Chuck
01-01-2008, 11:20 PM
I tried the Prius, and I'll be ****ed. I really liked it. So says a hater, through a mouthful of crow.
(http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/01/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-toyota-prius-touring)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Toyota_Prius_Touring.jpgAlex Nunez – Autoblog – Jan 1, 2008
Regarding Toyota's poster child for "green" motoring, I had never really been a fan and I'm as guilty as anyone of taking the occasional swipe at the petro-lectro hatch. Hey, it's an easy target. With some followers who see it as a kind of four-wheeled Messiah capable of preventing the sky from falling, it's easy to look at the Prius, roll your eyes, and scoff at the hyperbolic ridiculousness that is "Prius Culture." I had done all these things. Call me a hater. I don't mind. To top things off, I had never even driven a Prius. So I asked Toyota for one, figuring that if I was going to continue being a smartass, I might as well be an informed one.
In case you hadn't guessed already, I'm not someone who loses sleep over global warming (man-made, natural, imaginary or whatever). I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth, nor do I care who killed the electric car. While there's no shortage of folks who look at the Prius as a quasi-religious socio-political icon, there are plenty more who are happy to cut through all that BS and just appreciate the car for its practical nature and "gee-whiz" appeal. Clean (it's a PZEV), economical motoring in a usable, innovative package is the Prius' basic mission -- a fact that's lost in the din of the hype machine. Its hybrid system is designed for effortless, everyday use by anyone, even if you're more interested in saving a few bucks at the pump than saving the planet. I can relate to the former group, no problem.
As potential Prius drivers go, I'm probably a good candidate. I have a 60-mile round-trip commute (i.e. 30 each way) that's mostly highway, yet still plays to the Prius' strengths. How so? Well, I don't live in Utopia. I live in Fairfield County, CT, which is home to a lot of fellow commuters. During rush hour, we all get together on I-95 or the Merritt and stare at one another in seemingly endless stop-and-go traffic. The entrance ramps ought to have signs saying, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." As miserable as the conditions can be, however, the Prius welcomes them with open arms… http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/01/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-toyota-prius-touring
(http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/01/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-toyota-prius-touring)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Toyota_Prius_Touring.jpgAlex Nunez – Autoblog – Jan 1, 2008
Regarding Toyota's poster child for "green" motoring, I had never really been a fan and I'm as guilty as anyone of taking the occasional swipe at the petro-lectro hatch. Hey, it's an easy target. With some followers who see it as a kind of four-wheeled Messiah capable of preventing the sky from falling, it's easy to look at the Prius, roll your eyes, and scoff at the hyperbolic ridiculousness that is "Prius Culture." I had done all these things. Call me a hater. I don't mind. To top things off, I had never even driven a Prius. So I asked Toyota for one, figuring that if I was going to continue being a smartass, I might as well be an informed one.
In case you hadn't guessed already, I'm not someone who loses sleep over global warming (man-made, natural, imaginary or whatever). I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth, nor do I care who killed the electric car. While there's no shortage of folks who look at the Prius as a quasi-religious socio-political icon, there are plenty more who are happy to cut through all that BS and just appreciate the car for its practical nature and "gee-whiz" appeal. Clean (it's a PZEV), economical motoring in a usable, innovative package is the Prius' basic mission -- a fact that's lost in the din of the hype machine. Its hybrid system is designed for effortless, everyday use by anyone, even if you're more interested in saving a few bucks at the pump than saving the planet. I can relate to the former group, no problem.
As potential Prius drivers go, I'm probably a good candidate. I have a 60-mile round-trip commute (i.e. 30 each way) that's mostly highway, yet still plays to the Prius' strengths. How so? Well, I don't live in Utopia. I live in Fairfield County, CT, which is home to a lot of fellow commuters. During rush hour, we all get together on I-95 or the Merritt and stare at one another in seemingly endless stop-and-go traffic. The entrance ramps ought to have signs saying, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." As miserable as the conditions can be, however, the Prius welcomes them with open arms… http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/01/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-toyota-prius-touring