Prius V: Total buzzkill (CNN video)

I drove lots of cars before buying the Vee, including the Hyundai Sonata that the media seems to rave about. It also has an electric assisted steering wheel. Same light feeling. The Sonata has also a style that some people like and others hate. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I wouldn’t buy it if I didn’t like the style. No car is perfect but the reporter clearly didn’t like it. Even the music of the video has a humoristic tone.
Coincidence or not when the video finished, the next video suggested by CNN was a Volt owner praising the car.

 

i like a steeting with low feedback
its a more relaxed driving then when you feel it al.

 

Sounds like the typical douchebag "car guy" that simply cannot fathom that cars, generally, aren't on this earth to get our hearts pumping. He probably doesn't even own a car because he's constantly "reviewing" cars and he's pissed that when he had a free 370Z last week, he now has to review something that has a completely different purpose in life.

I'm a future dad (August!) first, a cyclist 2nd, and a car enthusiast 3rd. My next car will meet the first two criteria before I even start thinking about the 3rd. We have a fun car (05MCS) but it is not going to be fun with a newborn, it can't carry bikes or any cargo, and the stiff suspension and "steering feedback" make it extremely tiresome to drive to my parents' house 200 miles away. It is sensory overload for 4 hrs straight. My "numb steering" 4Runner, on the other hand, is an absolute dream to drive on that trip. I get out feeling relaxed and fresh. That is what I want out of the v. I want it to get my family and I wherever we need to go as safely as possible and using as little fuel as possible. "Steering feedback" and "sport handling" aren't even on my radar with this car. It will be time to swap sports cars in a few years, as the MINI will be pushing 10 years old before long. At that point, yes, I'll care about handling, steering feedback, and smiles/miles.

I don't think I'd want to hang out with him either. He is Jeremy Clarkson in his own mind... he's just missing the wit, charming accent, and general likability. So close. But not really.

Cliff Notes: As an automotive engineer and enthusiast, I've had it with "car guys" judging family cars as sports cars. The tool should be judged by intended job.

 

I have been looking at both Prius V and 2012 CR-V to replace my Chevy Tahoe - although my dogs and I love this Tahoe, I do not like it every time I stop at a has station. My important point is the ability to put two medium sized crates in the cargo area. Sadly, Prius V failed because of the huge wheel base sticking in the cargo area and many curved interior make it impossible to put them. 2012 CRV has a larger cargo area widthwise, but sadly failed because the backseats do not slide up to accomodate the length of the crates. I guess in any events, the answer seems to be custom made crates and we need to adjust in a smaller space as 13mpg just would not justify anymore...

 

Our Gen III steers fine. It is not a sports car but it does go where you point it with no difficulty. The steering is linear and has a nice turning radius. My points of comparison is a BMW 3 series coupe I traded in for the Prius. My other point of comparison is a BMW Z4 that we still have. CNN reviewer does not like the car and had to find reasons why. Do you want an economical safe car? The Prius fits the bill. If you want excitement go elsewhere.

 

We replaced a Sienna minivan with a Prius v last year. There are definitely times when I miss the bigger size of the minivan however, we have learned to adapt. One big consideration was that the bulk of the time, the minivan was just being driven to work without any passengers. It made no sense to move 2 tons of metal to take a single person to work. So for those relatively rare occasions when we need to move more than five people, we simply take two cars.

 

OK, CNN told me the news, that Chazz8 is a BORING GUY.

Now, what is bad news for me is that I'm a really, really BORING GUY.

I mean, look at it, Chazz has the neat new Prius V that elicits real passion and excitement in me, not to mention a tinge of jealosy. And, in an awesome color no less. I've got some old dark blue GenII that needs washing. Look at the sporty wheels, mine have those plastic hubcaps. I'll bet he even has a backup camera. And Chazz has a BEARD. Talk about COOL. I'm not manly enough to even grow a mustache.

 

I don't know if anyone has already said this but I think CNN is out to get Toyota. They have been pushing through tons of BS stories recently trying to take away from Toyota's thunder. I am not quite sure what the problem with them is but I now have official written them off as a reliable news source. I think maybe they will be referred to as CNN "The FOX news for hypocrites" at least in my case.

 

@sub3marathonman;
Thank you for reminding me of my motto: Make it fun.
Your reason (for editing) was the icing on the cake. You inspired me to go back and have some fun with my reason on my post.

One last observation; I think real passion and enthusiasm by definition can not be boring. It's an oxymoron, like responsible CNN auto reviewer.

 

I thought his review sucked. Not because he was wrong about it being numb and appliance-like but because he was criticizing it for that. The Prius is a totally soulless vehicle that leaves the driving experience to other cars. That's the deal, everybody should know it. Criticizing it as such seems a waste of time.

 

I tell everyone who asks me about my Prius "It's not the car for everyone". If (like my father used to advise me NOT to do) you drive like Barney Oldfield, you won't like it. But on the other hand, if you enjoy taking a more relaxed outlook on your driving and don't drive aggressively (like I did pre-Prius!) then you'll love it.

 

My overall average is currently 33.5 USMPG.

Hopefully this will get better with warmer weather and summer tires.

 

+1
"handle" ... let's see I turn the wheel to the right - it goes to the right ... I turn the wheel to the left - it goes to the left.
check.
Ricky Bobby of CNN ... obviously a nascar driver, knows way more about 'handling' than I.

 

Stevemackie, under what conditions are you getting your 33.5 MPG? I love information, but you give me so little. I looked up average and daily temps for Halifax and found this:

Winter in Nova Scotia is not for the faint of heart. The average temperature for the month is a cold 24 degrees F. In places like Halifax – the province’s largest city – the high-temperature average for the month never reaches higher than 24 degrees F, and the average low is only 16. By March, the total average temperature for the province increases slightly – from 24 to 31 degrees.
Re: Average Temperature in Nova Scotia | Travel Tips - USAToday.com

Your post begs the question, what tires are you running in the winter? I'm begging for the full spread of info as described in the first post here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v...-wagon-only-mpg-please-post-your-results.html

Year of vehicle:
Date:
Miles driven:
Gallons Pumped:
Hand-Calculated MPG:
Displayed MPG:
Average Speed:
Tire Size / Wheel size:
Tire Brand / Model:
Tire PSI (Front / Back):
Seasonal Conditions: (please include A/C usage and temp setting if applicable)
Commute Length:
Hypermiling Techniques:
Other: (this could explain why a tank was bad or good or other unusual conditions like a rain storm, new tires, lots of short trips, etc.)

It will be great to see fuelly numbers for the prius v after a full year of entries under all the weather and temps 2012 will bring.

 

Here's the post I made in that thread a while back:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v...g-please-post-your-results-6.html#post1432040

Over the last 10 tanks I'm averaging 7.0 L/100km (33.5 USMPG).

Going in for first service (8000km) on Tuesday. Getting the oil changed and summer tires put on.

 

Thank you for the link to the great information. I tried looking up your tires on Uniroyal Canada site, but didn't find "winter" as one of the 6 Uniroyal Tigerpaw options. I just wanted to see if your tires have studs or not.


I just want to take the time to say that I don't think that it's good or bad to get uncharacteristically low MPG (on fuelly). I have had fill-ups on fuelly that in the 34 - 35 MPG range. I just like to understand as much as I can about the factors that contribute to MPG stats.


Thank you again for the link to the great information you have provided to all of our Prius Chat community. I feel like I better understand the factors that contribute to your MPG stats.

I just wish the reporter was more forthcoming with information on how he got 33.5 MPG on his display in quite better circumstances.

 

Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II | Uniroyal Tire

They can accept studs, but I did not have studs installed.