Featured BETTER THAN A GTO? WHY THE 2004 PRIUS WAS AN EXCELLENT CAR OF THE YEAR

what? not as good as a tesla? ridiculous!

 

I read somewhere in the last couple of days someone commented - if PRIUS Gen 1&2 hadn't laid the groundwork, we likely wouldn't have TESLA (or was it LEAF?) now.

PRIUS (and other TOYOTA Hybrids) made an impact around the world in many nations. TESLA so far is mostly in Nth America, with a few exceptions.

Here in Australia - a lot of people wouldn't have ever seen (or recognised) a TESLA - and most of the world would be similar. But they know a PRIUS - because they've been in a TAXI. I reckon I've seen about ½ a dozen TESLAs in my life.

 

agreed, except i love the pip even more. decontenting is never fun though.

 

Decontenting? Like emptying all the weight of junk which accumulates in a car - just in case? I only ever do that when I'm about to sell it.

 

nah, taking away storage, interior volume, spare tire and etc.

 

I guess there's a balance there - we didn't get a PIP. But I think the better driving and better HUD, DRCC AEB etc balanced out the poorer glovebox etc for me. Plus - it's newer - I've got out of the habit of older cars.

Part of me says get a new one - isn't it time? But then Samantha is behaving very well, so maybe I'll keep her for a while. Plus - I can't see anything on the market which I'd prefer - other than a YELLOW one.

 

nice color

 

Had 3 yellow cars so far. They fade in the sun - but you never lose them in a carpark.

 

i have never had one, not too many offerings here. mercedes had a beautiful yellow back in the mid 80's.

 

This was my brightest - excuse my daughter and son-in-law standing in the way.

 

that's where the stiffening plate came in, purchased directly from the Prius store - the good ol' days.

wow .... the land of 'walkabout-creek'

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The idea of Tesla started soon after the end of the EV1 and original Rav4 EV. Many were quite upset over that.
The Leaf may have been an attempt to leap frog the Prius, but that may have had more to do with what Renault wanted.

 

i just read an article about how popular tesla are in au

 

Yeah, almost never. But I actually saw one again yesterday. Was parked at a charger at the supermarket. They have 2, and it's only the 2nd times I've seen a TESLA parked there.

 

I loved my Gen 2 (2006) as well. Felt well ahead of the times, despite the “risk” of buying “unproven” hybrid technology in 2006, over the long term.

In the end, it served me well, despite being relatively “unlucky” having the HV battery fail around 7 years and 273K KM. But by then, the car had saved me well more than the cost of rebuilding the battery in fuel savings alone, so I was not upset. I ended up logging almost 400k KM over 10 years. I know my mechanic dropped a new engine into it after I sold it back to him, I am sure it is still on the road, somewhere.

It was only once I upgraded to the loaded PiP that I realized how inferior the seats were in the Gen 2, not to mention the additional power (and fuel economy). Lol. But nonetheless, it still was definitely ahead of it’s time, offering Bluetooth, SKS, backup camera and more, despite amazing fuel economy, practicality, and overall capacity/comfort.

Anyway, I look forward to making a similar jump in the future with the Prime.