implemented the brake campaign that reduced the duration in the early model year Gen III to be more like that of the Gen II, but yes, that's a normal behavior with the Prius regenerative braking system and you just have to get used to it.

 

It doesn't sound like you really have a problem with braking by this description.

ABS can feel funky too, but in performance applications the car slows much faster with 10x the stability, unless you really possess some skill.



Had a blast night at midnight, there is a 15 mile stretch of country road that climbs the foothills and is very windy. [Wise rd to mnt Vernon] I see headlights behind me which was a car that had caught up that was pulled over, looked like a fancy car with some HP. I have a Persona and decided to go a little faster, 1/2 miles back I see the lights gaining. I hate lights in my rear view. So I picked it up some more, surprisingly after a mile headlights are still gaining. I go into track mode and decide to push it as conditions were perfect. Lights still trying to gain, next 5 miles he kept trying to gain but never got within 1/4 mile of the Persona we were flat moving too. It was a blast and made my night. Persona really does like the tight curvy roads.