Cargurus.com ..... Slams Prius

When would you need to do 90 mph+ on a highway????

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zqfmbg @ Apr 19 2007, 07:30 PM) [snapback]426448[/snapback]</div>

!!I dont the Prius- owners are taking ther cars to the dragstip anyways!!!fd11

 

No one needs more speed than what a Prius has for driving on public roads. Some might want more, but that's a different issue.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Apr 19 2007, 11:38 PM) [snapback]426552[/snapback]</div>

I've been thinking about a thread of what if back in 1984, a FWD HSD Toyota Corolla had performance like today's Prius? The MFD would be DOS-like the 1980's but you get the idea.

My gut feeling is the 0 to 60 in 10-11 seconds and 60mpg highway would be much better received and it might sell for 40K in today's dollars.

In other words, we are spoiled rotten on performance and creature comforts.

 

i remember when a 4 cylinder car with more than 120hp was incredible. Now we can get 218hp and 200pounds of torque out of a 1.6liter 4-cylinder car. That was unheard of 10-15 years ago. A friend of mine had an old ford tempo with just around 80hp or something like that; it had a hard time getting above 70mph but that was in high school and the car was old as heck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zqfmbg @ Apr 19 2007, 07:30 PM) [snapback]426448[/snapback]</div>

Hmmmm....I guess you don't "need" a 200w amplifier for your home stereo system in that you, hopefully, will never use it all. But it's called headroom and that means it's working less at lower wattages. I've had a lot of muscle cars that I rarely ever broke the speed limit with -- but it sure was fun getting to the limit

 

I have found over the years -- that the only time a car really needs to go up to 60mph very quickly is for safety reasons. 1) merging onto a highway where the other cars are going 80 mph and you need to get into your lane quickly before it runs out; 2) pulling out into an intersection quickly to avoid the oncoming traffic; an 3) to get out of the way of another car doing crazy things on the road - getting out of the way fast avoids an awful collision. People who drive at high speeds are really putting others in danger if they cannot get out of the way quickly and skillfully.

In all cases, my Prius has been more than adequate. I don't need a car that goes over 90 mph.
Life is way too short for me to put myself and others in harms way.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zqfmbg @ Apr 19 2007, 07:30 PM) [snapback]426448[/snapback]</div>

because I says So!!!

Besides, gotta kick a$$ now and then

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Apr 20 2007, 02:02 PM) [snapback]426859[/snapback]</div>

With a little work with a modern 2.0 liter you could pull 250hp. Heck look at the Subaru wrx/sti gets 293-hp and 290 lb-ft of torque out of a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder.

So yes I agree we are spoiled with modern cars here in America.
In europe they make cars with 70-90hp and people do not complain well they might because they don’t need the gas guzzling extra hp to drive around the city. Don’t they have cars over there with like 40- 60 hp that are very small and used for commuting around the city and whatnot.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Apr 20 2007, 08:11 PM) [snapback]426871[/snapback]</div>

That may have been true a few years ago (I happily zipped around the country in a 60 HP Ford Fiesta Diesel, 54 mpg in 1997). But keep in mind that Germany has no speed limits on many highways, they love speed and power. Italians are even worse, speed limit or no speed limit. The horsepower war has started here as well, the 1001 hp Bugatti Veyron is after all a European invention, and so is the BMW M3.

Read more about it in Do Consumers Really Want Fuel-Efficient Cars?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ Apr 20 2007, 04:36 AM) [snapback]426612[/snapback]</div>

Heh. While I think: 5 seconds of hard acceleration, and then what?


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lowlander @ Apr 20 2007, 11:22 AM) [snapback]426878[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, but if you're driving a Veyron, you probably have enough money on hand to not worry about refilling the gas tank.

Let's see... at top speed (253mph, I believe) that thing empties its gas tank in 12 minutes...

 

When I want to go fast I'll just hop on my motorcycle. It may not be as safe, but hey, it's got 40 more horsepower than the Prius and still gets 40 mpg! And instead of taking 10 seconds to go 0-60 it only takes 2.9 seconds

 

Some people buy cars for bragging rights rather than usefulness or practicality. It's unfortunate that an absolutely horrendous car like the Hummer has become a status symbol among yuppies. Since when is being irresponsible, wasteful, and obscenely narcissistic something to be proud of?

Look at the number of people who buy SUVs that don't need them or use them for their designed purpose. Look at people who buy BMW Z8 sports cars but never exceed 65 mph. If auto makers would stop making vehicles as an extension of a man's penis and focus on designing the most efficient car for US road conditions and speed limits, we could easily have a 100 mpg vehicle that had just the right amount of horsepower, just the right top speed, and just the right acceleration numbers to fit a practical driving style rather than over specified numbers that might look good on paper but serve no practical purpose.

 

Why is this news or surprising?

If I want a steak, a head of lettuce isn't going to satisfy me. If I want a salad, the steak won't either. "Performance", as defined by speed enthusiasts is fuel inefficient. What kind of magic world do people live in where their choices involve no sacrifice or compromise? Some people choose to play by destroying; others find enjoyment through activities that do not introduce (or at least reduce) carbon into the environment. I think if the speed enthusiasts were given a mpg MDF instead of a stop watch, they could find a healthy outlet for their competitive juices.

Still, I can't wait for 2009 when I can put a tank of air in my turbo-charged SUV to drive my multi-ethnic neighbors from our McMansions to the park to go Polar Bear hunting. Maybe afterward, we can stop at Dairy Queen for the zero-calorie, sugar-laden ice cream that makes brushing and flossing my teeth unnecessary.

 

105 mph is not fast enough???

Beware of the trap of people talking about what "they" want. Who are "they"??? people keep saying that the Germans don't want economical cars because "they" like to drive as fast as they can on their no-speed-limit freeways. Or the Italians, because "they" like to drive fast in spite of speed limits.

Sure, there are speed maniacs in Germany who drive their BMWs full-out on the autobahn, and Italians who do the same. But most Europeans cannot afford BMWs or the gas they consume. That's why you'll see a lot more Vespas and small econo-boxes than high-end luxury cars wherever you go in Europe. It would make a lot more sense to say that Europeans demand efficient transportation, than to assert that "they" demand powerful cars.

And the success of the Prius, as well as the large number of cars with average power, gives the lie to the assertion that Americans demand cars that go from zero to 60 in 6 seconds. My next car probably takes ten seconds to go from zero to 30 mph, and can almost make it to 40 with the pedal to the floor.

 

All I can add to this is that the Prius impressed me with its 0 - 60 performance, in comparison with the other fuel economy cars I was test driving. I'm partial to Toyotas, and drove the Camry 4 cyl, Corolla, Matrix and then also the Nissan Altima and Sentra and the Chevy HHR. The Prius wasn't even on my list at first, but then I drove one.

Going up an on-ramp and accelerating while merging into traffic was a lot easier in the Prius. It was much faster getting up to freeway speeds than the other Toyotas and the Nissans. The HHR, with the smaller engine, was probably the worst, but I like the car a lot.

In the end, the Prius won out as the best of the ones I was considering.