CD Article: 2008 Toyota Prius

[UmroAyyar]

I would somewhat echo(not eco) others as well.

People disagree with the contributor's point of view and post their comments explaining why and where they missed something or overlooked. The contributors here respond or correct if its a mistake.

The article seems quite fine to me, acknowledging Prius' role in the market, certain people going 'ga-ga' over it, some not so.

As Cord quoted one of Jill's paragraphs, her admission of not being in touch with Prius for a while and then appreciating it for what it is.

TrentP and EVgirl, if you found something unsubstantiated then please post your comments on that, getting into 'character assassination' of sorts is completely out of order. Its an article about the car, not a commentary about the author.

[Mitlov]

Trent and EV-Girl, you've spent a lot of time and effort to say nothing.  You claim that the author is out of touch, but either won't or can't say how.  The feeling I get is that you're annoyed that she didn't gush over the Prius - I'm not quite sure how a reviewer not being gung ho about a certain car is "embarrassing", but there you are...

  For all the crap that's these two posters have written about the author, they haven't been able to point to one concrete thing she said that was inaccurate.  Hooray for fanboy (fangirl) trolls!

[TrentP]

If you read throught the all the threads CD done on hybrids you will see what was missed.  The posters that pointed it out literally beat the crap out of issues and some were even "sliced-and-diced" by the locals because of it.

But, let me make it simple for you with a simnple question:
From the point of view of driver/machine interface - which the author openly complained about - what do these hybrids offer that no other vehicle has???  (EVGirl and other, please add to this if miss anything)

Anybody???




Opportunity and potential.  That's is also one of the many reasons why fuel efficient hybrids cost more than other cars in the same size and class - opportunity and potential are built-in.  These hybrids have intruments that relay information the driver needs to realize the car's true potential.  If a hybrid driver pays for it why not use it?
They might as well get an automotive reviewer from the 1950's and hand over the keys to him/her.  The results should be obvious.

Remember, these cars are designed with a very specific set of goals in mind:  Efficiency and environmental performance.  

Did the author mention the different Prius stages/modes and what do they mean?  Did she mention what the fuel economy was at the different speeds and when does the ICE start and how that is relevant to different driving styles and commutes?  At what speed does EV stop?  What do the MFD screens contain and what do they mean?  What is the braking experience and feel? What about the difference between the displayed fuel economy and the calculated fuel economy?  Glide distances with no arrows on the MFD and why is that important?  How far can one drive with a good SoC on EV alone?  How eager is the electric assist in moderate acceleration rates? Finally, what fuel economy can really a Prius owner achieve if one reads the intrumentation correctly and uses it as the car designers and engineers meant it to be used?  

Of course, I could go on and on...
 

[jcon]

Remember, these cars are designed with a very specific set of goals in mind:  Efficiency and environmental performance. 

No, they're designed to transport people and goods from one location to another. How they do that may vary.

[Mitlov]

TrentP,

You still haven't pointed out a single thing the author said that was INACCURATE.  Whining that she didn't go into more detail about the mechanics of the hybrid system does not mean that anything she DID say was accurate.  And authors here don't go into that level of detail with anything they drive...I'm not crossing my fingers for a 35-page technical analysis of the Nissan GT-R either.  They just drive the car around and say what they thought of it.  Considering that's what actual car owners do, I think that's a pretty decent method of reviewing cars.

From the point of view of the typical hybrid drivers, these reviewers can't help but to look like average knuckle-heads. 

Thank you, for summing up in one sentence, why I hate Priuses.  TrentP, your stinks just as much as mine.

It does.

Seriously.

[EVGirl]

No, they're designed to transport people and goods from one location to another. How they do that may vary.

Wrong.

That's why the CD editors and some in this site are "out of touch".  Toyota already has cars that take people from point A to B.  Some smaller, some bigger, some of the same size, some costing more and others costing less.

The real reason why the Prius and other hybrids are selling well and selling more each year is because they offer something more than what the average car offers.  That's that "something" that is always is missed.  Its like they only review half of the car.

[Mitlov]

No, they're designed to transport people and goods from one location to another. How they do that may vary.

Wrong.

That's why the CD editors and some in this site are "out of touch".  Toyota already has cars that take people from point A to B.  Some smaller, some bigger, some of the same size, some costing more and others costing less.

The real reason why the Prius and other hybrids are selling well and selling more each year is because they offer something more than what the average car offers.  That's that "something" that is always is missed.  Its like they only review half of the car.

No. 

There are two types of driving: (a) driving for fun, and (b) driving to transport people and goods from A to B.  Driving in a very fuel-efficient manner is one way of doing the second, but it still falls into the second category.  When you are driving to work, maximizing your Prius to the best of its abilities, you are still transporting a person from A to B.  After all, if you weren't transporting either people or goods, why drive at all?  Are you saying that you just drive around, not going anywhere in particular, just savoring how fuel-efficient your car can be when driven "properly"?

[tpl]

IMHO   Evgirl and TrentP are what the brits call "anoraks"  on this Prius subject.  But thats Ok,   car forums by definition are full of them.  We have lots here.

I am with Jcon on this.   Prius' are just another vehicle to transport people and things.  No more or no less boring than any other Toyota ( Supra excepted  )

If Toyota made a car with...lets say ... a  2 cylinder diesel powering a hydraulic system with motors in each wheel and it could carry 4 people and luggage at 100 km/h at 100mpg that would be an interesting powerplant but still another Toyota.   It would get attention at first like the Prius but after a year or two it would still be a Toyota.

The Prius, like my example ( and someone did make one that worked well)  is just another way to solve the problem of transportation.

[Cord]

Interesting that these two "guests" show up and have the exact same point of view, exact same writing style, use the exact same phrases, etc.

Interesting because I'm a big fan of coincidence.

[tpl]

Happenstance, coincidence and enemy action.