Rented a Toyota Prius for 4 days: my thoughts

[PlasmaBomb]

IIRC, the Prius got 17mpg while keeping up with the M3... :biggrin:

Sounds about right... did the M3 get about 19 mpg?

 

[LTC8K6]

Sounds about right... did the M3 get about 19 mpg?

I think so, yes.

 

[zerocool84]

My parents just picked up a 2010 Prius. They visited recently and I drove it a bit. I averaged about 55mpg for the 30-40 miles I drove (mixed highway and local roads). I will say that it's not much of a drivers car, it feels quite utilitarian as cars go. I don't understand how someone could feel smug driving a car like that, maybe a BMW or big pickup truck, but not such a lack luster small car.

The reason why you are smug is cus you don't buy the car to save money, you buy the car to make a statement that you are using less gas/oil and saving the environment. If you wanted to save money you'd buy a Civic, Focus or something like that as they still get excellent MPG and put the thousands and thousands of dollars you saved into something else. It's the same reason why people feel smug driving a BMW or big truck.

 

[TraumaRN]

The Fusion Hybrid was an excellent drive. It had enough pick-up to be comfortable driving it, and the interior was well thought out. Plus the dash is so damn cool.

I can say as an owner of a Fusion Hybrid it drives like a car and has pretty great pickup compared to a prius. To be honest it drives like a normal gas car. With the music on you can't even hardly tell when the electric motor or gas motor is on. Plus yes the dash is awesome.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

I wasn't trying to turn fast in it. When I would make your typical right/left turn on merge on/off an exit, it felt like the thing was going to tip over. And I wasn't trying to qualify for a race either; I was driving at reasonable speeds, usually within speed limits. The car simply felt like a turbocharged power wheel.

I agree with you regarding the materials and that they are on par for the price range of the prius (with the exception of the steering wheel). The steering wheel felt rough and sandy.

I just don't know why someone would buy this car, other than the "green thing". I think a Toyota Corolla or a Civic would be a better bargain and be much more fun to drive, without compromising significant mpg.

you probably feel that the car feels like a boat because you're coming off of a car with a tighter suspension and you haven't driven the prius long enough. i thought my minivan was going to tip over too when i first started to drive it, but then eventually i learned its limits and felt safer making a normal turn at medium speeds.

of course more people would buy a corolla or a civic!! and its a fact, they do, just look at the sales. But there is a place in the market for a prius, its just not as high selling as the corolla.

 

[fleabag]

you probably feel that the car feels like a boat because you're coming off of a car with a tighter suspension and you haven't driven the prius long enough. i thought my minivan was going to tip over too when i first started to drive it, but then eventually i learned its limits and felt safer making a normal turn at medium speeds.

of course more people would buy a corolla or a civic!! and its a fact, they do, just look at the sales. But there is a place in the market for a prius, its just not as high selling as the corolla.

I know what you mean and you're right, after driving the Volvo S60 for nearly 6 months straight, when I took my dad's ES350 for a drive, it too "felt like a boat". It's all relative and at the end of the day, one can get used to most any vehicle.

 

[yh125d]

I know what you mean and you're right, after driving the Volvo S60 for nearly 6 months straight, when I took my dad's ES350 for a drive, it too "felt like a boat". It's all relative and at the end of the day, one can get used to most any vehicle.

After having my S60 R I don't think any common car won't feel like a boat to me, but yeah it's all relative 😉

 

[aatf510]

A year ago (or so) Top Gear conducted a track test between a BMW and a Prius to determine the MGP between the two. The BMW led while the Prius follwed.

It was the other way around. It was the Stig driving the Prius around the track like it was stolen, and the BMW M3 was keeping up with the Prius with minimal effort.