Chicago Sun Times: Prius gets rivals

It's called "Tall poppy syndrome" Any poppy that stands taller than the rest gets the top knocked off with a stick.

Knocking the tall poppies down is embedded in some cultures.

Then there is the herd mentality, where you must join in with the group. Prius is popular but it is still a minority vehicle, most drivers drive ICE vehicles. Only people who know anything about Prius will disagree with this fool, but if he said Prius was a great car then only Prius lovers will agree. He is playing safe among his readers.

 

As I understand it, the Renault Fuego remained on sale in the U.S. through the '86 model year, continued a while overseas, still being built in Argentina until 1992. I bought a '84 Turbo on the cheap, decided to try fixing what was wrong with it. While I could probably have done so today, back then it was beyond my abilities. I could not get the fuel injection straightened out. It is a real shame, as it was one of the nicest driving cars I've ever laid hands on for the brief distance I ever got to drive it.

As for the Prius, it does not deliver driving pleasure in the traditional sense of the word. I find the steering as communicative as the Atari Pole Position arcade game. It may scoot off the line very well, but there's little wrath to it beyond that. These things are, IMO, just fine. If I'd been insistent on that sort of pleasure, I'd had cars on the list that would have delivered those pleasures in spades. I decided I liked the high-tech experience the Prius does deliver enough to buy the used one I have. Its best performance attribute doesn't especially require abnormal risk to life and limb to enjoy to its fullest. I'm fine with that. The car I was most likely to buy otherwise, a '05 Pontiac GTO, was able to reach 60 in about 4 seconds. As things were at the time, I'd have had my drivers license, and likely the car, for about two weeks. Second on the list would have been a compromise, if the best compromise, and the car I wanted would have taken a bit of time to get from another dealer, but I feel so at home in the current VW Passat.

In time, I've learned to mellow out a bit. What I've learned in driving the Prius helps me get better mileage out of other cars, as well. I've had an opportunity to drive a BMW 535xi wagon from Pensacola to Mobile, and got 23 mpg with it. A recent drive in a Acura TSX (the new one) yielded 33 mpg.

So if it's not as thrilling as many cars are, so what? Sometimes, often, actually, it's nice to just sit in the quiet, and enjoy gliding along with the Prius.

 

The Prius has surprising acceleration because of the huge electrical torque (295 ft lbs) at low rpm. To get that kind of a boost with an ICE, you have to get to high rpms fast. That means step on the gas. The gearless CVT also helps compared to a normal auto. I took my first test drive with a salesman who told me the Prius compares more with a 6 than a 4. And I'm coming out of a stick shift 6 cyl.sports car, which wasn't much quicker in normal driving around town unless I kicked those rpms up above 3K and burned some gas.

The funny thing is, the more you drive the Prius, the slower you want to go--as you relax and enjoy the quiet, comfortable ride, and watch the mpg readout--trying to maximize mpg. It's really a different experience.

 

Personally I really find that auto writers seem to know very little. His response basically demonstrates why he recommended something like the Fuego. He drives 2 or 3 a week. He doesn't have to live with them, just drive them for a couple of hours. Some of the writers can't even drive stick very well. They hoot and holler for anything $80k and up or that's a performance car. But, the top selling cars are the Camry and the Accord, cars that get reviews that equate to "she/he has a nice personality."

Yeah the suspension setup in a Prius might be soft, but it's not like you can't change that.

 

For those who never experienced a Renault; the car is stylish especially the Fuego, and the seats are the most comfortable of any auto manufacturer, bar none. Also, the dashboard layout was impressive. If I ever want a car to just sit in and not drive....Renault is the car to buy, otherwise I recommend Toyota, but only if you want the car to move!