Well thanks for explaining that to us. I do agree with you, you are trying to prove your team (with Mr. Incredible) is the best at all costs with a lie. For those who want to see Mr. Incredible's predecessor in action: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/51020-sanctimonious-feigning-piety-righteousness.html
Ain't that the truth! I've heard some of the most ridiculous nonsense repeated verbatim like that from fellow engineers who should know better if they just applied their own training. I don't blame folks who lack the technical background or experience to make a judgement on something that is technically/numerically complex, but when engineers throw out all of their training to repeat some rubbish as fact without the least bit of skeptical consideration of it...well, then I have a problem with that. It's the old problem of determining the answer they want first, then arranging the question and/or data to get that answer. Unfortunately, management generally promotes/retains those who give the desired answer...not necessarily the correct one. Probably the majority of folks of any background will believe what is most comfortable to them rather than question it from different angles before reaching a conclusion. I know it is true of the vast majority of engineers I've worked with, often independent of their technical competence. It takes a lot of time to analyze the flip side of many arguments (especially ones you disagree with or want to see disproven for personal, economic, or employment reasons.) There is usually some kernel of truth hidden inside so the question becomes one of determining whether that kernel is wrapped in a critical argument or if it is lying at the center of pile of excrement and should be noted, while discarding the rest.
My impression was that Clarkson's view was held by a lot of journalist in the british motoring press, I was unsuccessful in finding a balanced review that I could trust. Against that negative view, the Prius owners on forum sites were staggeringly positive. The extreme differences of view point was very difficult to reconcile. What was recommended to me by some Prius owners, was take a nice long test drive and make up my own mind. I took a two hour test drive, and came up with a whole list of pros and cons.
And it seems from your profile you voted with your wallet and bought a Prius. Now, do you hate the Prius? No, I didn't think so.
Yup, I ignored the journalists, and after some deliberation I ordered a Prius. I've been a happy new owner for less than a month, and so far I think those journalist's comments were completely wrong.
The VW Lupo is (was) a 3-doors car, less than half the weight of a Prius, with a luggage compartment just one third of the Prius. It has a 3 cylinder diesel engine of 1191 cu.cm., which according to the european test uses 30% less diesel than the Prius uses gasoline. In CO2 emission the difference is smaller, of course. Currently not sold here anymore. The smallest VW diesel is now a VW Fox with 1422 cu.cm. engine which uses 14% more diesel than the Prius. This is a well-known trick by Prius-haters: compare it with a much smaller car. And forget about the difference in density between diesel and gasoline.
Yep, I didn't worry about subjective reviews when deciding if the Prius was the right car for what we wanted to do. I wasn't making a political statement or being hoity-toity in selecting the car. Instead the purchase had two primary components: 1. Cost analysis, did it make economic sense verses other vehicles that would suit my same transportation and reliability needs? Yes. 2. The test drive. How did it drive? Could it get out of its own way? Did I feel comfortable or cramped? Did it seem safe? Did it really work or was it a quirky pain? The test drive was where the real surprise was. I was expecting a vehicle that felt much smaller inside and with poor acceleration. The Prius didn't have the problems I expected. I went into the test drive a skeptic and came away convinced. Whether it is the same for others does not matter--I didn't buy the vehicle to impress anyone. Vehicle decisions are not one-size-fits-all. There is no best car/truck/van/SUV for everyone as the needs and expectations are widely varied. I've got the older Tundra for one set of needs, and the Prius for another. When gas prices are high and weather is good the Tundra gets more garage time. When gas prices are low, the weather is particularly bad, or I need to haul large loads (furniture, limbs, etc.) the 4WD truck gets out more than it would otherwise.
Because they don't want to move forward. They want to keep standing. They are afraid of the uncertainty and doubt ahead. Some of us may think the anti-hybrid people dislike us for being smug or a handful of reasons... think again. They dislike us for any and every reasons. They would try to generalize us but that does not work as Bob pointed out. You know you don't fit into one single "label" because Prius owners are very diverse group that chose to move forward.
Without reading all the other posts, this guy is wayyy off what I experience. My 2009 has not averaged anything less than 53.x miles per gallon on 87 octane fuel. This is combined economy, short trips, city, highway. His number of 13 + seconds for 0 - 60 is off. Prius does 0 - 60 in the 10 second range. Cheaply made? R U kidding? I don't have one rattle in my car. The display is not a distraction, I drive the car to bring it home intact. I think the interior is nicely styled and of high quality. No one has run in front of my car in 1,700 miles. Ride quality? I felt like I was floating yesterday on a particularly smooth section of highway. Very nice ride quality. Must have given dude a specially neutered Prius. Would I like a little more power for acceleration, hill climbing? Yes. I'll likely rent a 2010 next year to start the temptation.
I don't think most Prius owners are snobs. I do wish most people would consider buying as small of a vehicle they can comfortably get by with. I went from eyeballing a Tacoma Double Cab in February, Ridgeline in March (until dude at gas station said '$70 to fill up for 290 miles range, oops not for me) .. Matrix in April to a Prius in June. A friend recommended one. Didn't think I could fit into one. 6ft3 in. It's close, but I have just enough line of sight under that rearview mirror.
Perhaps a better question is why do we care? Those we love and care about we can deal with one-on-one. But trying to convert those who hate the Prius is like teaching a pig to sing: it won't work and it annoys the pig. Those who come here with a chip on their shoulder, well we should be gracious hosts and as they wish, smite them with a 'clue by four.' The facts and data are quite enough. We really don't need to go out seeking forums since $4/gal. gas speaks volumes louder and more clearly than a hundred ad hoc essays. I do draw the line on bad legislation like the "Bell the Hybrid Act." But for the most part, the periodic gas price hikes will do the job quite nicely. So I have no problem with dissecting FUD put out by hybrid skeptics. It gives everyone a ready answer for the 'ditto heads' at work who will echo what they do not understand. But otherwise, once we've whacked them with a 'clue by four,' it is time to move on. Bob Wilson
For supposing to be more intelligent than the average bear, you Prius-haters-haters don't get it, don't want to get it, and/or are just being pricks about it. The OP asked a question, I gave an answer - Not all Prius owners are doofuses...but some are. One need only read some of the responses to the thread to see that. I don't hate the Prius, I merely find the most aggregious snotty owners insufferable, as do many others that don't drink the Prius koolaide. It's a common belief out there in non-Prius-centric land, and it gets reenforced often. It's not that people aren't able to comprehend what a Prius does, it's that they don't devote their entire conciousness to it. But don't think you're being singled out for ridicule from the non-believers, since the phenomenon develops amongst Subaru owners, Volvo owners, Mercedes owners, Corvette owners, people from California, from Texas, from New York City, and even amongst political party fans. I don't have a chip on my shoulder, nor do I have a political agenda related to or driven by my purchase of the Prius. I don't feel a need to insult people because they don't believe as I do. Its just that they can't see the difference as their knees jerk uncontrollably in response to a non-Prius-loving statement. Their snide remarks, unpleasant asides, political aspersions, and general snottyness are only the eye-twitch equivalents. They can't help it, and it only reenforces the general notion that some Prius owners could be seen as over the top types, and to be avoided in polite company. I didn't make it up, it was known when I got here... :eyebrows: :cheer2: (obligatory smiley faces)
I see your point. I got the slap down in the IHOP forum a few months back because I was a noob. Didn't have very many posts because I was new and really didn't know about the IHOP forum until I started to respond. Some posters came to my side and explained things to me as well. Seems like there are a lot of trolls coming to this site. So some of the posters are jaded from answering the same question a million times, justifying their prius, or just about anything. I wouldn't get my feelings hurt by any of it, after all, most posters will try to help.
Hi Rusty. I see your point, and agree. I'm sure many are tired of the question, and the implications of an honest answer. Perhaps my newness here would obviously indicate I don't have years of my life and soul invested in The Prius Way. I might seem callous and uncaring. Not so, I'm simply not as invested in it. To me, it's just a car, and my wife's car at that (I just make the payments, wash it, and make sure it gets maintained.) My '89 CRX gets 88% of the normal gas mileage of the Prius at 7% of the purchase price. That's pretty exciting to me! And my stereo is way better, to boot.
What's up Mr. Incredible? I for one, like the honest answers. Being honest both pro and con works for me. I like the Prius. It was hard to wrap my arms around it at first as I had the typical prejudices against it. Mostly because I didn't own one. After the test drive, that all changed. I like alot of things as well as my almost 1 year old car. I don't know about the prius way, but some feel that it is the only way. I for one, can understand where some are coming from but I can also understand where you are coming from. Heck, the crx is a bad nice person car. I used to have one when I was in college and my stereo was after market. People in SF,CA liked my stereo so much that they stole it, the same thing happened to my new stereo (same car) 1 month later in Reno,NV. My car sold in 3 days at my asking price and not many cars have that type of reputation. I also like the big trucks. Not a good idea being on prius chat and having a big nice person truck. But I have got to wakeboard. My family has got to wakeboard. And with all the stereo talk, I have to state, my truck stereo is awesome, but my boat stereo will wake the dead! The stereo in my Prius is stock, but after checking out some posts from F8L, that could change pretty soon. So..keep posting..it is all interesting to me!
