Is smugness a bad thing?

Yes, I'm smug. Sure it's bad, but what the heck, I do plenty of things worse than being smug about driving the cleanest, most fuel-efficient family sedan on the road. All those cretins driving cars that can't even go without starting their engines deserve to have me smugly looking down my nose at them.

The other day I had to move my car to the other side of the street because of a strict one-hour parking limit. When I got back I remarked that I had not started the engine. "What? How can you move your car without starting your engine???" My casual reply: "Only obsolete cars have to start their engine to move. My car does not start its engine unless there's a need for it."

Hee, hee, hee. Smug, yes, you bet!

 

i'm total smug about it too. I'm already making fun of my friends and family about their 'classic' gas only vehicles.

technically, we're gas only as well, but you get the idea.

 

Smug: Knowing I'm getting better mileage per person-mile than the SUV with only the driver.

Approaching intolerence: I used to think 'poorly' of people who sat in their cars idleing away waiting for someone to come out of a store or something. Now it bugs me even more.

It is a problem at work as well. By prohibiting smoking anywhere in the buildings, they have moved the problem outdoors. Not so bad in the summer, but fall/winter/spring here is about 8 months. Many of the smokers go out to their cars and run them while they smoke.

I wish they had put in ventilated smoking rooms instead. It would be more productive as the smokers would spend less time on their frequent smoke breaks and they wouldn't be out polluting the environment along with thier lungs.

 

Smugness is a bad thing. If you REALLY think your Prius can save the world, being smug to potential buyers will not help your cause. I should think that preaching to others would be important.
Some of the examples above(like sitting in a car running waiting for someone) are dumb and have always been dumb. Its simply a waste.

But, telling that person they are stupid and wasteful gets you nowhere.

To be honest, I did NOT want a Prius. After having one for a weekend, I decided it wasn't near as bad as I had feared. Its not a sports car, but as long as I have something to play with on occasion, I'm good. The gospel I preach to enthusiasts is - Its a great car for commuting, has some cool toys, less gas use and less emissions. All good things.

 

I was not able to get a Prius at a price I was willing to pay so I got a Honda Civic Hybrid instead. I really like the Civic but given a choice I would still rather have a Prius.

The vehicle I would really like to have would be the Toyota Estima but the don't sell them in the USA. The only countries that get them beside Japan is the right side (Left Lane) drive countries.

My wife who drives a Miata scoffed at the Civic at first, but now she drives it more than the Miata.

 

Ah, you are all set then! As she drives the HCH more, she'll hardly notice when the Miata all of a sudden looks remarkably like a 2005 Prius. Just get as close a color match as you can.

 

I'm not smug at people. I'm just smug inside. It's that warm superior feeling we all have towards anyone different. I don't tell them they are stupid or wasteful, I just casually mention the EPA numbers, or the fact that my car has no transmission. And I use EV mode in parking lots so they can hear the sound of silence as I glide past.

But I certainly do not imagine that the Prius will save the world. Nothing will save the world. The world is doomed. So I'll just enjoy my car and hope I die a natural death before the collapse comes.

 

Scary/sad thing is that I was feeling smug even BEFORE I picked up my Prius!

Does anyone ever find themselves muttering unkind things under their breath whenever they meet an H2 in traffic?

[edit]While I agree that one shouldn't lord their Prius ownership over others, with H2's I honestly struggle to understand what would possess a person to cause them to willingly purchase such a vehicle for non-emergency use.

Ah well, as the prior poster said, I'll just go on feeling good about my own choice of vehicle. Ya never know... maybe an H2 will pull me out of a snowbank someday...

 

They buy them because they want to be the Governator, but they can't afford a real Hummer. From what I've read, an H2 is useless as an emergency vehicle. It has nothing of a Hummer but the outward appearance, and is inferior to any other SUV in every aspect of actual performance.

Anyway, that's what I've read.

 

Actually, an H2 is every bit a Hummer and has been tested out off road. By no means is it a HumV, but it is a very capable off road vehicle, if somewhat ridiculous around town. Personally I think it at least looks way cooler than Excursions and all those other Uber station wagons.

And, why do you think the Prius has no transmission? It most certainly does. Its just a constantly variable set of gears, as opposed to 3,4,or 5 set gear ratios.

 

Actually, it more closely resembles a differential. The gears are fixed ratio. What changes the power transfer is MG1. The more MG1 resists turning, the more power goes to the wheels.

 

Wow, thanks. I just went and read. That is a really odd arrangement. Now I have reliability concerns.

Seriously tho, I'm going to have to read on this a few times to fully get it.

 

The Power Split Device (PSD) (not a transmission) is infinitely more reliable than a transmission. It is also much easier on the engine because the engine never has to support a load at low rpms, as it would if there were a transmission.

 

I don't really think you can say that it isn't a transmission. Just because you give it a new acronym doesn't mean its function is different. I am interested in reading more about how it works tho, as it scares me.
I also don't think you can claim it is more reliable. I'll buy it if you can show me where they've been in use as long as a traditional transmission. I've never had a transmission problem in any car.

 

Actually, it more closely resembles a differential. The gears are fixed ratio. What changes the power transfer is MG1. The more MG1 resists turning, the more power goes to the wheels.
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And you know, I think I'm starting to get that. I honestly think all of this would be easier to follow if it wasn't full of all these stupid acronyms. I mean, I read the owners manual and it took me quite a while to get that ICE is the stinkin motor.

 

Go HERE and click on "Understanding the Prius." This is the best site, bar none, for explaining how the Prius works.

A transmission couples the engine to the wheels through a system of gears. In any given gear, there is a fixed ratio of wheel speed to engine speed. For the car to stop while the engine is running, there must be a clutch, which physically separates the engine from the wheels. The mechanism of disengaging, realigning to a different gear, and re-engaging, is extremely complex, and thus subject to a variety of failure modes.

A continuously variable transmission substitutes a cone and belt for the gears, giving you, effectively, an infinite choice of gear ratio. You still need a clutch.

The Power-Split Device in the Prius decouples the engine from the wheels at the same time as power is transfered from the engine to the wheels. Within certain extremely wide margins, the engine can run at any speed, or not at all, while the wheels are turning at any speed, or not at all. The engine can run while the car is stopped, or vice versa, even though there is no clutch and the engine is always "engaged." The mechanism is extremely simple and reliable, even though the mechanics are difficult to conceptualize.

You personally may never have had transmission trouble, but the transmission is one of the most common big-ticket repair items on used cars. Differentials (which the PSD resembles in manufacture) almost never need repairs.

The two systems/concepts/technologies are so utterly, completely, different, that they warrant being given separate terms. The PSD is not a transmission.

 

I have to say that after a long bit of study the PSD is not a transmission in the proper sense of the word. I like the statement that is more like the differential but even that is an approximation of the reality of the HSD system. It takes a bit of study and examination of models of the system to begin to understand the engineering involved. This is a major shift of automotive design.