Priceless Reaction

That's awesome!

 

@theRob It's stories like yours that make me feel really good about my prior life, over 2 decades of promoting Prius and its technology. Each of those generations was rewarding to own... just like what you experienced last night.

The normal product-cycle for something with so many business complexities is... gen-1 = introduction... gen-2 = sales boom... gen-3 = well established, an obvious purchase choice... gen-4 = struggle to renew & grow. It was textbook outcome, easy to predict that a totally fresh approach would be required to make gen-5 a success. So, it is great seeing favorable results for gen-5 already.

That technology which started all this has been spread throughout Toyota's fleet, including its other offering that stirs the same "I see that’s a Toyota but what car is it?" question. It's what I switched to, the first of the bZ models... 4X... which shares some of the same traits as your Prius, most notably the dashboard display above the steering wheel. There are clear trait similarities, the nature of way Toyota has you interact with vehicle drive attributes. They understand what their customers seek.

I look forward to more reports from gen-5 owners. Seeing how BEV offerings are in that stage of trying to figure out how to move on to gen-2, it will be interesting to hear from new Prius owners. Reaching a new audience is extremely difficult, but essential to achieve a sales boom and enable successful spread of tech.

 

I was in Savannah this weekend w my LE and someone thought it was a Tesla til he saw the emblem.

 

I triggered a similar reaction when I stopped for gas at a small two pump "full service" station. The young pump jockey tried to open the charge port first. He'd never seen a PHEV (to his knowledge) so I explained the design, the pro's and con's. He was fascinated by the the stylish looks and the efficiency. Charging nightly from a standard low cost electric outlet was nearly unbelievable.

I think that some day he will consider a PHEV when he buys his first car.

 

I have had several cars passing me on the interstate, just to slow down as they checked out my Prius.
I was in the middle lane when a driver in the passing lane slowed to behind me, switched to the slow lane and cruised by me with a big thumbs up.

 

Had a couple guys stop as I was walking back to my car in the grocery store parking lot (I parked way out in the middle of nowhere). They asked what car it was and when I said Prius they were like what year? they thought at first look it was something like a Lamborghini

 

I parked my car at my local shopping center and this super attractive woman came up to me and asked me about my car. She even asked if she can look inside. She was very surprised when I told her it was a Prius. When I got home, I told my wife that she almost lost me due to my sexy new car. She looked at me with that stupid wife smirk and walked away. LOL

On another occasion, some dude in a white Lexus LC convertible, which is a super sexy car, couldn't stop staring at my car. He was next to me at a red light and I saw him creeping up so he can check out the front and I caught him nodding his head. I assume he liked the car.

Lastly, I took my car to get tints and the guys at the tint shop were all surprised when they found out it was a Prius. They were definitely impressed.

 

In one redesign, Toyota makes the funniest car meme of all time... irrelevant.

 

yep I really dont like those taillights

 

With gull wing doors and a louvre it could be the real DMC-12 succesor instead of that non sense of Alpha something.

 

Yesterday the gas station attendant couldn't believe I was driving a Prius. Her words were "That's a Prius? It looks awesome!"

 

You've got to be getting mad stares driving that yellow beauty around. I think you said you lived in the sticks? If you were living in a major city, you would be getting harassed lol.

 

A short, 26 years later, and Toyota finally found money to spend on the Prius' design and not just the drivetrain.

We def. love the new look and more power, but won't buy a new one to replace our Prime b/c of the crazy low price we got it for.

 

You might be surprised how much a dealer would offer you in trade for your 2021. I was offered what I paid for my Prius 3.5 years ago........................................

I'm going from a 2019 to a 2023, while gaining equity and lowering my car payment in the process. Tickled sh!tless would be an understatement.

Can't wait to enjoy the best-in-class Lane Keep function!

 

I'm sure they'd give us a bit more than we paid - we bought our 2021, after trading in a 2020 and that netted us $1200 after tax credit (the trade up 'paid' us). The 2021 cost under $18k net - Toyota cash, dealer discount, Uber incentive, and tax credit. Those days are long gone and simply paying MSRP is an increase of $7k+ over the price we got, let alone the $4500 tax credit that came later.
Finally - we took the paid off Prius and refi'd it at 1.24% to pay for solar panels, heat pumps and I-bonds in 2022 Best home improvement loan rate ever.
Love the new Prius, but the good looks and better performance will ensure that Toyota doesn't have to discount them, which keeps us in our 2021.

 

I was parked downtown today for a quick errand and when I got back to my Prius and was waiting to pull out into traffic (it was busy, so I was kind of just sitting as I waited for things to clear), there was a guy with his wife and kids talking and looking at the front of my car. The guy walked around to peek at the back and exclaimed excitedly to them, “It is a Prius!” before coming to the passenger window to give me a thumbs up. I rolled down the window and he commented on how great it looked. I told him it was the 2023 remodel and how much I’ve enjoyed it so far and he said, “Well, don’t be fooled by the wedding ring, I’d go for a ride with you. It looks amazing!” I laughed and thanked him for the compliment.

First time something like that has happened since I got it. I’m glad that it attracts positive attention while still being recognizable as a Prius.

 

Love these clever reactions. : )

 

1) Within a week of purchasing, pulled into the gas station and two employees did a double-take, as if trying to figure out what kind of car it was. One walked over to pump my gas and said "that's the new Prius, isn't it." I affirmed, and he said, "I never thought I'd hear myself say this about a Prius, but that's a sweet looking car." Then when he filled it up and asked if 7-1/2 gallons sounded about right, I gave him a big grin and said, "yep, it has a small tank, great miles per gallon, and is really fun to drive." He said he'd like to be able to say that about his car.

2) After I had a trip to the emergency room for nothing too serious, a guy was wheeling me out while partner was bringing the car around to the front of the hospital. We were chatting away until the car came around the corner and pulled up. His eyes got big and he said, "What?! Wait! Is that the new Prius?!?!?!" Yep. He said he and his girlfriend had just been talking about it after seeing ads on TV, he had seen some stuff about it online, and he was excited about seeing one in person. He asked some questions, partner got out so guy could sit in the driver seat and see how it felt, and then we went on our way.

3) I was sitting in front of the post office waiting for a radio segment to wrap up before I went inside. I watched a guy walk past on the sidewalk staring at the car from the moment he saw it from three cars away until he had walked past two cars on the other side. It's a real head-turner.

Maybe it's not as exciting for people in general as seeing the Oscar Mayer WienerMobile or back when the Google Maps cars were out driving around all the time, but for those in the know, it appears to be in the same league.