Why do people hate the Prius?

Well, that pretty well describes me. I still have the big black Dodge Ram 4x4 with loud pipes in the garage. I wonder if any Prius drivers look at me with disdain when I drive it not knowing that 90% of my driving is spent in a Prius? This is what happens when you make a judgment based on something so simple as the car someone drives.

I love the Prius technology and engineering, along with just plain being a little more responsible. I've met some other very nice Prius drivers, but I also know some very nice pickup drivers. Don't let the vehicle you drive define you, just be you.

 

We can get a little snarky on PC, especially when dealing with the various trolls that pop up here! In real life I would never preach or berate anyone for what they drive, and if they are curious about my Prius I am glad to tell them about it. I used to love big trucks and muscle cars myself, then 9-11 happened. Since then I've tried to get off oil as much as possible. The Prius is currently the best way to do this, except for maybe a scooter or moped! I've found even the biggest redneck respects this.

 

Childhood trauma?

Ask your buddy what he thinks about this:

The Cars.com American-Made Index - Cars.com

Like I said, domestic means nothing now.

 

for just not have one , for comparing with am cars , because is the best....

 

Yeah, I thought Priuses came stock with the "Coexist" bumper sticker.

 

They used to, now each one comes with an Obama/Biden 2008 sticker!

 

If mine came with an obama sticker on the bumper, I would rip off the bumper.

 

No need! Your "NO BLOOD FOR OIL" sticker can go right on top!

 

I...don't think that's true. Here's the mileage numbers for Toyota's -
2010 Prius - 51 / 48
2009 Prius - 48 / 45
2010 Corolla - 26 / 34 (that's the smaller, 1.8 liter engine)

If you count the lower number from the Prius - the 2009 45mpg highway, the difference is 11mpg. For a percentage, 11/34 is 0.3235...so, 30% better mileage in the Prius?

If there's something wrong with my numbers, please let me know.

Consumer Reports rates them at -
2010 Prius - 32 / 55
2008 Prius - 34 / 47
2009 Corolla - 23 / 39

47 - 39 = 8, 8 / 39 = 0.20512...so 20% rounded down between the 2008 Prius and the 2009 Corolla, 55 - 39 = 16, 16 / 39 = 0.4102...so 41% based on Consumer Report's numbers.

So 20-40% better. Not "twice" as good or anything but better.

 

He is saying at high speed, though, I think, although to be honest I don't consider 81 mph that high and I bet it is still substantially better than, say, a Corolla. I had a 10 corolla last week for 800 miles and got about 34 mpg highway and this was only going at 73 mph (cops are totally insane nowadays in NY on the highway). I was frankly not that impressed with that mileage.

 

It's funny, I had a similar reaction with some people at work when I bought mine. They're into big American cars, recent purchases include a Dodge Caliber and a Camaro. That group just acted like I didn't buy a car at all, oddly, even though they made comments about my rental when I was looking. Then there's a lady I work with who commutes by herself every day in a Ford Explorer, which she bought for the two or three days in the winter when it snows. Most people are curious about my car rather than hate it, and I let them know that it's the best car I've ever owned... I'd never buy anything else, except maybe an EV. I'm getting 53 mpg with this current tank and couldn't be more pleased. I told the guy who owns my favorite gas station "Nothing personal" when I bought the car and he laughed.

I also notice me getting cut off in traffic, but that's mainly because I leave plenty of room so I don't have to jam on the brakes. I think Prius owners are more apt to realize how bad it is for your MPG, and coast up to a stop, leaving room for someone to cut in.

So, yeah, when gas gets back up to $5 or more a gallon, we'll see more huge SUVs at the used car lots and dealers selling hybrids/ev's/diesels for a premium, but I think Americans are going to have to start conserving no matter what kind of cars they like because at this rate they're headed for a rude awakening.

-Ken

 

I work on Capitol Hill where a lot of people drive foreign cars, especially Toyotas. No one is perturbed by the Prius, or seems to hate it. I have heard some people say that the car doesn't pay for itself, but I ask them how quickly their regular ICE car pays for itself. Never get an answer on that one. I know I went from 2 - $35 fill ups per week to 1 - $25 fill up about every 10 days for my commute. Ironically, we are decreasing demand for fuel, which keeps prices low for the gas guzzlers.

 

When i told a coworker that I had to head out and get my new Prius out of the body shop, he said, brake problems?

No, I just had to get AIK removed from my rear bumper (KIA spelled backwards.)

That's about the only snide remark I've heard.

Even my brother who is a big pickup truck guy seems supportive and he made fun of my first generation Honda CRV. I was surprised, he said that he heard the Prius was a good car.

 

+1, I've had the same situation when some people say the car doesn't pay for itself. But you ask them how their car paid for itself, no answer.

 

Spot on. My friends in the UK call the Prius the "Pious", and I used to call it the "Sanctimonious" for that very reason.

 

Surely you both know they are talking in regard to Hybrid vs vs similar vehicle non-hybrid and generally they are correct that the hybrid represents a larger total cost. I only have one because its lease rate vs a similar sized/appointed car without hybrid was in fact basically the same cost and with it mostly a wash I thought it would be nice to hedge against higher gas not to mention I just preferred the tech of it to something like a toyota matrix.

 

I was parked near the library Saturday waiting for my son to finish a tutor session and messing around with iphone in car. When this taxi (van) parked in front of me, the driver later comes back and asks me is it true it gets good mileage?
I show him my trip log for last 3k miles, 46mpg without trying, i.e. I just drive as I would normally drive, he was amazed and said he had to get one, I let him sit in the car and he absolutely loved it. I mentioned it gets better mileage in the summer.
He asked if I had had any problems , I have had the car since November 2009, and only has 4k miles on it and zero problems plus my black prius had just been cleaned at car wash so it was looking good. So he loved the car.

I guess the point I have to make is that it’s just a process of informing people to change attitudes.

 

In my brief driving history in my Gen 3 Prius, I can certainly tell that certain group of drivers who hold stereotypical view. But I just surprised them all when I put it on PWR mode and out accelerate them. Like many posters encountered, some high performance vehicle drivers did not like that and will try to overtake you later.

 

Americans, more than ever, need to change.

Problem is change is hard and some are fearful of losing that status quo, and that could lead to hate. Which reminds me of a famous quote:

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.