I drive a pickup, enjoy fast airplanes, motorcycles and cars, watch Fox News most evenings, am neither a moron, an a**hole nor a saint, cherish the beauty and solitude of nature, have never had car payments, frequently stretch my Prius FE to 60+ MPG, depreciate the legitimacy of the green revolution, ride my bicycle to work whenever possible, and reject your stereotypical description.
My wife and I drove down to New Orleans tuesday, back on Wednesday. Folks who can't do 60 suddenly need to go 65 once you pass them going 61. Folks right on my tail for miles, then pass and signal a left turn. Weird pickup truck antics make a lot of noise and smoke but no acceleration to speak of. The usual, but it was a business trip, so we were in her company provided Xterra . It is not all about the Prius, they are just that way.
I drive out to the country on the weekends and being behind a Prius on a two lane road when the driver is trying to maximize his MPG is beyond annoying. Non Hybrid cars coast and respond differently to road elevations and having to constantly adjust is not fun ......... I will note that as more and more Prius are sold the number of annoying ones is greatly reduced. Between a Prius and a Subaru -- I do anything to get in front of a Subaru before the road reduces to two lanes.
That's a 1964 Early IIa 88 Landrover pickup with a Ferry overdrive transmission that has 16 forward gears and 4 in reverse. It's anti-Prius in terms of FE and, in the low-low-low gear range, carries our Golden Retreaver along abandoned roads where even mountain goats fear to tread.
In Michigan, the Prius earns you 3 strikes among UAW members: 1 - It's foreign 2 - It's a Toyota (special hate there) 3 - It's a "Pry-us" supposedly driven by enviro-snobs.
It has a very different market, as those supporting it have been stating repeatedly. Fusion is Ford's answer to Camry, both traditional & hybrid. C-Max is already popular in Europe and is targeting Prius v directly, even though it is clearly smaller. Energi is obviously closest matched to PHV, though it is expected to offer a larger capacity but at a higher cost.
I believe the Volt fits into the "We're reluctantly making very overpriced cars in extremely limited quantities that we don't really want to sell because we want to make SUVs and dodge CAFE standards." market. You know, 'Compliance Cars'. Electric Cars: Some Are Real, Most Are Only 'Compliance Cars'--We Name Names
The Prius has a unique look that attracts immediate attention. I suspect owners of hybrid Camry, Highlander, RX400H, Fusion, etc. don't get "special" attention because they look like the non-hybrid versions.
To be fair, there are more and more vehicles that are taking advantage of the Prius/Insight shape. Every now and then I pass a new car that I have to look twice to make sure it isn't a Prius.
Did you read the article you cite.. they consider the Volt to be "real".. not compliance. Maybe people "hate" (probably too strong, but its the trread) prius owners is because they continue to put down owner cars, even those that use way less gas like the Volt. That is where the "Pious" label comes from..
I notice this to; had both a hopped up Mercedes C-Class AMG and a BMW 3-Series 'M' ride my bumper onto a freeway entry ramp then angrily speed off once they had clearance to. What a real pair of arrogant jackasses!
Ever since I went from a Nissan maxima to a Prius, a lot of people decide to pass me and are angry that I am going the speed limit in a residential zone where kids play.....blow by me and are all annoyed....yeah that's ok, I will continue driving safely (read better) and will save on gas while doing it. I think the "hate" stems from a minority of owners who develop a smug attitude and look down at others for not owning a Prius or for driving a truck. At te end of te day, pollution is still being generated and unless all your car emissions are water, well you are still polluting so do away with the holier than thou attitude. The orer reason tat some people in their quest to achieve incredible mpgs may attempt certain driving techniques at bad times...for example pulse and glide on a rather well travelled fast paced highway.... People will always hate and complain but to each heir own...perhaps that's the only way for them to try to feel better about heir lives.
