What percentage of Prius drivers actually think about the driving experience?

Why does it have to be either/or?
Toyota could do both for many people.

 

This reviewer explains the issue with some advanced tech cars at 2:10 in video : $$ expensive $$ drivetrains with budget interiors. Seems like the purpose built advanced tech cars eat it the worst. Accord Hybrid not going to have a budget interior.

 

Driving experience? You mean like power, speed, cornering? Yawn. I could not care less.

In fact, I'd rather be chauffeured. I could listen to music, play on the internet, answer emails........

 

Dead cows on seats certainly sounds unpleasant! I assume you are also opposed to dead sheep on seats? Dead crocodiles? Is it just the "dead" part or the animal part? My seats are some kind of cloth which I suppose is technically dead plants altho I usually don't think of it that way. Even synthetic fabrics are made from long dead plants and animals. I suppose we could use woven metal fabric but it sounds deucedly uncomfortable and people are already complaining about the seats! Tis a puzzlement.

 

It's not just Prius drivers. I think in general Toyota doesn't emphasize handling, driving dynamics and ergonomic exactness in many of its cars.

Consider Toyota's major sponsorship for motorsports: NHRA (drag racing) and NASCAR (primarily oval). How much cornering and handling is required to go around an oval or straight line for, these days, 1,000 ft?

I've driven 2013 Camry SE (sport edition) and I wasn't all that impressed with it.

Toyota tends to draw owners who are most concerned about reliability, safety and efficiency (and a lot of families with children I'd imagine).

If you want more savvy style, driving dynamics and sexier black interior, look to Honda, Ford, etc...

 

Then you are the perfect Toyota owner: One who is less interested in how their car responds to their input.

I would imagine Toyota is already working on self-driving cars where the person in the driver's seat sits there and does nothing. I could see Toyota disconnecting the driver from what the car is doing driving wise.

The Prius liftback doesn't appear to be designed with this driver in mind.

Perhaps some of the interior designers were angry about being stuck on 'lowly' interior design when the prestigious assignment would have been to work on the hybrid drive train.

Floating bridge console seems to be thoughtless: Looks like I'd have to put iPod in the cupholder while playing music through AUX port. Lot of thought went into that. What good is it to be under armrest when have to pick up iPod/phone to select songs?

 

I agree with you on the camry hybrid, we have a 2012 XLE and that car is fast! it gets great mpg over 40 average for 26K miles. It has as much power as most sane people will ever want. I think it feels that way because of the hybrid system. as soon as you put your foot down, I think it has its whole 200 hp. unlike regular cars that need to shift down and the power goes up as the rpm increases. 2012 hycam = joy but my prius c is getting well over 60 mpg. my current tank is 340 miles with 72.6 mpg Happy Happy Happy

 

When I was younger, I was fixated on the idea that wringing-out a car out at 10/10ths on interesting curves was the epitome of thrills.

Many years, several car communities, fender-benders, wrecks, potentially-fatal close-calls, and others-within-the-group-who-weren't-as-lucky, plus a year going through 3 sets of DOT slicks later...

Now I find that I mostly get my kicks after I get there. And I can get there much more frequently and to more-out-of-the-way places with the Prius.

Now, I still know how to appreciate an interesting car, and I keep one on hand for the "driving experience". But I also appreciate that all I have ever owned were sheetmetal origami that were all compromises of cost and practicality. I might feel particularly "immature" if I ever found myself with the opportunity to wring out something more singular and intentive, like an Ariel Atom. But absent that, there are a lot of ways to appreciate cars, and how well they fit their intended role and how they feel in the performance of that role.

I find the Prius a fine driving machine within its sweet spot, which is probably 4/10ths. The Prius is a mostly a relaxed drive that can be somewhat nimble when not pushed hard. It doesn't have much power (or at least you don't want to particularly access it unless you have to, because there it's a bit short of refined), so you do the most you can to carry speed with a modicum of throttle. It's a different driving challenge, a bit like a regularity rally in which you don't want to get there before or after when you're supposed to.

Of course, if you're just interested in gross acceleration, straight-line or lateral... of course the Prius is going to be disappointing. But that was never its intent.

 

I agree that there are many cars that are great to drive, but I ended up going with Prius due to comfort, fuel economy, and reliability. In addition, I needed cargo carrying ability for my RC Airplanes as well. My job requires lots of driving and reliability is critical for my job. I've always been a careful driver anyways, no matter what car I drive (and I've driven many different cars) so getting a high performance car was not an important factor for me.

SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 ? now Free

 

Wow....@7:27, I did not know you could stow the retractable cover like that. I tried it tonight in my non plug in Prius and it has the same feature! No more having it left behind orvin the way when carrying cargo. Very clever design!

SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 ? now Free

 

Neither of which have anything to do with their production cars.

 

I guess your dealer didn't show that to you at delivery. My dealer did when I picked up my 06 (Gen 2) in January 06. Gen 3 liftback carried on that tradition.

 

I don't expect much from it. It is a Prius. Designed for practicality and fuel economy. It delivers those two and can be had for 21-22k in base form.

No it doesn't handle like a GTI. Nor is the interior like a Lexus.

In often unforgiving DC area traffic I find it can do what is asked of it. Often requiring some decent acceleration to merge and responding to "ghost" traffic jams where everyone stops for what appears to be no reason.

Do I wish the interior was more like a Lexus? Sure. But I also didn't want to spend 35k on a car I use for piling up miles on my commute.

 

Sounds like a wonderful... riding experience

 

Agree. My early experiences were similar to yours and I also changed my driving emphasis.

In Prius, I strive for an absolutely relaxed, Zen-like contemplative experience in which exquisite awareness of the surrounding traffic is the key focus and efficiency is the key goal. But the driving experience is certainly equally challenging than maximum performance driving, just very different.

 

I just got my Prius Friday and was telling friends and family the same thing the OP was talking about. I feel like the Prius is the most soulless car I've driven, but it's the most efficient point A to point B vehicle I have driven also. Instead of speed or handling I focus on the displays and mpg meter and treat it like a video game. I'm trying to make my mpg score higher.

 

Fun to drive is relative.
For us folks, it's seeing mpgs in the 60's or even 70's.

i'm fortunate enough to own a purely electric Toyota, the RAV4 EV, with the instant torque of 278ft lb, i'm putting a lot of Bimmers to shame from one stop light to the next. But that's not how i drive everyday.

As a daily commuter, the Prius is a winner, especially at standstill traffic, 405, 5, 10 and most freeways in LA.

i maybe driving a Prius and the other guy's a Maserati but we're both doing 5-10miles/hr
while he's frowning.. i am smiling as i see the mpg climb.
i was able to achieve 70ish mpg easy with a 25mile commute.

 

What I don't understand about threads like this is people seem to have a feeling that somehow Toyota duped them. I mean its like they bought the car mail order or something. I can totally understand not liking the performance, the looks, the interior, the comfort, or anything else that someone doesn't care for. What I don't understand is if you don't like it, why did you buy it? I am pretty sure the car hasn't changed from when you looked at it on the lot and test drove it.

 

i agree with you.. and with easy access online, a potential buyer can read various reviews about the car he intends to purchase.
Regarding the test drive, i honestly believe it's not enough. what's the longest time you can have with the car? 20 minutes? 1 hour? and all this time a sales guy is giving you small talks and YOU on the other hand is so pre occupied with the negotiation. How much down? will i qualify for the best APR? how much will they pay for my trade? VIN Etching what's that?

And most test drives are done in a controlled dealer's parking lot. Very few will allow you to take it where you really want it. In my case, since i live in SoCal, i want to drive the car to PCH ( Pacific Coast Highway). i want to test the handling. i want to feel the steering. etc.

 

If the new Accord Hybrid pans out, I could see quite a few bailing out of the Prius in favor.

Hopefully Toyota can bring the drivetrain cost down a lot to make Prius a better car overall.