GTP Cool Wall: 2009+ Toyota Prius

[TheCracker]

Loved by certain unsavoury, self-righteous elements of non-car enthusisast society. Despised by other unsavoury and self-righteous elements of car enthusisast society. Almost balanced out to a 'meh' - can't bring myself to vote it higher than an uncool.

 

[Tornado]

The mountains of pejorative thrown the way of this humble taxi by so-called car guys make it so.

Car guys aren't the ones who made the Prius a punchline to a joke. If they had that much sway in popular culture we would all be driving our German diesel manual wagons.

 

[niky]

The only Third-gen owner I've met in real life is a racing driver. (Go figure, a lot of racing drivers also drive Cayennes)

The only Third-gen owners I meet online are either fellow car enthusiasts or tech geeks who choose the Prius simply as the right tool for the job.

-

These things aren't as environmentally-unfriendly as right-wingers would have you believe.

They aren't as horrible to drive as they would have you believe, either. They're not great on the standard tires, but honestly, put a Camry on the same tires and it'd handle like a pig. The optional 17" wheels make things much better.

They're absolutely amazing to drive, not in the sense that it feels like you're driving an exciting car, but more in the sense that you're driving a road-going spaceship.

-

Still seriously uncool. It's just a car.

 

[Parker]

In the almost decade I've owned my truck I've only had a few people come up to me while I was fueling up and both scream at me for killing the children and talk about how small my penis supposedly is. Care to guess what kind of car these people were driving?

Seriously uncool. If I'm going to drive a hybrid, give me an Insight.

 

[CyborgGT]

Meh.

Obviously this is going to be the automobile equivalent of the anti-Christ to people who think cars are more than an appliance or status symbol, but society is where "coolness" is judged and society thinks this car is the shiznit; it's probably the only cheap-o car that wouldn't look out of place parked up at a country club or ritzy hotel.

Confession: with this bumper, I quite like the look of the front end...

 

[ScottPuss20]

Hybrids suck. Strangely, more oil is used to make this car than any other on the planet. Defeats the purpose entirely and I simply do not believe this is doing any good to the environment, it only gives normal people a false assumption that they're doing something worthwhile for the planet. I could rant on for days about this terrible car and all the dumb people that own them. Seriously Uncool

 

[Famine]

Strangely, more oil is used to make this car than any other on the planet.

[Citation needed]

 

[ScottPuss20]

Uh, OK
I saw on Top Gear that making the car is actually a massive worldwide operation, because the batteries are made in a different part of the world from the rest of the car. Meaning that ships have to cover great distances to manufacture the car in comparison to other vehicles.

 

[Liquid]

It's not a miracle environmentally friendly car. But it is very good at what it does and it's fair to appreciate that.

However it is absolutely and Seriously Uncool.

I saw on Top Gear

 

[ScottPuss20]

No seriously!

From 3:35

 

[Famine]

Uh, OK
I saw on Top Gear that making the car is actually a massive worldwide operation, because the batteries are made in a different part of the world from the rest of the car. Meaning that ships have to cover great distances to manufacture the car

That's not:

• Unique
• Actually all that rare
• A citation of the fact that the Mk3 Prius uses more oil to make than any other car

 

[Liquid]

I'm not disputing that Top Gear said it, nor that there is some truth in it, but using Top Gear as a factual resource should always draw immediate skepticism. For example; Reliant Robins don't actually roll over all the time. They're perfectly stable. In TG they fitted an 11 inch front wheel, a 10 inch rear left wheel and a 12 inch rear right wheel exactly so the car would roll on left hand turns 'for entertainment purposes'.

And as Famine treed whilst I was typing this, the Prius is hardly unique in being assembled, built or sourced from all over the world. We need figures to prove that it uses up 'the most amount of oil', whatever that means.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I can't believe that you actually consider Top Gear to be a valid factual source, especially when it's Clarkson talking about the Prius.

If you want to prove a point, don't use a celebrity on an entertainment programme for evidence.

 

[Adamgp]

Toyota Prius

All I needed to see.

SU.

 

[Pseudopod]

No seriously!

From 3:35

I don't think they doubted that Top Gear said that. The point might have been that Top Gear is a very biased car entertainment show. You should take most things coming out of it with a grain of salt.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

I don't think they doubted that Top Gear said that. The point might have been that Top Gear is a very biased car entertainment show. You should take most things coming out of it with a grain of salt.

To be fair, they were probably using the "Dust to dust" report as their source for that knowledge, which had been debunked a few years ago now.

The whole "hybrids don't last" stuff is hogwash too: in Australia Camry Hybrids have now become the norm and a few Prius taxis covered well over 300,000mi in 3 years with only consumables being replaced. Only two needed battery pack replacements.

 

[niky]

In the magazine we try... somewhat... to be factual.

On the TV Show, everything else comes secondary to entertainment.

-

Also, Prii last a very, very long time. One of the writers up at TTAC is a secondhand car dealer, and he loves the things. They're incredibly low maintenance. The batteries last an incredibly long time. And secondhands with 200,000 miles on them still change hands for very good money (and still get over 50 mpg).

There are fleet users who have put over 300,000 miles on their Prii needing nothing more than tire changes, (infrequent) oil changes, and (even more infrequent) brake pad changes.

Still a bigger environmental impact, overall, than... maybe a scooter or a Mitsubishi Mirage... but against any full sized car, you can come up pretty positive in a Prius.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

The other thing to note is that manufacturers would rather recycle the battery than let it be scrapped with the car, because it saves them money on materials. As a byproduct, less mining is needed and fewer batteries end up in landfills.

 

[Tornado]

but society is where "coolness" is judged and society thinks this car is the shiznit

Society places them about the same level that they did with minivans. Even the same kind of sitcom hacky jokes that always dogged minivans are now applied to the Prius.

 

[AudiMan2011]

Fifth Gear is probably better at giving out proper information about cars:

 

[synchromesh]

Well, as Mr. Regular said, the Prius is what makes our MR2's and muscle cars cool. It's taking one for the team. And I'll give it that.

Slow, terrible view out, does more damage to the environment to make the car than it will ever save, and you'll still never look cool in it. SU

 

[GTRacer22]

Driven by people who think they're saving the environment by blasting down the highway at over 70 MPH. Seriously Uncool.

 

[Pseudopod]

Well, as Mr. Regular said, the Prius is what makes our MR2's and muscle cars cool. It's taking one for the team. And I'll give it that.

Slow, terrible view out, does more damage to the environment to make the car than it will ever save, and you'll still never look cool in it. SU

How much more damaging to the environment is it compared to regular cars?

 

[synchromesh]

How much more damaging to the environment is it compared to regular cars?

The parts have to be shipped from around the world, the pollution from the Jets and the required work from the factories create more pollution than this thing ever would. Not to mention the toxic batteries on board.

 

[Pseudopod]

Oh, I didn't know all parts for other cars were all made in one single country.

So how much emissions are we talking about from this transportation?

 

[synchromesh]

Oh, I didn't know all parts for other cars were all made in one single country.

So how much emissions are we talking about from this transportation?

I'm not exactly sure. But jet fuel, factories, mines and toxic batteries all have some sort of pollution involved.

 

[Legro]

Wasn't this discussed once already earlier on this page?

 

[AudiMan2011]

Wasn't this discussed once already earlier on this page?

Some people tend to skip over reading those parts.

 

[Pseudopod]

I'm not exactly sure. But jet fuel, factories, mines and toxic batteries all have some sort of pollution involved.

Jet fuel? I'd think they used ships, not planes.

I guess gasoline just comes out of the ground where the gas stations are too. It's not like crude oil needs to be transported, refined, and then transported again even before being usable by cars.

Oil platforms and fracking plants (or whatever they're called) probably don't need any energy or materials to be built, maintained and operated either.

 

[Tyger]

I have to respect this car for being the first hybrid to really sell big and be a viable option for the family motor, "worthy" owners aside. I don't buy it that net, these cars are bad for the environment, people tend to jump at such claims if it justifies them disliking something or not considering it, in my experience. Sadly, cool it ain't, with it's futuristic carthorse styling. It's improving though and by the 7th gen or so I might be giving it a Cool instead of an easy Meh.