Archives

Hi All:

___This was about the ugliest Prius bashing piece I have seen since the CNW garbage was released. It is not worth news but worth mentioning in a post. Where the **** does this guy get off anyway?

Prius owners don’t buy the car in order to save gas and help the environment; they buy it in order to show everyone else in the world that that is what they stand for. (http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/9/27/toytaPriusMartyrsWanted)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007-Prius-Touring-Edition.jpgJeff Dickson – Washington Daily – Sept. 27, 2007

I see them everywhere. Like a confused Tonka toy that lost its way and somehow ended up on the ‘big kid’ road, it putters timidly down the street at a blazing 30 mph.

Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Toyota Prius.

The problem with the Prius is not that it relies on hybrid fuel sources to minimally propel its 12-inch wheels; it’s that it looks like a hybrid.

Instead of developing a car that downplays its less classic means of propulsion, Toyota has gone with a completely opposite approach by turning the look of the Prius into a trademark symbol for hybrid lovers everywhere.

It has become a badge of honor in the green community, sending the message: “I am willing to drive an extremely unattractive car in order to save the environment from the costly fumes your H2 Hummer is wheezing into our air.”

I can’t go from campus to Pacific Place without inevitably passing at least a dozen triangle shaped automotive monstrosities.

There are plenty of cars that are both electric and fossil fuel powered, but the difference is that they still look like a normal vehicle. Take the Ford line of hybrids, for example. They look exactly like their less fuel efficient counterparts, with one exception¬ — a tiny green leaf next to the emblem.

With the overdependence on foreign oil that has our country in an economic, social and international strangle-hold, automotive manufacturers, especially American based companies, should devote more time and money to the development of technology that will relieve us from this crippling handicap. But the efforts to overtly flaunt such commitment to the future shouldn’t come with such a sacrifice of performance and style.

Lexus, which ironically is owned by Toyota, has developed a luxury hybrid sedan called the GS 450H. Its 3.5 liter V6 engine produces 340 horsepower and goes 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while still maintaining a lean stylish physique.

Basically, not only is she beautiful on the outside, she’s also a good person who eats right, cares about the environment and goes to Husky games with you on Saturdays.

Contrast that with the 110 horsepower Prius that goes 0 to 60 mph only when it’s on a downhill slope. The Prius is like the ugly girl who kicks puppies and makes you go to Saturday book clubs instead of the game.

I think we can all agree that given the two choices, there really isn’t a question about which to pick.

Then why do people, like Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, still pick the car that loses races to grannies in wheelchairs and hurts innocent puppies ... http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/9/27/toytaPriusMartyrsWanted

As far as I can see, it's just a rant by a student at the U of W. Typical exaggeration for effect, typical appearance-is-everything, typical "cars are a fashion statement". Probably some people buy Priuses to be noticed (though there are so many of them on the roads now the effect is getting diluted!); others undoubtedly have many other reasons.

Personally I don't think the Prius is ugly but it isn't - to me - gorgeous either. OTOH it's a LOT better looking than the overstyled, bulgy, sculptured look that so many current cars have (I was thinking the other day how unattractive most current designs are). But I'd buy a Prius in a heartbeat if I were in the market. Attractiveness would be a major factor for me only if I thought a car was downright ugly (Aztek). Hey, after all I own a 2003 Outback, which has a rather cluttered look but is great for hauling gear on trips. Volvos look bland to me but certainly not ugly - and red is a plus.

I really wonder if making the Prius look distinctive was a major consideration for Toyota. In improving the Prius I, maybe adding interior space was a major consideration to improve practicality. I don't think they had any 5-door hatchbacks handy to work with at the time?, so they designed something new. For the TCH and HiHy they worked with existing designs.

I wonder if he paid for his Volvo himself? Would his ride be different if he had to pay for it? And for the gas?

It is not worth news but worth mentioning in a post.
I would even question that. I (ever so briefly) thought about commenting, but quickly changed my mind. He has his mind made up. Meanwhile, the facts speak for themselves.

reaches for the DELETE key...

"How much/what kind of beer was he drinking?" - my standard response to such idiotic rants

In the minds of such morons, it's it amazing that the moment you get into the driver's seat of a Prius, you must be:

far left
unmanly
not religious
probably live off the grid
eccentric
eats granolaI will admit to eating granola, maybe being occasionally odd, but can't live to the stereotype many hybrid haters have. It must be painful to such people it becomes obvious their targets don't fit their demonizations.

I see such stuff on the net, and sadly conclude a lot of people love Joseph Gobbels, as they try so hard to push their lies as reality. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:


P.S. Any prof that has him doing a paper, thesis, or speech, flunk him if he can't learn to talk factually with supporting evidence.

Left him a little comment. What a ranting & raving lunatic. :rolleyes:

The problem with the Prius is not that it relies on hybrid fuel sources to minimally propel its 12-inch wheels; it’s that it looks like a hybrid. What exactly does a hybrid look like? That sentence makes no sense.

I can’t go from campus to Pacific Place without inevitably passing at least a dozen triangle shaped automotive monstrosities.Awwww. That's just too bad for you.

http://i20.tinypic.com/n1p0.jpg

I had to leave a comment too, and yes, threw in a challenge to his manhood. Clichéd and immature maybe, but makes me feel better.

An article like this annoys be less than the Bob Samuelson piece. He's nationally syndicated. I expect silliness like this on college campuses.

I always harp on "national leadership", and here I go again. Not only does it motivate the public towards positive, collective goals, it also eliminates efforts by those like Mr. Dickson who view this topic as some type of "political game". Bipartisan agreement on high FE as a national imperative would mean no articles like this at all, just as you would be hard pressed to find an article in 1943 saying "sure Rosie the Riveter is helping to win the war, but what's up with that hairdo?"

The best response is to get a letter into that paper. Anybody know any Huskies? PHEV Dave? :)

If you reply, maybe a good approach is to question the professialism...yes, it's a student, but would you give him a passing grade for this? If this student has a future in journalism, he needs to chill out and demonstrate he has a thought process.

Looks like my last comment was deleted? Wow - can't even take a light-hearted critic. :rolleyes:

Maybe it was satire instead of stupidity? Nahhh... maybe? no...

Made my comment after the article.

Got a serious question: Why do people post flame bait like this School article?

Even those somewhat sympathic to his POV must be embarrassed by this moronic rant.

Too many people that think BS is more effective than common sense.

The comments are definitely more intelligent than the article :p It's more like a 2-year-old getting attention by throwing his toys across the room :D :D

Maybe it's because I work on a college campus, but it makes me think that it's the beginning of the semester, & they're hoping to fill up their "Readers React" page...

I say all this despite the fact that I'm a "hero" for buying my ordinary-looking FEH ;)

Personally, I *like* the looks of the Prius :)

Debbie,

I'd send that guy to the Tiger Temple. :D

What a **** hit job. How about a nice trip to the specs page (http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_04_coy_win/specs_price.html)?

it putters timidly down the street at a blazing 30 mph.

See the specs: 0-80 in a quarter-mile if you're so inclined - that's more than any speed limit you'll find here.

Lexus, which ironically is owned by Toyota, has developed a luxury hybrid sedan called the GS 450H. Its 3.5 liter V6 engine produces 340 horsepower and goes 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while still maintaining a lean stylish physique.

Basically, not only is she beautiful on the outside, she’s also a good person who eats right, cares about the environment and goes to Husky games with you on Saturdays.

Contrast that with the 110 horsepower Prius that goes 0 to 60 mph only when it’s on a downhill slope. The Prius is like the ugly girl who kicks puppies and makes you go to Saturday book clubs instead of the game.

Oh yeah, let's compare the Prius to something that costs more than twice as much (http://www.automobilemag.com/am/2007/lexus/gs450h/prices.html) just to show how much it "sucks". That's honest.

Then why do people, like Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, still pick the car that loses races to grannies in wheelchairs and hurts innocent puppies?

Cute.

The Prius boasts that it will achieve a shocking EPA-rated 46 miles per gallon. However, my beloved red Volvo S40 T5 manages about 35 mpg, despite my extremely aggressive stop-and-go driving. Given a normal driver the rate would be just less than that of the pious Prius.

Hmm, 19 city, 27 highway (http://autos.yahoo.com/volvo_s40_t5/)? Methinks you're exaggerating to try to make a point there, Mr. "35". You're certainly not getting that with "extremely aggressive stop-and-go driving".

It is almost expected that within 3 weeks of buying a Prius, the owner will affix his or her “Save the Whales,” “Give a Hoot Don’t Pollute” and “Just Say ‘No’ to Styro” bumper stickers to the back bumper.

Whee, stereotyping is fun!! :rolleyes:

Instead, the real story was that his Prius somehow managed to reach 100 mph during the police chase.

Max speed was a little harder to come by in the specs (http://www.toyota-europe.com/cars/new_cars/prius/specs.aspx), but google is your friend: 170 kph = 105.6 mph (http://www.google.com/search?q=170+kph+in+mph&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

http://i20.tinypic.com/n1p0.jpg

:D :D :D

Did a quick lookup into Norm Dicks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Dicks) ... this student may be aspiring to be a Rush-wannabe talk show entertainer....I say this as a natural-conservative: BS-free. :p

He's just angling for a job at Fox News

Sitting here just a couple blocks from the Norm Dicks Government Center (http://www.ci.bremerton.wa.us/display.php?id=1&bremcity=224a52f8ce65fbf078780855167f17da), I can't help but agree with the comment that this guy is a Rush-wannabe. I'm surprised he didn't choose to target Seattle's liberal congressman Jim McDermott (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McDermott) or the global warming fighting (http://www.house.gov/inslee/issues/environment/globalwarmingindex.html) congressman who sits on the energy and commerce committee, Jay Inslee (http://www.house.gov/inslee).

He certainly sounds like a whining child in his article, but that's not a surprise considering he's only a sophomore. That makes him 19 years old or maybe he just turned 20. Environment-haters/republicans at UW are a minority, so he must feel like he needs to be louder and more obnoxious just to be noticed. Of course that would only work if he had a respectable argument rather than just a rambling hate piece without a single fact in it.

If you want to let him know what you think about his article, his contact information is available online through the UW directory (http://www.washington.edu/home/peopledir/) (shown here for your convenience):

Name: Jeffrey Kyle Dickson
Year/Major: Sophomore, Pre Major (Arts & Sciences)
Phone: 775 560-5866
Email: jkd2@u.washington.edu

Debbie,

I'd send that guy to the Tiger Temple. :D

:D :D :D

They might not eat him, but he'd make a nice "big-kitty toy" :D

Courteous emails instead of phone calls is advisable.

Courtesy is pure self-interest. Those in the wrong are just waiting to change the subject from "look how wrong I am" to "look at these nasty names I was called by these unhinged types".

I don't have problem with people who disagree with me, and not being a Prius owner I don't have a dog in this fight, but I thought I should point out that protestations against this ill-researched, disagreeable piece of journalistic ...... would be best directed to the Editor of the paper not to the author or a reader response website. The author obviously was trolling for outraged responses thru those other channels. The editor might respond to the notion that readers of the paper obviously deserve better fact checking and more diligent truth-telling.

If being a martyr means having to endure my FCD reading 84.6 mpg after 577 miles with 1/2 tank left, then I say: BRING IT ON!!:D

I don't have problem with people who disagree with me, and not being a Prius owner I don't have a dog in this fight, but I thought I should point out that protestations against this ill-researched, disagreeable piece of journalistic ...... would be best directed to the Editor of the paper not to the author or a reader response website. The author obviously was trolling for outraged responses thru those other channels. The editor might respond to the notion that readers of the paper obviously deserve better fact checking and more diligent truth-telling.Took your excellent advise - they are free to publish it, but do they want the reputation of putting out such senseless vitrol?

Courteous emails instead of phone calls is advisable.

Courtesy is pure self-interest. Those in the wrong are just waiting to change the subject from "look how wrong I am" to "look at these nasty names I was called by these unhinged types".Something like this:Editors,
I'm writing in response to the article "Toyota Prius: Martyrs wanted" (here: http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/9/27/toytaPriusMartyrsWanted ). This being an opinion piece, I realize that fact checking is not stressed or even enforced, but I think that this pieces is filled with a sufficient amount of inaccuracies to voice mention. I'll spare you any data-dump listing facts and inaccuracies, since it is after all, an opinion piece. My main complaint with the article is that the author seems to want to stress two mutually exclusive opinions. The first opinion is that we are over dependent (I question if "overdependent" is a valid word) on foreign oil. The author declares this view here: "With the overdependence on foreign oil that has our country in an economic, social and international strangle-hold..." The author then continues to express disdain for efficient hybrids, while espousing the virtue of the power hybrids and SUV hybrids here:

Lexus, which ironically is owned by Toyota, has developed a luxury hybrid sedan called the GS 450H. Its 3.5 liter V6 engine produces 340 horsepower and goes 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while still maintaining a lean stylish physique.

Basically, not only is she beautiful on the outside, she's also a good person who eats right, cares about the environment and goes to Husky games with you on Saturdays.

Contrast that with the 110 horsepower Prius that goes 0 to 60 mph only when it's on a downhill slope. The Prius is like the ugly girl who kicks puppies and makes you go to Saturday book clubs instead of the game.

I think we can all agree that given the two choices, there really isn't a question about which to pick.

---

The people who really care about those commendable efforts are the ones who are willing to pay an extra $7,000 to make their new Ford Escape a new Ford Escape Hybrid, without broadcasting to the world that they did so with a sub-par body styling.

The point of the authors conflicting views that confuse me has to do with mention of his Volvo which he has emperical data supporting an efficiency rating of 35 MPG, expressed here: "However, my beloved red Volvo S40 T5 manages about 35 mpg, despite my extremely aggressive stop-and-go driving. Given a normal driver the rate would be just less than that of the pious Prius." The point of irony is that both the Lexus 450h and Escape Hybrid get worse fuel efficiency than he is already getting in his Volvo (23 MPG and 30 MPG respectively).

As an opinion piece, I won't challenge facts, but I fail to see how the author can support his opinion that:
1) We should use less oil.
2) Non-Hybrids are capable of 35 MPG.
3) People who care about reducing oil consumption should buy stylish hybrids.

When these opinions conflict with the fact that neither of the hybrids he supports get above 35 MPG. Moving from his Volvo to a Lexus would consume more oil, not less.

As a tongue-in-cheek article it is amusing, but as an opinion piece the author is conflicted, holding two opposing views.

Sources
Opinion Piece: http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/9/27/toytaPriusMartyrsWanted
Ford Escape Efficiency: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=22958
Lexus 450h Hybrid Efficiency: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=22762

Disclaimer: My email was a bit tongue-in-cheek too. I know a FEH hybrid gets WAAYYY more than 30, and don't feel FEH's are in any way inefficient (especially since I'm trying to buy one). I also didn't find the article amusing, but eluded to the fact that it was probably intended in an antedotical manner (think Andy Rooney)

My tact was to challenge the opinion piece not on facts but on the opinion itself. From what I remember from English Composition 101 (not much) opinion writing is fairly open ended, so long as you don't conflict your own opinion. The key to getting an A on an opinion paper is to keep on one opinion and only offer supportive data. The fact that he conflicts himself should be a red flag to any English professor (at least it was to mine).

PS. I googled the editors to get their "private" email, which they've posted all over the net on numerous occasions. As a courtesy I BCC'd the author... UPDATE: It bounced, confirming that he is not on staff.

11011011

As opposed to that beautifully engineered, sleek, aerodynamically designed H2?? :D



--des

Hi All:

It has become a badge of honor in the green community, sending the message: “I am willing to drive an extremely unattractive car in order to save the environment from the costly fumes your H2 Hummer is wheezing into our air.”

I can’t go from campus to Pacific Place without inevitably passing at least a dozen triangle shaped automotive monstrosities.
http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/9/27/toytaPriusMartyrsWanted

I've always thought that the Toyota Wish and Prius came from the same designer. The Wish is a compact 7 seater with dimensions and a front end very similar to that of a Prius. It is also a rather fuel economical 7 seater.