I drive numerous cars regularly, many small and some large, some slow, some fast, and some extremely fast. I pass, and get passed, a lot. And I count a number of law enforcement personnel as aquaintences. We all agree that the speed driven routinely by the great majority of drivers has risen substantially in the past 10 years; especially among vehicles that have no business driving that fast because they aren't capable with crude suspensions and tires and especially brakes. Unfortunately we also agree that SUV's and sports vehicles (mostly BMW's) are the most guilty. Since we get to instruct some of thee we can accurately say most drivers are not competent at speeds over 40 mph; some less than that. That being said: why would you think drivers of powerful vehicles would want to be 'stuck' behind a slow car ? If you don't keep up with the traffic around you you will be passed. And I would pass you, too. So keep up with traffic around you; simple as that. If you leave open spaces in front of you drivers behind you will fill that open space. If you pass 80% of the cars you find in front of you there should be little open space in front of you, thus no place to pass. Ny guess is, like me, the cars you pass aren't keeping up with traffic. Ditto passing me too when I don't keep up. Just take it in stride. Now if its because you want to piddle and not keep up, you're getting exactly what you ask for.. Smile.
people hate any type of prius even before giving it a shot. a friend drove my C and said to me that i had a problem with the accelerator because it was too slow mean while he drives some old Mazda which isnt any faster lol. but i dont care what other people say. i like saving gas and riding in style.
Good observation; its not limitedto hybrids, just cars in front not kereping up. Leave a space in front, get passed. Prius drivers are just being paranoid. They're out to get us. Actually they're out to get everybody.
I see this behavior whether I am driving my Prius or Mercedes. I tend to go the speed limit or slightly above. For me I have found that staying as far right yields the best results. I will say that when I am in my Prius, I do have more people pass just to get in front of me and slow down to the speed limit or tailgate. I don't really care what those other drivers do as long as they don't involve me in an accident. I have just learned to be a defensive driver and not let things get to me on the road.
Just don't worry about them when you drive at speed limit. One thing a lot of people forgot: "Speed limit" means you drive at that speed or BELOW. No way to get a driver's license if you drive above speed limit while taking a driving test.
From my experience some people will try to pass you no matter what you drive.. However there are a few that just can't stand the idea of a Prius in front of them.. or a Prius in general. On a recent road trip, I drove most of it in my Prius C and then about a third in a recent Accord going about the same speed. For both portions, some people passed me. The main difference was that half the time with the Prius I would catch up to the car that passed me another couple miles down the road since I was maintaining a fairly constant speed.
The way I see it, the basic problem is that, to achieve the advertised MPG in a Prius, you have to drive significantly slower than the normal flow of traffic. If you actually keep up with traffic, your MPGs will be in the lower 40's, which is unacceptable to most Prius drivers. Combine this with an engine that sounds like it's really struggling when you step on the gas and it makes even the most aggressive Prius driver drive like a retiree. Don't ask me how I know, though I think there's also the perception that Prius drivers are driving to selfishly save gas at the expense of everyone else's convenience and time. I just don't think the technology is there for a normal driving hybrid that actually returns 50mpg. A Camry Hybrid has tons more power and refinement than a Prius, but it's only a 40mpg vehicle. All other alternatives are Plug-in. Nexus 7 ? 4
Just so everyone's on the same page, an aggressive driver was passed by a more aggressive driver, both were over the speed limit, nothing to discuss here, well except Darwin
I average about 56mpg lifetime and keep up with traffic, so no complaints on that front. I will admit to accelerating and decelerating slower than some..
i call it the Prius-effect. people think they have to tailgate and do other crazy things when they see a Prius. no matter how FAST you are going... here in the east coast, most Prius owners zip along nicely. i get passed by Prii all the time. i try to go with the flow of the traffic in the right most lane. in single lanes, i'm 5-10 over speed limit. they don't care. they are just on your nice person. don't pay too much attention to those idiots/crazies. you're letting them win. just smile and move over or hold your ground. i didn't know this until recently, you can report reckless and dangerous behavior to the authorities. NO ONE has the right to put you and other drivers in danger. they can go kill themselves all they want. the second you put me and other innocent people in danger, you're gonna pay.
Perhaps you need a bumper sticker that says "If you can read this your reckless tailgating is being recorded and transmitted to the appropriate authorities"
So many people think the Prius is slow, it really isn't they cut you off thinking you're not moving but you are, they try to bogart their way over in lanes thinking its a tin can and can stop on a dime, which it can't.... Trucks think they can push you or move you out of the way by riding your a$$, semi's think you're a bug.. I'm constantly reminded of how rude drivers are now that I own a Prius, I heard that it was bad but didn't realize it's this bad. And then those other Prius drivers that give the rest of us bad names... Let's not get started on those... 62 in the fast & carpool lane, c'mon move over... drive in the appropriate lanes.
The above applies to me also. Especially living near a big city like Chicago, known for notoriously overly-aggressive drivers…I have no doubt I was an a-hole driver in many cases. My mantra then, and still is now, is "Please just do the dang speed limit. Is that too much to ask?" I take my own advice with my Prius to just do the speed limit--usually up to 5mph over--and let the overly-aggressive jackholes pass me as they go to fill up their 12MPG trucks. I smile & enjoy my almost 61mpg lately car in the right lane as they pound the accelerator. Having a Prius has changed how I drive other peoples' cars too. It's weird driving my wife's Corolla, it doesn't hypermile as nicely as my Prius does.
There's a LOT of hate on both sides of the windshield. Me? Life's waaaaaaay too short to sweat the small stuff, and you know what? After 10 submarine patrols...it's all pretty much small stuff. I live in the South. Lots of tattoos and truck nutz and very little in the way of noise and pollution laws. I have 52,000 miles in type (not the C, but the G3) and I've seen almost zero "Prius Hate" except maybe from Prius drivers that make low rent comments about SUVs. We are a pretty easy group to hate, and ultra thin-skinned. Still? I just don't see much of that. If anything....the C-model drivers should encounter less hatred, because it's the least Priussy looking Prius. I'm thinking there's more of an automotive Napoleonic complex at work here than people hating on Priuses. Minivans or some of the Mastodon SUV's out there come the closest to bothering me on the road when I'm vertically challenged in the Prius, but that's because I can't see around their fat a.... (*) er.... fantails. Hate is hate. The only way to win that game is not to play.
When I was a regular carpooler, way back before the Prius existed, 62 in our carpool lanes was perfectly acceptable. Folks who didn't like it could pull into the 'regular' 'fast' lane with the SOV speeders. Here, the 'slower traffic keep right' law applies only to the general purpose lanes, not special lanes such as HOV. A few carpool lane bullies -- typically without any visible passengers -- did try to vent their frustrations, but there were so many of us sticking to 60-62 that it was an exercise in futility. And I never saw any fast lane bully similarly abuse the transit buses, which never exceeded 60.
This. After taking the badges off the back, people seem to have calmed down. I can hear their road-raging thoughts now: "It doesn't look like a Prius, it doesn't say it's a Prius, it must be the new Yaris or something!"
I'm with you. I drive my Prius C in rural Texas - the land of the big truck. Just smile and wave...it's all good!
That would be true of nearly all cars, not just Prius. If you go to another region where 'normal' is less aggressive than in your region, 50 mpg becomes quite realistic with what you already have.
Normal is relative. Depending on the lane you are in, here in Atlanta, normal can be either 80 or 55.
