Is the Prius really this unremarkably unique

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jlowen @ Jul 14 2007, 10:50 AM) [snapback]478626[/snapback]</div>

Adjusting for inflation, here's my nickel's worth.

It's a friggin' car. It was designed and marketed to make money for Toyota. Plain and simple.

Then again, it IS pretty darn cool!

I love my Prius more than I love my wife. (It's ok - we're separated. No, not me and the Prius.)

Dan

 

Interestingly enough, my first, second, and third cars were Citroen DS 21s. At the time they were tremendously far ahead of their time in engineering. They also were huge inside, relatively small outside, and ran on a small 2 liter engine that got great mileage. Their design (like the Prius) was pure form follows function. It was the most aerodynamic car built at the time, which allowed them to use such a small engine in a large car. Unfortunately they pulled out of the US in the 70's so I ended up moving on to other brands.

What gets me about this article (like lots of articles about the Prius written by non-automotive types) is that they assume the reason the Prius (or the DS21) look they way they do is so that they can stand out. So many articles assume the Prius was "styled" to stand out so that those with a conscience can drive around in a car that advertises their superior morals. It couldn't be farther from the truth. The Prius, (again like the DS 21) was designed to solve the problem of maximizing interior flexibility (hence the hatchback and high roof) and aerodynamic efficiency. Any "styling" efforts couldn't interfere with those engineering concerns.

No wonder the Prius is the second favorite car I've owned. I still miss my DS 21

 

"[The Prius] is polite, even if its drivers are often not." ExSqueeze me? Wth does that mean? Sheesh. Perhaps we are somewhat smug and really don't care if anyone likes it or not but impolite? Mais non. B) The Prius is unique in many ways. Not the least of which, no one else seems to be able to produce something similar to compete with it.