Well, so much for the "it's hideous" crowd. My friend is getting lots of comments on how nice his 2018 Canadian Technology package hatchback looks. -I- think it looks nice as well. YMMV.
Agreed, it is polarizing, but Prius always has been. I guess I don’t understand the folks who think their gen 2 or 3 is a nice looking car, while non Prius drivers think they are ugly, yet gen 4 is ugly compared to their gen.
When gen 4 emerged, it got me looking at gen 2 a little closer, noticing the evolution of style. Second gen started looking better, a harmonious, friendly look. Third gen ramped up the wow a little, but in an evolutionary manner. But fourth gen gets my fur up, because it looks like the design was driven by the stylists, function was in the back seat. And they shamelessly aped Hyundai, and maybe a few other influencers as well. Also, in an accident, a lot of it's styling exercises are hopelessly fragile and sand-pounding expensive to repair. I think Toyota shows their hand with their brochure, their image of the potential customer:
Both Gen 2 and Gen 3 were under the "Triangular monoform" design concept. Gen 4 was "Iconic Human-Tech"
Here - Gen 4 is rare - I've seen 4 others on the road. Anything which is rare is "different". If 30% of cars were Gen 4 PRIUS, nobody would look at them. If I'd only ever seen 4 SUVs, they would look weird too. But - there are plenty of worse designs. AUDI grilles, Mazda gaping mouth grilles, LEXUS grilles - UGGH. And that sporty Merc - BRRR. AND LEXUS rears are worse:
Agree on Lexus. I went to the Detroit auto show last year and when I went to the Lexus booth I felt like I was standing in the middle of a herd of baleen whales.
Toyotas are just as ugly as Lexus. Last week I saw an oncoming car at work and had these thoughts. What is that car with the black ugly Lexus front? It’s a Toyota. (Looking in rear view mirror) It’s a Prime.
Gotta say, I really like the design of the Gen 4, even more so the Prime. I appreciate Japanese aesthetics, maybe that helps. I also think the motoring public is conditioned to seeing "normal" cars. Anything different is jarring, I'm sure it can all be traced to our amygdala and survival instincts. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
You are not alone, buddy! There's an English regional adage, 'There's nowt so queer as folk', which equates to - There's nothing stranger than people!
