Fun article about the Prius and Ire of enthusiasts...

Interesting and fun read. I always chuckle when these "car reviewers" always attempt to impress you at the start with previous "real cars", usually German made or other "sporty" types that they have driven and reviewed in the past. I'm not sure that I have ever seen Toyota attempt to market or claim that the Prius Prime was in that category of car, but I could have missed it!

We bought a 2017 Prime 2 years ago with 14k miles on it in Salem OR. on our way back home in the Seattle area. Drove it back to our winter home in the Phoenix area that Sept. and got 65 mpg bringing it south with no recharging of the traction battery. Were we satisfied with that? You bet! Are we happy with it for the type of driving we do down here in the Valley of the Sun? You bet!! Last winter, around 100+ mpg for our 6 months here. This winter, with it our only car, I have over 900 miles on the last tank of gas with it at 1/2 of tank left! Are we happy with that? YOU BET!!

It's a comfortable fuel efficient fun small car to drive. Moves into freeway flow very easily with the 2 of us, flows with traffic well. We didn't expect it to be a BMW or other higher priced car in performance, but we will take it and it wasn't as costly!!

So please, compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges, not Primes to Mustangs/BMWs or any other higher end cars you want to impress us with that you have or drive!! JMHO!!

 

Good article, thank you. What is the nightshade option?

 

I thought the Nightshade is available only in black. Didn't know it came in other colors.

I really like the wheels. I wish Prime also came in the Nightshade version.

 

Black wheels, mirrors and handles used to mean base model, lol.

 

But not shiny black.

 

A couple of things struck me about the article.
Not to shabby sheik a post from a reviewer who's used to getting "Boxsters and Bentleys" from the boss, to review for it's readers.
It's a Prius and it's not a Prius Prime, which changes to content a LOT! Not withstanding the quasi Nightshade applique (dealer?) add ons to the Classic Silver / whichever trim it really is. go figger!
Yet, still complaining about 46 mpg at 80 mph? Typical for most drivers on the I-5 I'm guessing from my experiences with non hybrid drivers.
And getting 62 mpg paying special attention to driving style, not too shabby for a regular gen 4 Prius hypermiler in that area of the US. Especially a driver used to having a "Boxster and Bentley" to battle the daily grind in the Cali freeways.

Shift back in time 20 years when hybrids first blessed the roads here in the US. I was told that to benefit from the new hybrid technology a driver had to change their driving style. I guess that still holds true as stated in the article. But having to explain that again after 20 years just makes me wonder how much drivers in the US could care about what their mpg really is, unless it's less than the stated EPA rating on the cars window sticker, no matter how the car is driven.

 

"...how much drivers in the US could care about what their mpg really is, unless it's less than the stated EPA rating on the cars window sticker..."

I don't think the majority even care then, or more accurately, even know it is less, unless it is a car purchased for fuel efficiency.

 

Ahhh-yup! We just took a mini vacation from the Tampa area to St. Augustine. Apparently, people still want to burn as much gas as possible. Lots of speeding, tailgating, unnecessary braking, etc. Meanwhile, even with the rain with headwinds both ways, we got a pretty solid 60 mpg over the roughly 390 mile round trip.

 

We’re driving less and less. God help you if you drive the speed limit ‘round here. Or stop at stop signs, or when turning right on a red.

 

Yeah, same here. Since the pandemic restriction, we have adjusted our lifestyle in a way to avoid unnecessary driving and traveling in general. I reduced the annual car milage to about half and non-automobile traveling to zero. And I don't miss a bit. But, at our rural location without public transportation, a personal automobile is still essential.

 

I guess my daughter has a 'nightshade' Prius C...her snow tires have black steel rims. Now all we need to do are paint the door handles and mirrors I guess.

This article actually showed up in my Google News feed....strange!

I also like how articles from so called 'car experts' like this almost always start out with a cliché statement like the one from the article :

"Most of me wanted the Prius to be utterly, hilariously unpleasant so that I could justify the expletive-laden monologue I rehearse every time a hybrid cuts me off without signaling or goes five under the speed limit in the left lane. "

Great journalism there...just great. Us Prius owners just can't win...we either pass and 'cut people off'...or are 'too slow in the left lane'...haha.

On an unrelated note, the article mentioned Carplay. However, looking at the pics, the console screen looks a bit low for Carplay compared to other vehicles I have Carplay experience with. Not sure I would want to be looking down like that.

 

That's got to be a dealers dream come true.
The part of the side mirrors that isn['t black cost $37 US each retail and I can only guess what dealer cost is for the door handles Black Mag wheels - gezzzz!!! what a package deal ----
Now the real / full Black Nightshade car has some other interesting stuff besides what the dealer can shuffle onto any other trim or color of car.

If you get a Nightshade make sure you get these add ons too
https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachment-files/2022/03/219699_20220310_213552.jpg
https://attachments.priuschat.com/attachment-files/2022/03/219700_20220310_213546.jpg

 

Good to see a positive story on Prius from a so-called “enthusiast”. I think this also somewhat proves that a significant portion of the criticism from this group comes from brochures and spec sheets and not first hand experience… if they actually get some seat time with one, opinions may shift a bit, like this story.

I am on my 2nd Prius over 16 years (about 550k KM logged in total), and IMO they are the ultimate practical vehicle for utility, reliability and efficiency. Performance is certainly adequate; of course it is no sports cars and should not be measured as such. I have never felt “endangered” because I couldn’t corner hard enough or accelerate fast enough. I just drive responsibly and with awareness.

Would these same reviewers cover a sports car and criticize it for little trunk space or poor fuel efficiency?

Lastly, I am not an ‘appliance driver’ - I actually do enjoy driving, very much in fact, and take great care of my vehicles. I just don’t feel that excessive hp or huge rims are needed for a desirable vehicle.

Just my $0.02.

 

So I’m told…. I still have a 3rd Gen and I find it decent. Test drove a Prime once a couple years ago, but not long enough to get a good feel for differences (testing on hard cornering, highway acceleration, etc), but I am sure it is even better.

 

Amen, this is our third Prime in as many years. We appreciate sporty vehicles and, while our other cars are no slouches, the PPs are the ones we happily use most often.