no hybrid for me

NOVA, it sounds like its time to to drop your GF and go find another chick like Sarah Palin. She looks the type that would drive a Dodge Challenger SRT8 or a Mustang Shelby KR500 or a Corvette Z06 if she can.

 

Agreed.

Interestingly, though, it seems I've had a very different reaction/response to driving the Prius. I feel very much connected to the roadway when driving the Prius, but not because of the rack-and-pinion steering (there isn't any) or the tight clutch (no manual transmission). Instead, it is because I spend so much more time anticipating rises and falls, curves, lane changes, etc., than I had in recent cars. I also find myself so much more connected to the scenery, because I drive with the windows down and am able to hear everything (not on freeways, of course!).

I hadn't thought about this for a while, but I suppose I became more and more disconnected from the road as I drove bigger cars with more "stuff" in them. They all were very quiet inside, and they all had auto transmissions with superb stereos. Nothing wrong with these things, but they weren't as fun to drive as the old 315 or the early Scirocco, or even my early 80's 5-speed Accord coupe.

I would say that you are tuned differently toward automobiles, and without a change in your view of things, the Prius is not going to be a car for you. Not a problem, but I think you'll find some ways to enjoy your girlfriend's Prius!

 

Well if you can afford to feed your straight six that fuel it no problem for you. Its like comparing apples to oranges the prius is an economy car your BMW is a sporty car. The prius is the most efficient car in the US so people who care about not paying a lot at the pump are going to drive the prius. If you drive a prius like a race car you can expect to not get very good mileage out of it and the prius actually gets better mileage in the city than the freeway because it relies less on the gasoline engine.

Good luck passing a smog check on your race car in california also. no smoggy for hybrids yet.

 

I bet the roar of the wallet when gas refil comes is also a beautiful thing. If you want efficiency you cannot drive the prius like a bmw. And it will take you some time until you can learn how to drive fast and still mantain high MPG. At the moment this is what my car has, and its all highway at speeds up to 85MPH and no lower than 60MPH.



Prius FTW.

 

Just a free tip. Take it for what you paid for it:

Not the best plan to come to an enthusiast site, and basically ask why we're all a bunch of idiots. (I paraphrase). And here we talk about the Prius in particular. You seem to want to bunch all hybrids together like there is no difference. But I digress...

As my dad used to say - if your looking for a connection to the road, get out and walk.

If your relationship is based on heated seats, I guess you've got more pressing issues than the threat of having to drive a Prius. Even so... I added aftermarket heated seats to my Prius, and they're better than any OEM heaters that I've ever used. And hey - my Electric Rav4 has OEM heated seats. What's your GF look like? Does she like guys who generate their own automotive fuel?

 

Don't take this wrong, but I think it's great that you don't like driving a Prius. It isn't for everyone. It's not the Model T. Toyota doesn't plan to make enough to sell one to everyone in the US.

Variety is the spice of life, right? Some people like SUVs, some people like sports cars, some people like pickup trucks, some people like nice family sedans, some people like econoboxes.

 

Hi NoVABimmer,

Go off to your Lexus dealer and test drive a GS-450h.

 

I've driven NoVa highways and I've never gotten less than 50 MPG -- and kept up with traffic. FWIW, I've also gotten over 80 MPG on some of my off-highway driving in your neck of the woods.

How long did you rent the car? What was the air pressure in the tires? What kind of oil was in it, was it reasonably fresh, and was it filled to the proper level? Was the air filter clean? How many miles/days did you drive it? How long were the trips? What were the actual routes? What were the weather conditions? Were you running climate control? At what temperature? What was the overall average speed? How much stop and go did you have? And perhaps most importantly, were the conditions identical to those you typically experience in your car? If they weren't darned close, you're making an apples-to-oranges comparison. Many variables affect fuel economy, and their cumulative effect can be substantial.

Never mind. You apparently have your mind made up, so don't worry about answering. (The questions are largely rhetorical anyway.) That's OK; I respect others' views, positive and negative, about the car.

But if you were sincere about learning about the car, then you'd be spending your time in other threads asking sincere questions and studying the vast knowledge base that is PriusChat rather than trying to bait us here. (And actually succeeding to a degree. Congratulations! )

 

More like the cure. All that aside, use sites like Priuschat to do your research and you should get a good idea of Prius strengths and weaknesses; however, if you want the Prius to be a BMW then you should get a BMW. Each car has performance bands where they operate at top efficiency. I drive in NO VA every day and my Prius does exactly what it is supposed to do -- I had to make some small changes to my driving habits, but the changes were more than worth it. I consider myself a better driver. I am not a hypermiler so the changes I talk about are not so different from how I drove before. Also, if your gf is going to be happy with the Prius then you will be happy in return.

Good luck with your search.

 

Quick, somebody do the math, how much will any BMW pay for itself?

That car has what you want, except for the noise, and you can hypermile it better than other cars with the Hybrid system if you want 30 mpg at the same time.

 

That's better than dropping $65k and get 14-22 mpg. GS 450h will pay back unlike the competitors (BMW 550i, CLS550, etc..)

 

We own a BMW 325i and a Prius. The Prius gets used everywhere, and the BMW is only used when the Prius is already in use. About the only place I'd rather use the BMW than the Prius is on a high speed two lane road. The BMW can do 70 to 90 mph in nothing flat in order to pass, while the Prius will just have to stay in line. I travel very few high speed two lane roads these days.

Which is not to say that the Prius doesn't go fast. When I first got it, I repeatedly found myself going 85 when it felt like 70. I've had to recalibrate my sense of speed to avoid getting tickets.

PS: I think cops give a Prius an extra 5-10 mph leeway because they can't believe a Prius can go fast. The only thing worse than a BMW as cop bait is a red two seater roadster.

PPS: If you have any control over which Prius to get, be sure it's a Touring Edition. And put at least 42/40 psi in the tires. There aren't any practical engine upgrades, although the 2010 is supposed to have more power.

 

+1

Prius made me see the road in 3D. Not only twists/turns, hills/valleys but also head/tail wind. I have become an expert at judging the inclines/declines so I know the amount of power to push and glide before the bumper in front of me without having to hit the brake -- doing all this while HSD shuts down the engine. You can't do that with any other engine! This makes driving fun.

 

My Prius is a BMW. When I got my new plate, the letters were BMW. Some people think it's a joke, but it was just random luck. I kind of like it.

Tom

 

Quick -- What are you looking for? (Sorry, my knee-jerk reaction to your post!)

What car pays for itself? Cars cost money. Cars are depreciating assets. Unless you are using your car for work (taxicab, for instance), how could you possibly calculate when it would "pay for itself"?

If what you are interested in is getting the most economical car overall, then you can't buy BMW or Prius. Well, let me clarify that: You can't buy BMW. A Prius might do it for you, but not in the typical circumstances. Instead, look for an econobox -- a used one.

If you are much more interested in being one with the road, then go Lambo.

I would say you might be able to really enjoy a Mini Cooper. The mileage isn't great, but then it isn't too bad. The cost isn't cheap, but it isn't BMW land, either. But it is fun to drive.

If you have the time and inclination, please keep us posted on your decision-making process.