The other day my wife asked me if I was experiencing the same attitude by other drivers towards the Prii as she was. She explained that she gets somewhat of an attitude from these drivers – similar to how cars will zip around slow trucks while “giving them a look†– when they are driving around her in traffic. Without missing a beat I told her, “Yesâ€! It happens all the time! I guess it’s because of the perception that a hybrid is slower than a car then a standard ICE vehicle. Has anyone else noticed this?
I fight this perception by speeding away from anyone who appears to have an attitude at a traffic stop :_>
I speed away too. Since you can't get stuck in a bad gear with the prius, it's always just as fast. Since the car is quiet, people don't expect you to zoom off. I usually beat every car. Sucks for them when they get stuck in a roll, or they don't drop into 1st fast enough.
:roll: Actually... I'm not trying to PROVE anything to drivers of ORDINARY vehicles. In these strange times, some drivers actually shoot at others who they perceive as an "enemy" - like someone who "out raced" them at a traffic signal or something similar. I simply smile and remember how I am spending less than 5¢/mile for fuel ☺ and enjoying "shiftless" power.
Someone suggested to me that I get a CD of the sound of a high reving race car engine and play it full volume at a traffic light so people would be impressed by the power of my car
Yep. I get it all the time, sad to say. The last two days were the worse. I think I got a record number of overtake & stare (read: every single car that passed). I mean, my brother was doing the speed limit. If it was an 80s Nissan Micra, no one would've cared. Let's see, the worse ones were when a guy in his new red Jeep Grand Cherokee overtakes and cuts me (literally, I thought he'd chip the corner of the bumper cause he was so close), on the highway after tailgating me (I've posted this story in other threads). And another was when I was testing the RX400h and some crazy lady in a beat up Ford Aerostar starts honking and fingering me like it was my fault the nutty, raged, teenage driver of the Maxima couldn't overtake. (The nut was behind me and the crazy lady was beside the nut so wouldn't it her fault for driving alongside the nut on the fast lane?)
Got this alot on my 50 mile commute to work. Usually, I am in the fast lane doing 65 to 70mph (while traffic allows). People still trying to cut me from the center lane while there's only a bit more than one car length in front of me . I just accelerate a bit faster and get closer to the car in front, and they will stay in the center lane. Sometimes when I m tire and don't feel like doing all that, I'll just stay in the center lane and let them cut all they want. And thinking how much gas they just wasted!
I get more curiosity looks than anything. My wife gets paranoid from it on Los Angeles freeways because many people will start to ride beside me and looking us over. With recent random freeway shootings she is afraid that somebody might pull out a gun or something. What I find strange is that I always wave and honk at other Prius owners and rarely get a response except for that "why are you honking at me?" look. It's very rare do I get a thumbs up or a smile. Guess they are too busy looking at their diplays or counting MPG's. :mrgreen:
OH man, that's a great idea. Only I want the sound effect of the initiating Death Star primary weapon from Return of the Jedi. Or some similar sound effect that will make them think that there's someting really funky going on in this car.
Ignorance is bliss I suppose. It is nice sometimes living where people are ignorant of their surroundings or of progress itself. Nobody really seems to notice, let alone understand my car. Therefore, no rude passing experiences, no sneers, no staring, no pointing, no nothing. I highly recommend suburban/rural living. It has its positives.
Uh, people are rude no matter what car you're driving. In F'burg if you aren't running well above speed limit, someone probably is mad at you. I think you guys are paranoid.
Some members of the LAPD don't like the prius at all. I went into a restaurant and told by a group of LAPD officers that I was driving a "pussy" car. While I am all for getting good gas milage I have noticed prius drivers in my area who insist on extremely slow acceleration 0-20 in 30 seconds and like to drive 20 miles below the posted speed limit on the freeway but not in the right hand lane. Many of my friends think we are as bad as VW or BMW drivers. I think those of us who don't drive responsibly should do so.
WHAT is this! Are you just gonna leave it hang. You just come be-bopping into a restaurant and a group of officers yell "That's a pussy car"! Come on....your quote implies just that, but I suspect the context was a leeeeetle different. What a non-sequitur - cop bashing statement. :roll: As far as the original question...I have not noticed any change while driving the Prius. However, I do drive slowly in all my cars and am frequently "zoomed" around by idiots with small penises.
>>However, I do drive slowly in all my cars and am frequently "zoomed" around by idiots with small penises.<< Perhaps they just want to be in front of you and it has nothing to do with their penis? Along with many of you being paranoid, it is rapidly becomming apparent that many have an obsession with their phallis. Driving fast = small penis? Maybe, but I don't think its relevent.
Maybe I shouldn't have made the comment, but basically yes. I wasn't having a conversation with them, I just walked in and one of them volunteered the information loud enough for me to hear. I ignored them because I wasn't having a conversation with them and what could I say anyway. Maybe only the guy who made the comment believed that but none of the others in the group said any different. By the way my sister in law is in the LAPD and most of the officers I've met through her seem okay. But a small percentage of them, probably a very small percent can be jerks sometimes. In my opinion whenever you're in uniform you are doing public relations for the organization you serve.
