Toyota Prius vs Hummer H3 ? ( Yea, a serious question ... )

It never was about the car...

 

Some confusion on hypermiling - it's not necessarily getting the absolute best fuel economy for that drive. That and some of the misreprentations when it first got on the media in 2006 such as crazed geeks always inches behind 18-wheelers and other hating.

What I'm advocating in this thead is also what I advocated in this story > Get Better Gas Mileage No Matter What You Drive « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth - just lighten up a bit, go the speed limit/end of the pack instead of outright speeding/going faster than most...this is consistent with what 1-2 of you said in this thread.

How far you can hypermile depends on the traffic - obviously less during rush hour.

My point drive the Prius in a reasonable fuel efficient manner and get the most out of it.
Speeding in a Prius is like pigging out on diet food pretending you are losing weight.

 

Back to the topic

Someone started this thread considering buying a Hummer to "get respect."

For anyone sooo sensitive to "respect" what others think and maybe having the urge to pass others on a commute, they should be content paying a lot more than others at the pump for that "respect."

I'm totally convinced and know there are Prius drivers in Miami and many other US metro areas that can deal with rude drivers that don't need to start a thread to either "get respect" or troll for attention.

 

Just think about driving now and 30 years ago

If you are younger, ask your parents.

We not only guzzle food in bigger sizes, but the same applies to what we drive.

In 1980, the average zero-to-sixty time was 15 seconds....the "lame" Prius can do that in 10 seconds. In 1988, the average US car weighed 3200 pounds - over 4000 in 2005. Today's engines are three times more powerful than one the same size in the 1960's. The point?

Because cars are higher performance and people are more stressed, they annoy others with aggressive driving - others speed up because they are disrespected. They also consider getting a larger vehicle to "get respect." I remember someone in the 1970's yearning for a tank to "get respect."

So just think about the millions of gallons wasted daily in the US because many people buy vehicles that are bigger than they need or accelerate more than they need to "get respect."

If you pay much attention to other drivers on the road, it's almost impossible to be green.

 

So I was using the term "hypermiling" in a narrower sense than others are using it. My apologies.

If what you want is acceleration, you can skip the gas pump altogether. The car is expensive, but the "fuel" where I live costs about 1/4 of what the Prius takes, and (where I live) is 100% sustainable, non-carbon. Or you can generate your own, or in many places you can pay a bit extra for wind power. Get the zooooom without the vroooom!

 

^ no problem at all Daniel.

The definition of hypermiling is fluid, sort of like "liberal" or "conservative", and all of those words can be used in a perjoritive manner.

The first few stories on hypermiling were of the most extreme. While it got attention, some of the techniques were controversial, a few myths were added, and like many things on the media, understaffed reporters generally unfamiliar with hypermiling just copied the first few articles.

So I've been trying to address the PR side and get people to try a few simple, safe and uncontroversial things.

One of these days I hope to have an EV like you.

Couple of months ago, I was trailed (NOT tailgated) by a Chevy Volt...I'm glad GM finally did it - detractors have plenty to say, but until such cars are out, there is no progress.

Car choice and driving habits add up.

 

Ah. I had no idea, but thank you for that. I know a couple of people who have them, and who love them, but evidently they were the lucky ones. I guess the OP can cross a Touareg off the list then. I still think leaving Miami would be the best option.

 

In south miami, go get a jeep as an extra vehicle and join the south fl jeep club and when the guys in the H3 bug your prius, we got your back. My wife inherited a prius and we are looking into how to make it "cooler." (we also are from South Florida. I completely agree with all of your thoughts!)

 

This review of Keith Bradshier's The High and Mighty says it very well.

Interview of marketer Clotaire Rapaille, who designed a lot of trucks and SUVs.

Seems to be obsessed with power, reptiles, sex.

Clotaire Rapaille came from France to America and is considered my many to be the one most responsible for making the modern SUV what it is today by appealing to the reptillian instincts. Check out the links....the people doing these commercials know exactly what they are doing

Interview (complete)

 

There've been a few comments about the attitude of other drivers towards Prius drivers.

Maybe it's different in Miami. Everything else is.

But in Sydney, I've noticed that other drivers are, as a rule, really nice to me in the Prius. For example, when I've driven a largeish Merc through town, people would often refuse to let me in to the flow of traffic if I was pulling out of a junction or a parking space. When I drove a clapped-out Golf through town, people would just refuse to acknowledge my existence. But in the Prius, lots of people seem to think that I am some sort of lovely, earth-loving hippie, and they're more willing to let me in in front of them than they have been with any other car I've driven. I'd actually say that it's pretty much the fastest car there is in the city, because people are always willing to give way, and to help me.

I remember once pulling in to get petrol and seeing a BMW X6M with the licence plate "PHAT X6" trying to turn right across the traffic on a busy road. In the time that it took me to fill the tank, head in to the shop, pay for the petrol, and go back to the car, the BMW stayed where it was. No-one would give him the space to turn. In Sydney, cars like that (and, indeed, Hummers) attract way more hostility than Priuses.

 

Ah yes, the H3: the car for the man who wants the economy and reliability of a Chevy Tahoe but demands that extra dash of fugly :_>

But no matter what you drive it's still Miami. Bummer.

 

The H3 has a bad reputation that is mostly undeserved. I have a friend that has a five cylinder model. She gets reasonable mpg for an SUV, sure beats my Navigator. Plus it does have that heavy duty look.

iPad ? HD

 

There are two issues here.
Safety and perception of safety.
In the latest IIHS study these were the safest vehicles:
Audi A6 4-door 4WD
Mercedes E-Class 4-door 4WD
Toyota Sienna
Ford Edge
Nissan Armada
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Land Rover LR3
It's an interesting and eclectic list.
As to perception - that is an individual thing, the best one can hope for is a reasonable correspondence between perception and reality.

Edit: The Prius is the best of small cars - and is better than a Ford F-150