Update: I still hate Priuses

"The Transporter" (transporter)
06/04/2014 at 10:29 • Filed to: None

I know !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! before, but I just want to reiterate how much I hate the Prius. It's so goddamned counterintuitive, it's like learning to drive all over again. It's like using a Mac after having spent half your life using a Windows PC, or even Linux. No, its worse than that because you don't risk bodily injury or firey death by clicking on the wrong thing in a Mac. The thing handles like it has a dead whale strapped to the roof, and don't get me started on the power lag from a dead start. If you enjoy anything about driving, these things will actively punish you for it. I fucking hate these things.

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DISCUSSION (12)

dinobot666 > The Transporter
06/04/2014 at 10:35

I don't see what the big deal is about hatin' on these cars. They're clearly not designed for enthusiasts, so I don't understand why people take offense at a vehicle intended for a different segment of the driving populous.

The time I've spent behind the wheel of a Prius was totally unremarkable, which is probably what Toyota was going for.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > The Transporter
06/04/2014 at 10:37

I will say this; I rode in one recently, and as a passenger, it was comfortable. The lady who owns it has less than zero interest in cars. And I applaud her for driving it. As one commenter said on the "EV's in the carpool lane" article, if you won't drive something interesting, at least drive something efficient. For the large amount of people out their who don't care about cars, I'd rather see them in a Prius than a Corolla or an Accent.

phenotyp > The Transporter
06/04/2014 at 10:37

I drove my boss's Prius from SF to the Sierras a few times last year. That helped me understand why Prius drivers are so likely to be labeled asshats. You can't see shit around you. The blind spots are atrocious. Push the go pedal... wait.. wait... tire squeal and the slowest drag start ever.

Absolutely awful.

EL_ULY > The Transporter
06/04/2014 at 10:40

i'd drive one. My A6 and W210 can put me to sleep in traffic and on a highway just as easy. They get better mileage the the average car and it, like the Volt, would make a good car for most people that just need something to go to work and back. I had a 1990 525i what could get smoked by a Prius. As for the all mighty "steering feel" that enthusiasts cum their pants for.... lol i'm not on a racetrack so I don't give hoot.

so yes, i'd buy one and DD it....... then a beast 993 Turbo for the weekend :]

EL_ULY > phenotyp
06/04/2014 at 10:42

My e36, A6 quattro, e34, e28, and well.. most cars i've owned couldn't spin the tires on wet grass :]

phenotyp > dinobot666
06/04/2014 at 10:49

The biggest problem, IMO, is the visibility. It's really, really hard to be aware of everything around you, despite the size of the glass. The angles of it, and the pillar thickness means that you end up with a lot of glare and blind spots. That, I think, is why you see so many Prius drivers almost hitting pedestrians/cyclists/parking garages, etc.

RazoE > EL_ULY
06/04/2014 at 10:49

My xB won't chirp the tires, no matter what..:(

dinobot666 > phenotyp
06/04/2014 at 10:51

I agree with you there. It's almost as bad as an FJ Cruiser or Camaro. Sightlines on the Prius C is a bit better.

EL_ULY > RazoE
06/04/2014 at 11:17

i know how ya feel buddy :'(

The Transporter > dinobot666
06/04/2014 at 11:54

I work at a rental car agency, so I have to occasionally drive these things for my job. I also drive a bunch of other non-enthusiast cars like the Dodge Avenger and the Nissan Altima. While most of the cars in the fleet refuse to give a rewarding driving experience, the Prius is the only one that will actually tap you in the nuts if you need to do anything that's even tangentially related to fun, like accelerating at the normal pace of traffic from a dead stop.

Speaking of Altimas, I had a chance to drive an Altima hybrid and while it was still a hybrid and very much not an enthusiast's car, it didn't require me to basically relearn how to drive in order to simply get it moving. The controls were essentially the same as a normal Altima, which don't differ that much form any other car. It also had normal sight lines and would accelerate like a normal car without any real lag. Unlike the Prius, which tries and fails to be an EV for a few seconds before giving up and starting the gas motor, the Altima cuts off the gas motor while stopped but turns it on again the very moment you press the gas pedal. The electric motor is there only to provide extra torque during acceleration from electricity recovered during braking.

The Prius, on the other hand is borderline dangerous because it refuses to give you power, especially when you need it. I've fought in two wars and done some pretty dangerous things with sports cars, but at this point I'm convinced that the last thing I will see before I shuffle off this mortal coil is the grill of a king cab Chevy Silverado filling up the narrow view through the rear view mirror of a Prius because I misjudged how slow that shitbox accelerates when merging into busy city traffic. Meanwhile, the 4'6" soccer mom driving the behemoth that's about to end my life will be too busy talking on her cell phone, smacking the kids in the back seat, and re-applying her lipstick to notice that the jackass in the Prius that just pulled out in front of her isn't accelerating quick enough to avoid an accident. Not that she would have been able to seen that far over the steering wheel, anyway. The last thing that will go through my mind will probably be the eco friendly lithium ion battery pack after it's been dislodged from under the back seat by the grill of the Silverado.

See? I told you to not get me started on the power lag issue. The Altima hybrid isn't a great car, there are even better hybrids out there, but the Altima's driving experience isn't diametrically opposed to everything you've learned about driving up to this point. You can treat it like a normal car.

dinobot666 > The Transporter
06/04/2014 at 14:08

I drove an SR5 Tercel wagon with 62 HP and never had any issues merging with traffic or anything of the sort. Granted, it had a manual transmission, which helped some, but it still had a lower power to weight ratio than a Prius.

The Transporter > dinobot666
06/04/2014 at 15:00

The gas engine has enough - just enough - power to move the Prius at a reasonable rate. It's the electric motor, which you have to use before the gas motor kicks in, that's woefully inadequate. It's also the painfully long time the computer takes to realize that you need more power than the reciprocating fan motor they put in there can put out that can get you into real trouble.