Why do people hate the Prius?

I certainly notice people's faces getting more irate than one would expect when they are behind me... even when I'm traveling faster than the other cars around. Seems that they don't check their own speedo, instead choosing to assume that being behind a Prius they must be doing 9mph in a 65 zone when in reality they are following me at 37 in a 35. I also use PWR mode when building speed in traffic because I wouldn't want to be stuck behind someone accelerating from 0-30 in 15 minutes.

My favorite remains though, and has been consistent in all of my 46 cars and vans (so it's not just a Prius thing), the driver that will sit a couple of feet from your exhaust gesturing for you to get-the-f-out-the-way when ahead it's bumper-to-bumper as far as the eye can see and the only way you could go any faster would be to ram everyone else off the road.

 

I'm just fiscally conservative; The Prius is a car with lots of room, gets great gas mileage and has a long history of reliability. Pretty good combo. I also use to own a Geo Metro and it is petty amazing to me that the Prius gets the same mpg and is a real car; not a refrigerator with wheels.

I have 7 other cars on my auto policy and many more around the house. This car just fills a hole I do not have yet.

I'm temped to put on a bumper sticker "My other car does a 11.5 quarter mile".

So far the only thing I do not like about the Prius is that it is not fun to drive; very boring in fact. The Geo was more fun, at least you got to shift it and it had a go-cart feel.

TED

 

LOL...

Yeah...I sure do wish I had my old '92 XFI back.
THAT was a fun 50-mpg car to drive!!!

 

I haven't experienced Prius hate (yet). I try not to P + G if someone is behind me. But if I wanna cruise at the speed limit and I see someone come up behind me, I won't move. Moving just implies that they can bully other drivers. They can f-off as far as I'm concerned.

 

You guys obviously don't drive your Prius the way I drive mine!
I have a ball in my Prius!

This is pretty quiet so turn it up loud!!

 

I think that you explained it all with the fact that he thinks Chrysler makes a good car. OK, maybe slightly better than a Yugo, but really ...

 

As long as you're not driving in the left lane! If you are, Prius or not, you should move over.

 

Prius represents "pay it forward" and finite limits. We have multiple generations groomed to expect "more", no limits and lower prices. Prius is contrary to "more" for lower cost.

Steiner, C. (2010). $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better, and Garvin, C. & Munger, K. (26 Jan 2006). Sacramento On Empty. Sacramento News & Review.

These two articles remind us of increasing limits. We are competing with China & India and a rapidly diminishing fossil fuel supply. Prius is an intermediate step to walking & bicycle routes, electric light & high speed rail not "bigger, better, faster, more powerful." Conservation & efficiency are keys to the future as we approach 7 billion people and growing.

I see jacked up monster pickups every day that earn 5 mpg, cost the owner dearly and have poor emissions (not knowing Prius does not require an annual smog check). These same people let their vehicles idle constantly (substituting oil for knowledge) and have no concept that the Prius does not idle. The mere hint that another person can be on the same street at one-tenth the monetary and environmental cost just baffles many.

Change is coming more rapidly than many of us realize. Those in denial will be buried and left in the dust.

 

This is what I always say.

Person: I don't want a Prius, their ugly.

Me: Well get used to the styling, every auto maker is making their car look like the Prius.

Person: Well, I don't want to replace the batteries every 100,000 miles.

Me: You won't have too, many years of Prius owners have exceeded 200,000 miles with the original battery.

Person: It's too slow.

Me: Is that so? 9.8 seconds? That's a lot faster than you'll ever need to go, this car is over powered.

Person: Well, it's a gay guys car.

Me: Where do you even get that? Last time I herd, the number one gay popular car was the VW Jetta. What, do you need a huge truck and a loud muffler to make your d*** look bigger?

Ugh, this is seriously ONE thing that makes me SO mad.

 

well the ignorant are afraid of the truth because they cannot handle it. so they put thier heads in the sand and hope for the best. I remember in the past when i would ride my honda bike and harley guys would give me chit. I was simply amazed that they thought thier bikes were superior to mine. its the fact that someone might have another opinion that scares the hell out of them. its pure ignoirance. even my mechanic poo pooed me for buying a toyota. but upon reflection, he was just probably pissed, guessing that lost work probably cuts into his food and beer budget . I no longer have to see him monthly for repairs on my chrysler product, the jeep. well as a friend of mine used to say, we dont want to see them in anything better. some fools have to buy that other crap out there....lol

 

Also, not to be rude, but I've noticed that most people who hate on the Prius...usually can't afford one. So maybe they secretly want one, but are in denial?

 

that_prius_car dude, 16 and driving a prius. dam good of ya. thinking green at such a young age. thats cool. Effingham, god have not been there in ages. used to go thru there on the way to SIU. keep up the good work.

 

I have come to the conclusion that they don't hate the Prius, they just hate some of the people who drive them.

 

I do applaud anyone that has the knowledge to drive an efficient vehicle. To do so at 16 shows someone who is looking rationally at the situation 5, 10, 15 years down the line. Most who are 16 want fast, fast, and fast.

My first car was a Mazda 323, had 100k+ and was a piece of junk. BUT, it got decent MPG and was a set of wheels to get me to school, work, soccer, whatever. Within a year, I killed that car and got a 95 Geo Metro (In 1998?) and beat the daylights out of that car for 4 years and never had a problem with it, outside of an alternator needing replaced. I moved up in size and power but down in FE - mazda protege (loved that car and truely still miss it), nissan maxima, then got my head back on right and started down the right line again - honda civic, HCH2, now Prius. I can see myself keeping this car for awhile as I really do enjoy driving it.

Never experienced what I would call Prius hate, but rather the driver was just in a huff or a hurry to get nowhere (5 mile drive to work, 10 traffic lights - you aren't going anywhere quickly).

 

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful

 

Speaking of Prius hate, I don't know if this is a forum of Prius hate or what but last night, I was at McDonald's getting a grilled chicken ranch club and a mocha frappe, I see in my mirror this HUGE jacked up truck come up behind me so I move ahead to the next window to grab my food because and while i was waiting for my food, this fool pulls up right behind me and rev's his engine really load about 4 times. I ignored him. Then, he rolls his window down and starts BLASTING music, it was so loud, I had to put up my window! I have a great feeling that if I had been in any other car, this would not have happened. I also was not about to stoop to his level. I want to educate about the Prius, not be rude and flip him the bird or act like a kid. This kid begind me in this massive truck was obliviously raised to believe that global warming is a hoax, and the Prius is a laughable excuse for a car. That kid was in no mood to be educated. Bummer.

 

I don't know if that actually qualifies as Prius hate, it sounds more like a simple case of "pusillus mentula"..

 

No one I know hates me for my Prius. One person gives me a ribbing whenever he can. He is, however the kind of person who drives a Morgan, (an old one) has an impressive antique collection, writes with fountain pens, never has nor wants a computer, and actually knows someone who rides an early model Tesla Roadster that he constantly jokes about.

 

I definitely think he had a chip on his shoulder.

CleanMPG was attacked two years ago by a couple of dozen such from an offroading forum and even found the thread with their over-the-top hating....even if I was inclined to post their discussion, it might not be permitted even at PC. If you can get past the homophobic potty-mouths, it was funny in a way - why would real, self-assured men bother to think about a Prius? Obviously they feel threatened by all these "godless, gay, socialists" that drive a Prius....they hate so badly they probably believe if they were kicked into a Prius they would be magically be turned into a godless, gay, socialist.

I occasionally wonder if their lifted truck was impounded and permitted only to drive a scooter if they might literally need crisis counciling?

 

Early model Tesla?
I can understand if he jokes playfully though, that doesn't bother me one bit.