Negative perception

Not everybody is going to like a Prius, as long as you like it. There are enough car companies out there to satisfy the people with negative perceptions

 

well, yes, but they don't make hummer anymore (or is it hammer, i newer knew this).

 

I'm coming late to this thread so wanted to weigh in. I'm a "car guy" whose other two cars are a Miata and a 98 Lexus LS400 as my former DD. I ended up with a Prius because my wife was driving it. She got tapped in the rear at a stoplight, decided no one respects the Prius, and bought an Explorer. I started driving the Prius temporarily until we could sell but to my surprise I really love it and am about to sell the Lexus.

I live out in the country where pickup trucks are the norm and I occaisionally get some road rage from Brodozer drivers but in general no one cares and I see more and more Pruises all the time. Living in the country makes a Prius practical because of the reliability, when it's a major logistical undertaking to get your car to the shop you appreciate not having to do so. The fuel economy comes in handy when you routinely cover 75+ miles a day between commuting and errands. Nothing like a $20 fill-up every week instead of the $75 fill-ups the Lexus (requires premium) needs.

Regarding "chick car": as my wife's actions show, chicks are the ones who are so insecure they think they have to drive SUVs and crossovers to be "safe." The Prius on the other hand is a nerdmobile engineering accomplishment and you can drive it like an engineer to maximize its design brief. Last I checked, nerdiness is a guy thing for the most part. It's a different type of car enthusiasm but it's still car enthusiasm. When I feel like driving fast with a revving engine with linear power, I take the Miata.

I had one co-worker, who owns Merceces-Benz cars, say he tried out the Prius but decided "life is too short" to drive a car like a Prius. Whatever, I like Mercedes too but life is also too short to spend getting to know my mechanic on a first name basis and dropping a few bills on maintenance every few months (as he does).

When you get right down to it the Prius is a reliable, comfortable, smooth car with a surprising amount of room. People talk about driving dynamics but in the real world not on tracks it's not that much different. Even BMW, Mercedes, etc are going to electric power steering, FWD, and other technologies their fanbois sneered at. And don't even get me started on artificial, pumped-in engine noise in those "sports" cars!

 

i was on a short hwy trip yesterday and the traffic flow was smooth (weekend) except for a couple of times when there was a noticeable congestion with truckers having to change to left line and blocking traffic considerably. once was some old truck with overloaded trailer, twice it was prius drivers driving below speed limit. i was ashamed to drive prius too at those times.

part of the problem is self-inflicted.

 

As pointed out, part of the problem is self inflicted, the rest is just ego. I work in a very redneck environment and took the normal crap when I first showed up with the "Blue Gay Prius" however, in our environment it doesn't matter what the topic...it's just guys being guys. The last thing you do is show blood...friend or foe.

Funny thing happened after work one morning where I saw a co-worker friend at the station filling up when I was. We poked, exchanged the normal greetings then he said, "I thought that thing didn't need gas" to which I replied, " It does, but it takes so long to empty the tank it went bad...so I'm selling it back and getting a fresh tank". We both laughed on went on our way.

Toughen up folks and quit whining. You're just showing blood...which perpetuates the "weakness" perceived by some, who really...could care less what you drive.

 

The Prius' computer mouse shape doesn't help it avoid ridicule. It's got to be the most ridiculed car ever in TV (Modern Family -shooing butterflies on way to Cam and Mitchell's wedding), Movies (The Other Guys), comedy (Jeff Dunham), and TV news (featured car for 'Homobile' service)

I do not know man, say what you will to pump up the Prius, but I decided to put Car and Driver's opinion to the test about how highly they rank the Honda Accord sedan. Sacrificed by driving 30 miles, parking our other car on the street for two days and paid $150 to rent a 2014 Accord EX with leather for two days.
Now, I know the Accord and Prius are NOT in the same category at all, but what is very similar about them? Price.
Hate to deflate your balloon, but to me, the Prius doesn't hold a remote candle to the Accord in terms of comfort, ride quality, handling, steering feel or interior quietness. I drove the Accord for 285 miles over two, so I got a real good feel for it: The Accord is QUIET on the highway. It mutes out bumps like crazy and is very composed over lopsided terrain. Body roll is VERY controlled and handling is very 'confidence inspiring'. Even in a parking lot, there is some nice feedback from the steering, weight in the steering wheel, not this video-game, no feedback feel in so many cars, including the Prius.

For that matter, the '15 Camry Hybrid SE doesn't get close to Accord in any of those categories either.
But, of course, both Prius and Camry Hybrid smoke conventional Accord in MPGs (52, 42 , 32 respectively, that is what I think I would get with the other two real world, lifetime averages.)

 

ohh! my balloon!!!

 

To me the Prius was an experiment. I set a max price of $25K and went looking for best mpg and TOC...all other considerations secondary. This purchase was not to have women drop their drawers when I pass, compete with my buddies, save the world or make any other kind of statement...just reduce "my" commute costs, short and long term. It does drive quirky, is not the most comfortable and you do have to get used to how it looks. Thus far the experiment has paid off, but I would likely have been just as happy with a Corolla, Versa, Fit, Civic or even the butt ugly Yaris (2010)...some having a better TOC.

 

ONLY ON ABC7News.com: Car battery thefts from hybrid cars, especially Prius' on the rise in San Francisco | abc7news.com

Nice to know the hybrid battery is so theft-proof in Prius. Gives me a lot of confidence in the car. I can't imagine where the negative perceptions come from.

 

Eh, I wouldn't worry about perception. If you like the car, that's all that matters. I rarely get any negative feedback, but when I do, I just laugh and nod. My friend's Dad gives me more flak than anyone else, but it's all in good fun (and I think he secretly wants one).

I find most of the Prius jabs pretty amusing. This cracks me up:



I also like Jeff Dunham's comedy against them, but when it comes to owning a car, there isn't anything on the road I'd trade it for.

 

Being an owner of a second Prius now, a 2012 Prius(gave my 07 Prius to a family member). I must say, I love them both. The 2gen Prius is very nerdy looking, but a great car neverless. The 3rd gen looks much better. For gas mileage, you can't beat the Prius. I also love my Prius for the utility of a hatchback. True the Accord rides better, and is better looking, but cannot get the same gas mileage. The Accord hybrid is also good on gas, but is expensive at $30K to start and less useful. The Accord Hybrid has no spare tire, no fold down rear seat for long items. Don't get me wrong, I have owned 3 Honda Accords(94, 98, & 05) in the past and love them all. But for good fuel economy and utility, I think the Prius is the best choice for now. I found the Ford C-Max to rides great and have very good pick up for a hybrid, have good utility, but fuel economy is worse and reliability is very questionable. If the Ford C-Max would have the same reliability as the Prius, I would have bought one. My 07 Prius had 179K miles when I gave it to my family member, this is the most reliable car I have ever owned. No regrets from me being a Prius owner. My wife also loves the Prius because it is easy to park almost anywhere. My mom's boyfriend who is a teamster Union guy who use to only drive American cars, now loves his Prius which he has for over 3 years now, and couldn't believe how cheap it is to maintain and operate this car. I do wish the Prius would have the ride quality and pick up as the Ford C-Max.

 

My daughter drives a 2005 Prius. Her friends now mostly say it's cool. Most freak out at the 45mpg avg. Her JBL sounds great and the dash looks futuristic. For each teen that makes fun of it there's 10 that get it.

Now if I could just slow her down. She's gotten 2 crazy fast speeding tickets!


iPhone ?

 

good point, my kids would love to drive prius due to the gas expense of regular cars. however, i could not find any cheap ones under 200,000 miles.

 

Under 30yo kids are still worried about impressing others. So I wouldn't lend much credit to what they have to say. I mean, if I was that age I'd laugh at my Prius too and call it a old man's car! It's not flashy and sporty like an overpriced BMW M3. But as I get older (mid40's now) I find myself still longing for the sports car but practicality beats it out. And as a resident of Northern California gas prices are generally higher than most other places across the country. And traffic sucks too!

Driving from SF to LA on one 10 gallon tank of gas is a pretty impressive thing in my book!! Maybe if I hit the lottery I'll buy that M3 or 911 one day and take it on the track where I can let my inner-sub-30yo out! haha!

 

This is one of the reasons I wish I could afford a Tesla P85D. Electric cars are whimpy? Ya right...

 

The easiest way to shut up people like that is to say you got Prius b/c you don't wanna your money to go to countries which support terrorism.

 

Gotta throw my two cents in here, being the owner of 2-1/2 Prii. I live in an upper-middle-class area of suburban Columbus, but commute away from the city to my job in a small town 25 minutes north. On my commute, I start out in an area with Teslas and Porsche SUVs. Half way to work, the vehicles morph into beater Chevy Cavaliers and rusty Dodge Pick-ups with round rubber objects hanging from the trailer hitch. (That's where they kick them when they break down.)

In the NW Columbus metro area, I mostly get cut-off by texting soccer moms, and get blown off by the rich man's car crowd as a non-threat. I did however beat a Corvette to the next stoplight when he though he was toying with me revving his engine. Mostly manageable stuff.

In small-town-ville, the story is different. The beater cars all think they are in NASCAR even though they put out enough blue smoke to kill all of the mosquitoes in a three block area. I actually have more fun frustrating the round rubber objects of the old pick-up drivers. My Prius can out accelerate, out turn and out brake them, plus their "coal rolling" equipment only works well at low speeds under hard acceleration. I'm not the average careful under-the-speed-limit Prius owner.The Pick-ups are NOT expecting an aggressive Prius driver. It is fun watching their frustrated faces in the mirror.

Now to my point. My project "half Prius v" that I am combining with my '67 Firebird Convertible body to make the "Firebrid" generates LOTS of angry or desperate remarks from the horsepower crowd whenever they learn about my project. Some of the comments are downright cruel and abusive, but I blow them off. I can't count the number of guys who have pleaded with me to sell them the Firebird before I go too far with the project. Others just look stunned and walk away. I guess their cozy high-horsepower mindset just can't fathom why anyone would want to get incredible mileage with modern features while driving a cool old convertible.

They will never know the fun of the challenge of creating it, nor will they ever enjoy the open air freedom while only stopping for gas 1/4 as often as they do.

Bill the Engineer

 

i think that sums it up nicely. not much different around here, sans the firebrid of course.