Hybrid/electric owners ... has the low(er) price of oil caused you 2nd thoughts about

[Wuzup101]

Comparing a 90s corvette to a Prius just goes to show that you don't seem to understand how to compare vehicles. Why not compare an 80s corvette to a Prius?

Did you somehow forget what you posted earlier or something? You're the one that said that 0-60 in 8 seconds was "fast" in the 90s. I'm not sure how me making a comparison to cars that would be considered "fast" in the 90s has anything to do with a Prius. You're the one that brought it up. Did you mean that 0-60 in 8 seconds was "fast" for a "slow" car in the 90s? Oh okay you are right.

Also your justification for a 0-60 better than 8s is the fact that modern V6 camry and Accords are faster that? So when those cars get down to 0-60 of less than 4 seconds, will your new minimum be 4 seconds?

My justification for not wanting to drive a car that did 0-60 in anything slower than 8 seconds is that I feel that is the minimum acceleration that I would be comfortable with merging into traffic going 75+ mph on the highway. I'm not saying that full acceleration would always be necessary; however, that is what I would want to have in reserve just in case.

If you live in an area of the country where this isn't an issue because you don't drive on freeways, don't drive on freeways with full speed traffic patterns (I pity you guys who drive in parking lots), or don't give a shit and take 20 minutes to get up to speed while creating potential accidents while everyone tries to pass you, that's cool. All I gave is my opinion.

0-60 in 10 seconds is plenty of speed to get any asshole wrapped around a tree in a hurry.

Yeah it seems like every day I hear about someone driving a Prius where the shear power of that beastly vehicle throws them into a tree. It's possible to take a turn too fast in any car. If you follow speed limits and adjust for weather conditions you'll never have a problem with that. A car that does 0-60 in 10 seconds has about 0 chance of getting away from you and putting you into a tree because you gave it too much throttle. We are talking about acceleration (or lack there of) and not ultimate speed.

Nobody saying it's a dragster but it's plenty fast and this whole "slow" thing is so relative that it's frustrating to see that people can't see how the goal posts of performance have continually moved forward for decades.

Yeah of course performance benchmarks have been constantly moving due to innovation. Cars accelerate, decelerate, corner better/faster than they did 25 years ago. They also get better fuel mileage for the same given engine output all while having hundreds of extra lbs of emissions and safety equipment on board. They are more comfortable and have WAY more technology than ever before.

The whole "slow" thing is relative. I agree with you. The Prius is slow relative to other modern passenger vehicles in pretty much every segment. It gets better gas mileage than them too. Isn't that the point?

I mean how old are you to even make a declaration that a vehicle needs a 0-60 time of 8 seconds or less? Sounds like someone who never owned a midrange vehicle made in the 90s or earlier.

The 8 second barrier was a personal opinion - I'm pretty sure that I can declare whatever I want as my opinion. It's the same way you can declare:

Prius' being slow and gay is way WAYY exaggerated. Neither gay nor slow.

Now I will say that I don't dabble in homophobic banter so I won't go there. That being said, you are the one who said that it wasn't slow. It is slow relative to other cars. Maybe you meant compared to house cats (not wild cats because it's slow compared to them too)?

I'm 30. I never had to deal with the golden age of the automotive engineering known as the 80s. I've owned / driven cars that were built in the 90s. I've owned/rented and driven cars that did 0-60 in 10 seconds. They were slow. No qualifier... just slow. And they Didn't get 50mpg.

A VW Beetle does 0-60 in 27 seconds!

Not a new one... they are faster than a Prius.

Maybe the guy is putting himself into situations where if his car isn't faster than a 0-60 of 8s, he would be in trouble which means he's a terrible driver.

Yes because wanting to drive a car that has average acceleration makes one a bad driver. Heaven forbid you ever need to have any sort of acceleration to maneuver while driving.

You are probably one of those guys who drives 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane on the highway so you can get better gas mileage. Completely disregarding everyone else around you. It's okay - you are entitled to do whatever you want. Super entitled.

 

[Wuzup101]

My LX450 takes maybe 15 seconds to get to 60. I've never had a situation where that was a terrible thing.* It's annoying doing 55mph uphill, though.

*maybe because nobody tailgates 6000lbs of steel?

LOL well if you add 500-1000lbs of bumpers / rock guards / wheels and manage to slow down the factory 0-60 time by 3-4 seconds I'm going to assume that your goal isn't on road driveability (that's a nice looking LX450 though).

55 uphill really a problem though lol?

 

[tortillasoup]

Did you somehow forget what you posted earlier or something? You're the one that said that 0-60 in 8 seconds was "fast" in the 90s. I'm not sure how me making a comparison to cars that would be considered "fast" in the 90s has anything to do with a Prius. You're the one that brought it up. Did you mean that 0-60 in 8 seconds was "fast" for a "slow" car in the 90s? Oh okay you are right.

you picked some of the fastest cars of the time instead of comparing cars of similar class.

1956 Volkswagen Micro Bus 0-60 mph: 75.0 seconds

Yeah it seems like every day I hear about someone driving a Prius where the shear power of that beastly vehicle throws them into a tree. It's possible to take a turn too fast in any car. If you follow speed limits and adjust for weather conditions you'll never have a problem with that. A car that does 0-60 in 10 seconds has about 0 chance of getting away from you and putting you into a tree because you gave it too much throttle. We are talking about acceleration (or lack there of) and not ultimate speed.

You don't see Prius vehicles wrapped around a tree because of the type of driver the Prius attracts. However you do see plenty of cars driven by kids wrapped around trees, half of them "shit boxes" which gives said shit boxes a poor INSURANCE (not safety) rating by the IIHS. Then those vehicles are erroneously considered unsafe when it's really a demographics problem.

Yeah of course performance benchmarks have been constantly moving due to innovation. Cars accelerate, decelerate, corner better/faster than they did 25 years ago. They also get better fuel mileage for the same given engine output all while having hundreds of extra lbs of emissions and safety equipment on board. They are more comfortable and have WAY more technology than ever before.

The whole "slow" thing is relative. I agree with you. The Prius is slow relative to other modern passenger vehicles in pretty much every segment. It gets better gas mileage than them too. Isn't that the point?

Maybe the prius isn't slow but that the other vehicles in the segment are fast, too fast and fuel thirsty.

I'm 30. I never had to deal with the golden age of the automotive engineering known as the 80s. I've owned / driven cars that were built in the 90s. I've owned/rented and driven cars that did 0-60 in 10 seconds. They were slow. No qualifier... just slow. And they Didn't get 50mpg.

Why does it have to be black and white? Why does a car either have to be fast or slow? 10s isn't fast but it isn't slow. 15 seconds is slow and 20+ is painfully slow depending on the vehicle. A number of vehicles in the 50s and 60s had 0-60 times north of 20 seconds.

Yes because wanting to drive a car that has average acceleration makes one a bad driver. Heaven forbid you ever need to have any sort of acceleration to maneuver while driving.

If moving from a 10s car to an 8 second car is making that much of a difference, then you're probably a crappy driver.

You are probably one of those guys who drives 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane on the highway so you can get better gas mileage. Completely disregarding everyone else around you. It's okay - you are entitled to do whatever you want. Super entitled.

If I drive under the limit, it's usually in the slow lane, and if I drive above the limit, it's usually in the fast lane. Prius vehicles don't have the privilege of being in the carpool lane anymore unless they're plug-ins or are carpooling like everybody else.

 

[Wuzup101]

you picked some of the fastest cars of the time instead of comparing cars of similar class.

1956 Volkswagen Micro Bus 0-60 mph: 75.0 seconds

Yes - simply to illustrate that 8 seconds wasn't considered a "fast" 0-60 time in the 90s. Had you said "fast for a 4 door family sedan" I would have agreed with you.

You don't see Prius vehicles wrapped around a tree because of the type of driver the Prius attracts. However you do see plenty of cars driven by kids wrapped around trees, half of them "shit boxes" which gives said shit boxes a poor INSURANCE (not safety) rating by the IIHS. Then those vehicles are erroneously considered unsafe when it's really a demographics problem.

Agreed, on the shit boxes. The Prius is just as likely as any car to be driven off the road by a bad driver but I would agree that the hybrid driving population is generally going to have a higher percentage of "low risk" drivers. My point was that you aren't going to have to worry about flooring it and having the car go sideways.

Maybe the prius isn't slow but that the other vehicles in the segment are fast, too fast and fuel thirsty.

Maybe... they are definitely too green and too safe. Lets remove all the safety restrictions and emissions restrictions on them. You'll get better MPG if manufactures don't have to worry about that stupid shit. (yes... I'm kidding)

Why does it have to be black and white? Why does a car either have to be fast or slow? 10s isn't fast but it isn't slow. 15 seconds is slow and 20+ is painfully slow depending on the vehicle. A number of vehicles in the 50s and 60s had 0-60 times north of 20 seconds.

Something has to be "slow" and not everything can be "fast." As you said before, it's all relative. If you really want to compare a new prius to cars built half a century ago, go for it. I'm not sure what the point is. Most people are not cross shopping a new late model prius with a 1992 civic and a 1956 VW microbus. Traffic speeds (both posted and observed) have greatly increased from the 50s and 60s... even the 90s. There is almost nothing on the road (passenger vehicle anyway) that does 0-60 in 20 seconds. Examples are few and far between. I'm sure there are a few things like Jlee's LX450 that do it in 15... but again... few and far between.

How fast does a horse drawn buggy go? 35... maybe 40mph? I wouldn't want to drive one of those everyday either. I would make an exception for my being able to do 60mph rule for one of them though.

If moving from a 10s car to an 8 second car is making that much of a difference, then you're probably a crappy driver.

Both my cars are in the 4 second range to 60. I don't drive like an ass, generally am between the speed limit and ~8-10 mph over, don't weave, don't tail gate, use turn signals, don't text or dick around with other stuff, etc... Not driving like an ass has served me well thus far. There are plenty of people who don't want to drive the slowest car on the road and aren't bad drivers. 8 sec to 60 is my personal cutoff (and there are quite a few fuel efficient hybrids that exist within that performance envelope).

If I drive under the limit, it's usually in the slow lane, and if I drive above the limit, it's usually in the fast lane. Prius vehicles don't have the privilege of being in the carpool lane anymore unless they're plug-ins or are carpooling like everybody else.

I will never get people who drive under the limit in any lane intentionally (when not caused by traffic). How much lower than the limit are we talking here.

Note: to clarify - the prius is not "fast," it is "slow." This is not a knock on the prius or any other hybrid. No one realistically expects a car that gets well over 50mpg to be anything but "slow." It is clearly not a performance focused vehicle. What it is designed to do, it does well. If you are comfortable driving a car that does 0-60 in >10 seconds, by all means they are very nice cars. I could care less what you want to drive. Not personally wanting to drive a car with >8 sec 0-60 is simply my personal preference.

 

[Yuriman]

Some fun bits:

0-30mph times
2009+ Prius: 3.4 seconds
G1 Insight: 3.6 (CVT)
G2 insight: 3.7
2014 Civic: 3.6
2014 Corolla: 3.6

It's 30-60 where hybrids are slow, the electric assist provides more torque at low RPM.

 

[vi edit]

My C-Max will do 0-30 in 3.1 and 0-60 in a little over 7 seconds. It gets up and moves

 

[monkeydelmagico]

My C-Max will do 0-30 in 3.1 and 0-60 in a little over 7 seconds. It gets up and moves

Is it the energi plug in version? With the cheap gas I wonder if the plug in hybrid users are bothering to plug in at all.

 

[vi edit]

Nah, straight up hybrid for me. I looked at the plug-in versions at the time I bought. Was about a $2000 premium for them over the hybrid. Didn't want to pay the extra and didn't want to give up the added hatch space the bigger battery pack required.

 

[jlee]

LOL well if you add 500-1000lbs of bumpers / rock guards / wheels and manage to slow down the factory 0-60 time by 3-4 seconds I'm going to assume that your goal isn't on road driveability (that's a nice looking LX450 though).

55 uphill really a problem though lol?

thanks

Heh it's annoying, going up a mountain at 50mph in second gear..it'll get there, though. Just not quickly.

 

[Elfear]

As a Prius owner I am seriously thinking about selling it for something more fun now that gas prices have dropped. It's great on gas mileage but abut the most boring car I've ever driven. Might as well drive something that gets me excited and spend a few more bucks a month on gas.

Also, I agree with Wuzup101. A Prius is slow. It's really sad when I jump in my Caravan and think it's decently quick after driving my Prius.

 

[tortillasoup]

As a Prius owner I am seriously thinking about selling it for something more fun now that gas prices have dropped. It's great on gas mileage but abut the most boring car I've ever driven. Might as well drive something that gets me excited and spend a few more bucks a month on gas.

Also, I agree with Wuzup101. A Prius is slow. It's really sad when I jump in my Caravan and think it's decently quick after driving my Prius.

Yeah that's really smart, sell a fuel efficient vehicle when fuel is cheap and replace with a gas guzzler, then when prices reverse, do the same again. These fuel prices are likely temporary. There was a reason you bought the Prius in the first place, if those conditions come around again, you'll be kicking yourself for selling.

 

[Elfear]

Yeah that's really smart, sell a fuel efficient vehicle when fuel is cheap and replace with a gas guzzler, then when prices reverse, do the same again. These fuel prices are likely temporary. There was a reason you bought the Prius in the first place, if those conditions come around again, you'll be kicking yourself for selling.

Hybrid prices falling is what has me hesitating to sell mine. I don't want to sell it only to see prices jump up to $4/gallon again. Although I only drive 5-6k miles a year and the Prius really is a boring car. I think I'd rather pay a few hundred more a year in fuel than have my car enthusiast card revoked.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

I just had a Prius rental for a month in FL.

Its slow in anything but power mode, this is coming from an SUV driver.

Insane gas mileage though, you can beat on it and drive like ken block and still get 40-45 mpg. Its slow, its ugly, its built like shit, the plastics scream cheap, its not that comfortable, but damn it gets good mileage.

If I had a shitty commute I would buy a 15k one with 60k miles on it because it is actually kinda fun to roll in traffic with the engine off.

 

[Yuriman]

I drove a 2015 Prius today for around two hours and found it "interesting".

Honda's (first) take on a hybrid feels very connected, and perhaps a bit raw and unrefined. It's a stiff ride with responsive steering, a stick to row, and a bag of tricks which one needs to learn to harness. Driving it can be fun, but also fatiguing with how much attention it demands.

The Prius, by contrast, doesn't feel like a car at all, and is the nearest I've been to forgetting I'm in one. The controls all seem to be connected to a black box which does the actual driving. Pushing the pedal, for instance, results in the car thinking for a moment and then you begin to move. Taking corners fast feels foreign. There's no tactile indication of whether you're being moved by the engine or electric motor, whether it's assisting or charging, and it slips in and out of EV mode without a fuss. I'm not sure if I entirely trust what the dash is telling me, and there seemed little left up to the driver anyway.

I get what others mean when they say it's an appliance, but it's an impressive one. Mileage was great, and it didn't ask much of me. I can see how it would appeal to a lot of people.

 

[bamx2]

I am often faced with this kind of driving situation due to my work. I try to stay out if it but I have to go when and where my work takes me in the metro Atl sprawl. What is the best value on a Prius - year model, mileage,price (considering battery life, other wear etc) ?





"If I had a shitty commute I would buy a 15k one with 60k miles on it because it is actually kinda fun to roll in traffic with the engine off"