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why is the prius so ulgy?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by victor321, Oct 9, 2011.

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  1. victor321

    victor321 New Member

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    why is the prius so ugly?
    the new prius v is slightly better looking as it is a hatchback and loses some of the shell-like shape.
    but it still has the ugly looking pointed toyota logo nose in the front.

    lexus hybrids on the other hand are much better looking.
    why does toyota think that the pointed nose in the front is good looking?

    okay, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but i still want to say the prius is ugly.
    why can't the prius team take a leaf from lexu designers?
     
    #1 victor321, Oct 9, 2011
  2. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

    Also, which car sells more? Prius or Lexus? Perhaps sir it is you with the bad taste? ;)


    And yes I'll bite. You say the Prius is ugly but then so are many of the 'macho' pickup trucks.
     
    #2 GrumpyCabbie, Oct 9, 2011
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  3. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    Troll!
    He starts a thread with his very first post, should be ignored!
     
    #3 Sergiospl, Oct 9, 2011
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  4. Dusty Chips

    Dusty Chips New Member

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    To paraphrase Forrest Gump, "handsome is as handsome does..."
     
    #4 Dusty Chips, Oct 9, 2011
  5. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Oh no. He asked a relatively legitimate question. And I'm going to give a completely legitimate answer.

    The Prius shape was defined by the fact that it is a hybrid. It was designed to be a hybrid and to reduce emissions (the hybrid part was actually a side-effect of the engineers reducing fuel emissions). To reduce emissions, you burn less fuel. To burn less fuel you cut through the air as quickly and quietly as you can. This means that you have to wind tunnel the Hell out of the car and find a shape that reduces the car's coefficient of drag. And in the case of production vehicles, you also need doors, a trunk/hatchback and must meet certain sizes for classification.

    A car's Cd is more than just the front of the car and is affected by the venturi roof of the Prius and the spoiler and the "aero corners". All these things were put there for the sole purpose of making the car as "slippery" as possible.

    So when you ask about the shape and "beauty" of the Prius, you are looking at it from only one perspective. Because to understand the the design of the Prius, you have to understand the purpose of that design. That's when you come to realize that the Prius' function trumped the fashion of the day.

    Here's something that might interest you (or not, it's up to you):
    [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_drag_coefficient"]Automobile drag coefficient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
    You'll notice that in terms of Cd, the Prius is listed near the very bottom of the Production Cars list at a .25Cd. On this list, there are only 3 scores lower. Again, function over form.

    As one of the Moderators here, I welcome you to continue this thread as long as we can talk in quantifiable terms since things like math and science we can prove and agree on. Unfortunately, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder and statements such as "xxx is ugly" don't tend to last long around here.
     
    #5 TonyPSchaefer, Oct 9, 2011
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  6. carz89

    carz89 I study nuclear science...

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    #6 carz89, Oct 9, 2011
  7. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    This to supplement TonyPSchaefer's admirably restrained and informative post:

    [​IMG]

    Form best follows function.
    Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

    It is only fitting that the Prius' shape has been adopted by Honda, Chevrolet, Mazda, Subaru, etc, etc.
     
    #7 Rokeby, Oct 9, 2011
  8. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    It works both ways! "Okay, ugly is in the eye of the beholder"!
     
    #8 Sergiospl, Oct 9, 2011
  9. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Well, it may be ugly, but I'm in the inside looking out more than the outside looking in. :D
     
    #9 El Dobro, Oct 9, 2011
  10. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Because then they wouldn't meet the Prius fuel economy goals.

    Edit: I agree on that stupid elephant seal proboscis looking piece that hangs down over the grill.
    [​IMG]
     
    #10 xs650, Oct 9, 2011
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I believe the gentle, longitudinal "troughs" in the hood and roof have two benefits:

    1. They stiffen the surface, allowing thinner gauge metal (steel or aluminum) to be used.

    2. They improve aerodynamics. There are examples in nature: sharks, belugas, and some small fish with similar, oblong lines.
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Oct 9, 2011
  12. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

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    Ugly was going to be the tone and responses in this thread until Tony came in and guided it a different direction. I hope you appreciate his answer (which was fantastic) and the tolerance he exhibited by reading your first post and seeing that you likely weren't trolling but asking a legitamite question. Your question could have been phrase a bit differently, so as not to come across negatively, but it's a bit late for that now.

    You should poke around the forums though, there is a ton of stuff you can learn about the car (and dispel many myths). Welcome and enjoy!
     
    #12 Codyroo, Oct 9, 2011
  13. car compulsive

    car compulsive Active Member

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    Toyota conducted careful market research to find just the right vehicle shape that was suitably polarizing. Could you imagine what would have happened if they had designed a beautiful vehicle that got 50 MPG? They would have been overwhelmed with demand and the copycats would have been churning out equally handsome 50 MPG vehicles and all non-hybrid sales would go down the dumper. (I think the oil companies also had to approve the final design.)
     
    #13 car compulsive, Oct 9, 2011
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  14. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    All babies are ugly, except to their parents, and the blind!
    Give it time, you buy one, it will grow on you !
     
    #14 KK6PD, Oct 9, 2011
  15. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Because some of us like ugly cars and prius gives us something to buy.
     
    #15 tumbleweed, Oct 9, 2011
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  16. victor321

    victor321 New Member

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    The new Prius V looks better because it loses some of the shell-like shape. Some say the shell shape is necessary for aerodynamics but the Prius V is less shell-like but is still as fuel economical.

    The proboscis in the front of the hood is definitely not necessary for aerodynamics. It is definitely pure aesthetics and has zero function, and I personally find it very ugly.

    The new Lexus Hybrid 200h is a beauty (rare for a Japanese car). Two reasons why it is not selling as well as the Prius: 1. Price ($2000 more than Prius V) and 2. Fuel economy (42mpg vs Prius' 50mpg).





     

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    #16 victor321, Oct 9, 2011
  17. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    The Prius v is not as aerodynamic as the Gen 3 Prius .29 vs .25

    The Lexus 200h does a little better at .28, but it is still not as good (ugly) as even the Gen 2 Prius at .26
    If you get a Gen 2, you can't see any part of the outside of your car unless the wipers are running.
     
    #17 JimboPalmer, Oct 9, 2011
  18. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Kind of like this.
     
    #18 El Dobro, Oct 9, 2011
  19. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    Victor321,

    What makes a car beautiful is highly subjective, and probably not even
    capable of rational explanation. Different strokes for different folks, etc.

    For the record, will you tell us what vehicle you drive -- link to a photo
    would be nice -- and what features it has that you find beautiful, or at
    least non-ugly?
     
    #19 Rokeby, Oct 9, 2011
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Not sure, but I believe there was a specific fish that uses similar aerodynamic shaping. It's sort of rounded rectalingular, with edges that flare out. Not that big. Maybe the clown fish (the one that hangs around anemonies)??
     
    #20 Mendel Leisk, Oct 9, 2011
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