We've all heard the stories people have told us, "it's too small" "it's too slow". this post is hereby dedicated to the posting of stories of how you proved them wrong. you beat the corvette off the line put it here. you scared people in the parking lot by stealthing behind them, put it here. if its funny and involves a Prius we want to hear about it.
Well, having to utilize my Prius to move some items between houses, I have loaded up a complete drum set (bass drum, two tom-tom's, snare, floor tom, 2 floor cybal stands, high hat, cymbals, and throne)plus a stereo system (sans speakers) in the back of my Prius. I have also hauled a snow blower and the speakers for the stero in the same load. So much for the "too small" argument. I am finding that "stealthing" behind people in the parking lot is getting to be annoying...they don't hear anything, so they stroll slowly accross the lane and never look back, although I do have to admit that when you can pass, they do get a little startled. I don't race off the line, but I have had to smile at the SUV that guns it from the stop light, only to pull up beside him at the next stop light. Sometimes I feel like rolling my window down and telling them I could drive for a day on the gas they burned racing to the stoplights.
Well, for real entertainment value it sure is fun to blow the doors off a Suburban or a pickup truck in winter. My Prius with winter tires easily smokes any large vehicle on all-season tires. Last month I even smoked a new bright yellow H2 during a blizzard. At the next light, he pulled up beside me with a look on his face that said "what the f*** is THAT thing?!?!" He stayed well behind when the light turned green. Note that I don't speed. I will accelerate to the posted 80 km/h limit and back off. Usually, once you hit a red you will hit every one on Bishop Grandin expressway.
Stealthing in parking lots is fun for now, I'm sure it will get old. I'm still breaking my Prius in, no heavy acceleration or braking for another few hundred miles... What gets me most is the fact that every time I pull up to a space in the grocery store parking lot I see all sorts of people staring at me and my car. People I don't even know smile and wave at me. It seems to be such a novelty. My opinion: it's too COOL. I don't see anyone lining up next to a Hummer to ask the owner how their car works. To quote my husband's friend (with a deep southern accent) 'I always wanted one of them hy-burds"
I rented the Prius back in December from where I work and I was demonstrating how quiet it is to a friend sitting in the passenger seat. I was driving down a street and pulled over to demonstrate how quickly and quietly the car can be when started. I pushed the start button and pulled away from the spot when the READY light was solid. Two people were walking on the sidewalk and looked startled when I ran over a twig. I guess they didn't hear a car coming down the street :lol: