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I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylish

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jaguaraja, Dec 1, 2004.

  1. jaguaraja

    jaguaraja New Member

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    yea aerodynamics and all that

    I see it this way. In order for hybrids to go mainstream, the car must look the part.

    one of my favorite designs was the prowler. loved it. it died due to dealer price gouging. The price became too high and then there were too few sales so the line was cut.
    The same is happening with the thunderbird, the chevy ssr truck, and looks like it might happen with the mustang.
    It may also start to affect the prius the way things are going now.

    My main point here is that had the prius been more stylish, it may have been price gouged by the dealers earlier and the prius may have seen an early grave for it.

    While I wouldn't mind a volta type car, i'd much rather contribute to the success of the technology by helping is go mainstream.
     
    #1 jaguaraja, Dec 1, 2004
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    :eek:

    MORE stylish? People walk up to my Prius all the time and give me comments on how stylish and futuristic it looks.

    Last week, just for giggles, I parked in front of a Mercedes dealership and walked around a bit. I noticed a small crowd formed around my Prius ...
     
    #2 jayman, Dec 1, 2004
  3. skruse

    skruse Senior Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    Prii speak loudly in that "form follows function". Whenever I comment that Prius has the lowest coefficient of friction (least resistant to moving through the atmosphere), people respond, "Yes, you can tell."

    One of the smartest things Toyota engineers did was to get away from the pseudo-soap cars and use a true fusiform shape - a shape that presents the lowest resistance to a fluid (the air). People driving and walking by can tell Prius has its act together and does not rely on cosmetics. The shape adds to the quiet interior and low level of road noise.

    Stylish? Absolutely!
     
    #3 skruse, Dec 1, 2004
  4. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    I've had a number of people who don't know a hybrid from a hemi spontaneously comment on how nice, unique and stylish the car is, and asking what it is.

    All in the eye of the beholder I guess.
     
    #4 Tempus, Dec 1, 2004
  5. jaguaraja

    jaguaraja New Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    tempus, you a fellow black prius owner? I have yet to see someone other than myself have a black prius here in long island.

    <----the ultra rare Black Prius. Few believe it actually exists.
     
    #5 jaguaraja, Dec 1, 2004
  6. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    Absolutely.

    It looks great with the black trim and black mud-flaps :)
     
    #6 Tempus, Dec 1, 2004
  7. Jerry P

    Jerry P Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    The styling of the Prius is so great, the addition of pinstriping, decals, body-side moldings, etc. is very unnecessary and even works to ruin the beauty of the design. Mud flaps and nicer wheels are all I came up with to 'dress up' my car.
     
    #7 Jerry P, Dec 1, 2004
  8. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I get compliments on the styling of Priapus. I love the minimalist design. I also get comments on the color Tideland, which I think is funny since it wasn’t my first choice.

    My sister told me that the first time I pulled into her driveway, she thought there was a spaceship landing in her yard. “You’re not far off,†I replied.

    My wife still refers to it as the “hamster carâ€.

    Someone on this board once wrote:
    “You laugh at me because I’m different.
    I laugh at you because you’re all the sameâ€

    Every morning, I make a right-hand turn heading to work and there is always a line of cars that I pass waiting to turn left. Many mornings, there’s a driftwood Prius somewhere in that line. I love the feeling that the appearance of his Prius stands out in the row of similar cars as a reflection of the technology and engineering that otherwise would go unnoticed.

    All the same, almost every time I park Priapus and walk away, I turn around and check him out setting there. Much the same way I would check out a pretty girl. Except that my wife doesn’t hit me.
     
    #8 TonyPSchaefer, Dec 2, 2004
  9. jimofdg

    jimofdg New Member

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    Re: More stylish?

    Stylish? I'm not sure a Prius has to reflect TODAY's styles.

    And I'm completely sure a 2004 Prius will look good to me next year. No one is saying that about a Taurus. [Okay, not many.]
     
    #9 jimofdg, Dec 2, 2004
  10. Ken Cooper

    Ken Cooper New Member

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    It's all in the eyes of the beholder. When my friend's young teenage daughter first saw mine she spontaneously proclaimed, "Cool Car!". It's nice to hear those compliments that come straight from the heart.
     
    #10 Ken Cooper, Dec 2, 2004
  11. Porky Pine

    Porky Pine New Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    A friend of mine in work told me that he likes my Prius because it doesn't look like a normal car.
     
    #11 Porky Pine, Dec 2, 2004
  12. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Porky Pine\";p=\"54843)</div>
    :iagree

    In fact, but for the design change I probably would never have even noticed this car. Although I recognize Classics when I see them now, I certainly never did prior to when the 2004 MY Prius picqued my interest.
     
    #12 tag, Dec 2, 2004
  13. jaguaraja

    jaguaraja New Member

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    Re: I always get asked why the prius wasn't made more stylis

    when i FIRST saw the prius i was honestly a bit unimpressed with its weird styling. while doing my reseach and waiting for the car to come in, the styling has very much grown on me and I love having a 'different' car
     
    #13 jaguaraja, Dec 2, 2004
  14. kenmac

    kenmac New Member

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    The most common comment I get is "It looks French - what is it?"

    kenmac
     
    #14 kenmac, Dec 2, 2004
  15. scott

    scott New Member

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    i always thought that the prius looked like something out of 5 years in the future.

    that and technology is what got me interested.
     
    #15 scott, Dec 3, 2004
  16. Batavier

    Batavier Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer\";p=\"54735)</div>
    LOL
    I do that too! I park my Preto Prius somewhere and when I walk away, I look back and admire her lines. I can't take my eyes off the car, it's beautiful. And indeed, it's safer to watch the car than pretty girls (at least while my GF is around :p).
     
    #16 Batavier, Dec 3, 2004
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