I bought it despite the styling. I've gotten used to it now, but it certainly wasn't an attraction for me. But I always thought it was the best production car on the road that the average person could afford, and I was happy to buy one when my previous car needed replacement. There are different ways to improve the Cd, to be sure, but it was a very big part of determining the shape of the Prius. You could read up on the Kammback entry in wikipedia, where it says: Kamm showed that a better drag-reducing tail end design for a car is one that tapers and is then cut off abruptly. The point at which this must happen, in order for the design to be a true Kammback, is controversial. A popular definition is that the cut-off should occur where the cross sectional area is approximately 50% of the car's maximum cross-section. Thus a minivan is not a Kammback. The Prius is a thicker style of Kammback, so that the inside passenger volume is maximized. It's not the first with this body style and it won't be the last, because of these aerodynamic principles (they give more examples at the web page). You might have squeezed in your kids, groceries or dog in the back of a Trans Am, but I bet you wouldn't do all three, nor could you easily load 8 foot 2x10's or pull out a mountain bike without taking off the wheels. Granted, the Prius could have been made smaller and get even better gas mileage, but I doubt it would be as popular. People also like a higher seating position nowadays. I feel higher in the Prius than my wife's Honda Accord for instance, and that requires a higher roofline. It's a very practical car, not such a beautiful car, so it appeals to people who put function above form.
Oh come on. None of these people "copied" the Prius. The Maxima?!? How does the Maxima look anything like the Prius? The Mazda 3? In that both are hatchbacks?!? Thats a big reach. Lets be real, the Prius is funky and unique looking, but its no supermodel and its not going to win any styling awards.
Trouble is, a slippery CD body shape is not always what the public percieves as desirable. An aggressive fighter jet shape is not going to work well on the road.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My Prius looks beautiful every time I stop at the gasoline pump to fill it up. It also looks very nice when I lower the back seats to convert it into a station wagon.
I don't think the Prius is ugly, nor do I think it is beautiful. If you are talking beautiful, I'll go with the Ferrari 430. But, it works for me, even with my "red" car. One interesting thing that my husband brought up after he smashed up MY NEW CAR at 400 miles is that the front windshield has a significant blindspot. Something to do with that small triangle window (and the point of that is??) and the extra posts and supports there. He pointed to that in defense of smashing up my car. I hate to agree with him, because I am still mad that he crashed my new car, but I think I might agree with him that that design element there on both sides of the car could be rethought in terms of a better view/safety. Kristi
I think the Prius does deserve a styling award. It's styling is extremely clean, a one-box design that manages to look truly elegant. The profile which has just one curve, being the roofline, takes a little getting used to, but only because noone else has done it before. The best feature is the way the window line bends sharply upward the same way at the front and rear. The Focus hatchback has a similar bend at the rear end, and similar proportions, but it's more traditional and not nearly as well executed. See Ford Focus Hatchback Video Review - What Car?. Peugeot has gone in the opposite direction. They used to produce very elegant cars like the 306 and 406, but the 308 [http://www.mypeugeot308.com/] is in my opinion seriously over-designed.
When I was a pickup truck person I thought Ford ruined their truck line by getting away from the traditional boxy truck form (back in 1989?). I thought that they were getting away from the "working" truck design by adding curved panels. I have a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and didn't see a big improvement with airflow so the change seemed cosmetic. A few years later I don't have a truck anymore and the old boxy Fords seem ugly.
I think I have to agree with Kristi on the blindspot theory. I do wonder why they designed the window that way and all the extra support does create a bit of a blindspot.
that point has been brought up several times. and the general consensus is that the heavy duty posts are necessary because of the much larger than normal windshield. the glass breaks, the extra strength lessens the likelihood of a roof colasping in a rollover. but who knows? i will say that tiny triangular window really serves no purpose.
Except to make the pillar a little less thick than it normally would be for the designed strength requirement? I find that I am looking through that little window quite often during my driving through the neighborhood, so it helps diminish a blind-spot, if only a little.
Warning a few pics in this post. The shape of the Mazda 3 has no relation to the Prius, except look at the shape of the glass area. Then the Citroen C4 looks nothing like a Prius, right. Nissan Maxima, glass shape and curved roof, nothing like a Prius And the Ford Focus you can see Prius all over it, glass shape curved roof even a fake window in front of the side mirror. I stand by what I said in an earlier post, the Prius inspired a lot of car designers since the release of the current shape.
The Mazda 3 came out at the same time as the Prius. What did they do, steal the look from the spy photos? It looks like every other 5 door hatchback out there. That would be the first and only time I've ever seen a "Citroen C4". It looks more like a 2 door Civic. Again, the Maxima came out the same year as the Prius. So do all cars with a curved roof look like the Prius? What about the Ford Taurus? If you look closer thats not a window, its a peice of black Plastic. The 1987 Ford Aerostar my parents had when I was a kid had a window like that too. Are you saying the Prius stole it from the Ford Aerostar? These are styling cues that are found on many cars and were found on cars before the Prius was ever on the market. If you want to believe that...have at it.
Quoting Cyberprius: "Something to do with that small triangle window..." My GF suggested putting goldfish in there (the front triangles) -- Koi would be appropriate ... you think ?
Honestly I think the "distinctive" styling of the Prius has helped with sales. Many people who drive the Prius are very proud of that fact and it easy to recognize even to "non-car" folks. To date it would be hard to make a case that any other hybrid has been a success in the market, the Toyota Prius is it.
I couldn't agree more. The Prius has it's own "one of a kind" look. You'll either love it or hate it I suppose.
Ugly, but pure awesomeness, nonetheless. I remember seeing that bike years ago. It's powered by a Viper engine. No helmet required there. If you do crash, you probably won't feel a thing going from 200mph to 0 in less than a second. And the other is Batman's toy from his younger days when SUVs were still in style. I wonder what kind of fuel economy he gets from that beast?
