Prius - not the car for all occasions?

To some degree, it seems like sort of a "princess and the pea" kind of thing (hopefully I'm not the only one who knows that story). I noticed Prius owners who previously owned luxury cars complain of the the seats, the stereo, the engine noise, what have you, but I used to own a bare-bones Subaru wagon and everything about the Prius seems like an improvement over that car.

Most of the issues mentioned are probably only a problem if you're used to a better alternative. I, for one, am not, so I never notice.

That said, while you'd be giving less money to terrorists if you drove your Prius all the time, driving it 9/10 of the the time is 90% better than driving the Boxter S exclusively.

I wish everyone who drives a sports car/SUV would drive a Prius 9/10 of the time! Think of the impact that would have!

 

Are you driving on those horrible OEM tires? That's a lot of the road noise. Sound deadening/isolating material is available. But if it's just a badge snob thing...

 

Personally, I don't miss or yearn for a gas guzzler. I am very happy and pleased to have purchased a vehicle that saves me money at the pump, and that was my main goal in making my purchase.

 

Cox your not the only one. I completely agree with Boulder, that many people who've owned luxury/sports cars are not fully satisfied with the prius. Remember, your going from a ~50k car to a ~25k car. Thats half the cost of your M3. So dont think the prius will have all the benefits of the M3. But then again, this doesnt only occur with cars. With almost everything in life, if you go from something expensive to something a lot cheaper, you probably wont be fully satisfied. Its like eating regular steak after having had filet mignon for several years. Or living in a 1 bedroom apartment by the highway, train station, and dump after having lived in a 5 mil house.

btw, my friend has an 02 or 03 m3 as well. Although IMO the seats are slightly better, as well as the stereo, the prius matches it pretty well in regards to comfort. Also, take a look at the HCHII, that might be more your style.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cox @ May 12 2007, 03:06 AM) [snapback]440454[/snapback]</div>

yeah I agree. Also, my friend's brother (same friend that owns the m3) currently owns a dodge viper. They also have an H2, a Ranger Rover and a jaguar. So I agree, the quality is not really luxuries, but for a car thats at least half the price, its actually not bad. Plus it has all the cool tech toys like the backup camera and stuff.

I also agree that the back seat is a disadvantage of the HCHII. But for me, it doesnt matter, I can use my dad's prius if I need to haul anything

 

I moved from a GTI turbo to the Prius and for several months missed the excellent performance, the quality of the interior, and various ammenities, such as fully adjustable seats, telescoping steering wheel, automatic door lock at 8 mph, etc. But, three years and 62,000 miles later I am very happy with the Prius. The gas savings (including fewer visits to the fuel pump), the smart entry system, the climate control feature (set it at 75 and forget it) and the CVT transmission (no shifts) are the things I like the most. Overall performance and comfort are also good.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cox @ May 12 2007, 02:02 AM) [snapback]440436[/snapback]</div>

No, you are certainly not alone. My Lexus was my escape...but I only have the Prius now, as the Lexus was totaled by a taxi that ran a red light. I haven't bothered to buy another car yet...soon, maybe. I've kind of come to terms with the Prius' high noise levels, crappy ride quality and uncomfortable interior.

 

I see your point clearly and feel you've compensated perfectly. I also share your admiration of tidy construction and g-forces. I've had a couple of Porsche's myself and still own an Audi A4, not the same thing as your Boxer of course, but it does sit flat on the road and tracks like a tank. Merchant is correct about the tires though, they are awful. I've added 17" wheels with 215's as well as a BT plate thus far and the improvement to the driving experience is substantial. However, I am currently looking at a Hayabusa to satisfy my occasional need for speed and g's.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(robincx @ May 12 2007, 06:26 AM) [snapback]440472[/snapback]</div>

Ariel Atom!

 

Ah yes, the Atom, have you seen the UK video's? Question is, have you seen any in NA? ...plus the ticket is a bit out of range for an weekend toy. Either would be fun on the Sea to Sky highway though.

 

Hi Cox,

I never had a problem with the engine "drone". I define a drone as a continous constant pitch, low frequency pitch noise. And the Prius just does not drone to that definition. The Prius engine changes pitch all the time. It did take some getting used to the pitch variability. Which might be called a low frequency chirp, or anti-drone. I was very keyed into gauging vehicle speed by engine pitch during highway cruise. And had to unlearn that and do casual glances at the speedo instead. Good thing they put the speedo right there up front. I did find that anoying at first, but am used to the Prius now. An aural speedo might be a good ad-on. Then the Prius would drone like other cars do, although you could set up the audio harmonics to make it more of a rumble. And you would probably be more satisfied with it with the aural sensation.

Coming from a Saturn SL2 (think EV1 with a 1.9 liter DOHC aluminum gas engine and second row of seats), all the amenities in the Prius are a significant upgrade.

The main complaint I had was the non-linear handling feedback, and chasis low resonance frequency, which intefered with man-machine control loop. That was remedied to my satisfaction with the installation of a BT Tech Chasis Stiffening plate (although its probably more of a chasis vibration damper). Now the feedback from the road is much better, and the car goes where you point it, when you point it, not after three or for 1/2 second period vibrations. The front end still has some odd vibrations when going over bumps, but the tail follows the front now, which it just did not feel like it did before the installation of the BT Tech plate.

 

You have been conditioned well by the advertising departments of the car companies. You "know how a car is supposed to sound, you know that a performance car makes people envyous, you know that without these status symbles that your life is empty. Snap out of it! A vehicle is meant to move your arse from point A to point B. Do you think that I am wrong? Try walking! The sheep may look up to you for driving a BMW, but do you really base your happiness on what other people think of you? The car industry is finally going to change more than the suttle facelifts that we have seen for the past 35 years and the Prius is a stepping stone. Or you can plug back into the Matrix Neo and be a battery for the machines.

 

The Prius isn't all things to all people, as much as some people think it should or could be. To achieve its fuel economy and still be realistically priced, it has some tradeoffs. Every car does - e.g. the "premium" vehicles you guys talk about have abysmal fuel economy and cost 1.5-2.5X the Prius.

Your fleet size depends on how much you want and how much you can afford. If you want sports car handling, and can afford it, then the fleet grows. If you want luxury, and can afford it, then the fleet grows some more. If you want nameplate status, then the fleet grows again. I say "want" - no-one "needs" Porsche handling or Lexus comfort or Mercedes status.

Our "fleet" currently is the Prius, a Porsche 911, and a VW Vanagon camper. The Prius drives 90% of the miles, the VW 10%, and the 911 hasn't been driven much at all lately - but with summer here, that should change, it'll take some of the Vanagon's 10%.

 

I think the Camry Hybrid would suit you much better...

To be honest, this Prius cannot come close to the spirited drive you were used to. Did you really buy the Prius to reduce your carbon consumption?

I'm pleasantly surprised with the lack of righteousness of most people in this group. I don't think Toyota made Prius to save anyone, and though it's cool to know that you are having almost zero emissions, most people (like me) buy and use the Prius as a great, well-built, pioneer, statement, commuter car that it is.

This forum's members don't represent the average Prius owner and that's no hit to anyone. I've seen dozens and dozens of Prius cars here in Baltimore, but not a single one had the grills blocked by insulating material. Mine will be the first

So be honest with yourself on what you want. If you can't compromise, the next Prius should have a better interior (why all this hard plastic Toyota?) an 1.8 lt engine, it will weigh less, have less road noise (which does mostly come from the crappy integrity tires) and should be a major improvement. Toyota listens to its customers...