Prius Advocacy - What do you tell others about the Prius

Funnily enough, I tell them it's a Prius...and then they look at me awhile and say, "Does Toyota make that?" So I proceed to tell them yes, that it's a hybrid, and that I'm currently getting 54 mpg. After their jaw comes up off the floor they say, "Wow!", and then the conversation ends. <shrug>

 

The two questions I get (and usually at gas stations are)...

1. How do you like that car?
AND
2. What kind of mileage do you get in that car?

Pretty simple answers...
"The car is incredible. I get over 60 miles a gallon and it's the best car I've ever had."

 

Usually the first question is about mpg, so I don't need to raise it. My favorite script is, "Until you've tried it, you won't believe what an incredibly relaxing way it is to drive."

 

The first question I get asked is ALWAYS, "Where do you plug it in?"

The main points I stick to are as follows:

It's NOT small despite what you've heard.
It's NOT slow despite what you've heard.
I get 50+ MPGs consistently without any effort...
For less than $24,000

Now why can't toyota's ad people wrap those points concisely into a commercial?.

 

People always lookat the Prius and said small... the first week I had my Prius I put brand-new lawnmore and had my pro golfbag.. in the back and plenty of room.. I sale and drive Prius.. I loved it when I hear it's too small. You just have to get in it and drive it... I love my 2007 , but would also love 2010.. the course of last question mileage... stefcat:rockon:

 

I've had some fun with questions about the car. The first question is how do you like the car? I tell them that the engine only runs about half the time but it's got a battery to get you going when the engine is not running. All kidding aside, it’s a very well built car that gets 50+ miles per gallon. Someday all cars will be a hybrid. We generate our own electricity so we don't have to gas up, as often is all. It is a really cool car for sure - for sure!

 

i get asked about plugging it in all the time. I say no plug in but we have regen. its very hard to explain regen to people - we talk about it here all the time but we all have a context for it. when i first looked into buying my 2002 gen 1 in 2005, i told my dad it converted braking heat into electricity (because that is what i thought).

also - people look at me very skeptically when i tell them i am getting 55 mpgs. they can't seem to absorb that. some people, like my wife, couldn't tell you within 5 mpgs + or - what they get (she has a non-hybrid camry and has never calculated it. it gets to a 1/4 tank she puts in the gas.)

i tell people that my hybrid saves me $8.50 per DAY in gas over my last non-hybrid (at $2.50 per gallon - at $4 it was $13.50. that they can grasp.

 

Hmm...good point. I never thought about that. I am so used to thinking about mpg (and I did used to pay attention on each fill-up even before I got my hybrid) that I forget that many people don't keep track of it and wouldn't be able to give an accurate estimate.

 

I rented a GenII to drive from Austin to Dallas for the weekend (I wanted a "real-life" test drive, not just the 15 minutes with the dealer), and someone asked if I had enjoyed puttering up the Interstate at 35 mph. I told him, "Actually, I drove my usual 75 mph and got almost 52 mpg on the trip."

That stopped the teasing. :-D

 

I usually talk about long trips and how much gas it takes. E.G. - "Well, I just took a trip to Lewsiville recently (280 mile trip) and did it on 5 gallons." That usually raises eyebrows.

 

Yeah, I got a speeding ticket with the 05' Salsa. MPG is always the 1st question people have and do you like it.
Now that I have my '10 I love to show off all the silly screens and techie stuff.
People are always shocked at how much room there is in the car and I also like to talk about the great steering, no brake jobs (unless you keep it forever??), no smog and minimal other maintenance.
I absolutely LOVE my 2010 "Misty"!!