Disclaimer: I do not own a Prius, and I would never buy a Toyota, as I think they drive like crap, even if they are reliable.
I always read comments here and on other message boards about people buying a Prius only because they want to show off their smug green credentials. This "showing off of treehuggery" is often the reason cited for the Prius' success over the Honda Civic Hybrid.
But I think this may be wrong. I think it is possible that a good % of people buying a Prius want a midsize sedan with better cargo capacity, and do not want the bulk of an SUV.
One of my elderly neighbors said he likes his Prius because he thinks it rides well (smooth and floaty, I guess) and he and his wife can fit a lot of stuff in the hatch. He did not want an SUV b/c they sit higher up and are more difficult to get in and out of.
I remember a thread over at Priuschat about why people picked the Prius over the Civic Hybrid, and the utility of the hatchback was probably the major reason. The Civic Hybrid does not have fold down seats b/c the battery pack blocks the area between the seats and the trunk.
The Prius is a bit more expensive than a typical midsize sedan, but not hugely more expensive. A base Camry runs about 19k, and a base Prius runs about 22k. With options I'm thinking that most Camry and Prius cars sell in the mid 20's.
Now there are other hatchbacks out there: Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, and so forth, but I know a lot of people like the quiet marshmellowness of a Toyota, and take comfort in Toyota's reputation for quality.
So maybe people buy a Prius because they want a marshmellowly mid-size vehicle with hatchback utility. There are not many wagons to be had in the US, and even fewer midsize hatchbacks. Mazda6 was one of the last remaining of this type, and it got canned in the US market when the new Mazda6 came out.
I always read comments here and on other message boards about people buying a Prius only because they want to show off their smug green credentials. This "showing off of treehuggery" is often the reason cited for the Prius' success over the Honda Civic Hybrid.
But I think this may be wrong. I think it is possible that a good % of people buying a Prius want a midsize sedan with better cargo capacity, and do not want the bulk of an SUV.
One of my elderly neighbors said he likes his Prius because he thinks it rides well (smooth and floaty, I guess) and he and his wife can fit a lot of stuff in the hatch. He did not want an SUV b/c they sit higher up and are more difficult to get in and out of.
I remember a thread over at Priuschat about why people picked the Prius over the Civic Hybrid, and the utility of the hatchback was probably the major reason. The Civic Hybrid does not have fold down seats b/c the battery pack blocks the area between the seats and the trunk.
The Prius is a bit more expensive than a typical midsize sedan, but not hugely more expensive. A base Camry runs about 19k, and a base Prius runs about 22k. With options I'm thinking that most Camry and Prius cars sell in the mid 20's.
Now there are other hatchbacks out there: Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, and so forth, but I know a lot of people like the quiet marshmellowness of a Toyota, and take comfort in Toyota's reputation for quality.
So maybe people buy a Prius because they want a marshmellowly mid-size vehicle with hatchback utility. There are not many wagons to be had in the US, and even fewer midsize hatchbacks. Mazda6 was one of the last remaining of this type, and it got canned in the US market when the new Mazda6 came out.
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