Are You "Defensive" About Your Prius?

Negative Prius comments are just part of jovial ribbing/ joking.
We all know us Prius drivers are too slow to drive in traffic.

All just good fun...enjoy it.

 

I went to the vet this morning, reversed in next to a LandCruiser. As I was getting the dog out, the chap in the LandCruiser said "wow, that engine is quiet". I explained that it was in Electric mode, it's a hybrid, and, when asked, explained what a hybrid was. He said he'd seen PRIUS around, but had no idea that they were part-time Electric drive. (They've been around like 14 yrs here, though not common except as TAXIs.)

He asked how that affected fuel consumption, I said it's averaged about 4l/100km. He was real impressed, he said it looks bigger than his wife's Corolla Hatch which averages about 10l/100, and his LandCruiser Diesel over 12l/100.

He was impressed.

 

MS traditionally has the lowest per capita Prius ownership of any US state. When you couple this with the fact I own a v, I have very little Prius comments to deal with, as my fellow Mississippians do not recognize it as a Prius.

When I visit my relatives in WA, I see about 10 times as many Prius, so awareness there is more intense. My sister also drives a v, and she gets much more commentary than I do. Washingtonians are much more Prius aware.

 

My neighbour gave the Prius similar compliment when I explained to him about the electric/gas mode. He too bad a diesel SUV, which could chew through 20l/100km.

It all depends on the drivers and demographics. If you live next to an WRX or GTI driver, you may get the smart alec comment instead.

SM-G900I ?

 

I've got a friend with a WRX who asked a bit about it. At the time I'd had a MALFUNCTION pop up (turned out to be a brake light switch). He suggested that I use his SCANGAUGE to have a look at it, he was quite interested in the technology and I suspect would have liked to have had a look at what SCANGAUGE showed. (I took it to the dealer instead, though.)

 

Seeing we're slightly OFF-TOPIC already, though it's all been promoting PRIUS ...

We've all seen the extraordinary way a PRIUS performed in crash tests, and the IIHS crash test.

I don't plan on trying that aspect of the PRIUS out, but it did much better than this car:

[If you haven't seen the PRIUS under a more extreme test, here is the IIHS crash:

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Would that be for a full charge of just a boost to 50% ?

 

Good videos. I hope those aren't Takata airbags.

 

Perfect music for the lego test!

 

Wow! That Prius crash test is amazing...so glad I was not in that car! Everyone should have to watch a crash test before driving because we don't see things like that happen while we are focusing on the road most of the time and not at wrecks in progress. Also it makes me want to keep a greater distance between cars so I don't reproduce that horrible crash. I am more worried about a horrible brain concussion a la The Ghost in My Brain by Clark Elliott, an AI professor, who was rear ended and almost died from head trauma. Folks don't realize that a severe whiplash injury can basically end your life without killing you.

 

I get your message, but head on crashes into flat surfaces are unusual in most accidents. It's more often oblique front or rear-enders in real life.

 

Maybe I'm that crazy Prius driver.. I don't want to look in my rear view mirror and see an impatient looking face, head tilted into hand, acting like I'm slowing them down and ruining their day. You know who I'm talking about. If a car is following me closely I tend to speed up to open a gap. Often they do too, until we're both screaming down the road at 80 mph. I don't know if they are racing me, or just don't know a Prius can go fast! Ha ha! Is this being defensive?

 

Nope. It came from making such a vague generalization. We see a lot of cherry-picking and data omission. But to not include anything at all, there was no way to respond to the complete absence of information.

To get useful feedback, provide some type of detail to work with.

Also, keep in mind that "defensive" turns after being provoked repeatedly. It's an invitation to play offense, armed with a wealth of real-world experiences to share.

 

I had to justify on many occasions why I bought a Prius, after purchasing a Corvette only four years earlier. Someone even asked me (jokingly) if it's actually legal to own both.

 

WOW - I missed the music. After 10 seconds of unmusical "ThumpThump" I hit MUTE. But I've given it a better chance - great, thanks.

 

I had the same, after going from 2 small Diesel hatch/sedans. I'd been looking around for a few months, and during that time Diesel started to "be on the nose" a la VW (and others now). But I'd made my decision to not go Diesel again prior to that - hard to convince people that.

 

Yes, dramatic when it happens like in the video, but if you compare it with some earlier, less well designed structures, you're pleased you're in a PRIUS (or other modern car) just in case it does happen. The new TOYOTA TNGA platform is very safe. You would have a much better chance of surviving in one, and hopefully, with the passive safety features, a better chance of avoiding a collision.