Why I love the Lotus – and the Prius

[msirach]

The Prius is from Venus. The Lotus is from Mars.

Peter Cheney - THEGLOBEANDMAIL - May 08, 2012

Now I know. I'm afraid I have the same affliction as Peter! --Ed.

I have never lived in Utah, and I love only one woman. And yet there is a part of me that is a polygamist. The part I’m referring to, of course, is my automotive side. Which explains my relationship with the Toyota Prius and the Lotus Evora S.

It’s hard to imagine two more radically different machines. The Prius is quiet. It’s fuel-efficient. It has a luggage compartment big enough to swallow a kayak. And driving a Prius has all the thrill of operating a kitchen appliance (and not one of the exciting ones, like a blender or a corn-popper)

The Lotus, on the other hand, is a low-slung sports machine that makes a trip to Loblaws feel like a record lap at the Nurburgring. It has scalpel-like steering, a 285-km/h top speed and an exhaust note that, depending on the occasion, sounds like a supercharged saxophone or a jungle cat undergoing a proctological examination.

The Prius is from Venus. The Lotus is from Mars. And I love them both. Until last week, I never gave my diverse automotive preferences much thought. Then I got a Tweet from a reader who spotted my new Lotus: “That completely makes up for you liking the Prius,” he wrote.

This got me thinking about the taxonomy of motorized passion. Many enthusiasts are wedded to a single class of vehicle (old British roadsters, Italian supercars, jacked-up four-wheelers, etc.). But I find myself pulled toward a wide range of rides, from Porsche race cars to modified Jeeps to postwar classics. And then there’s the Prius, which is one of my favourite vehicles, much to the consternation of my car nut friends.... [Read More]

[Earthling]

I'm there: pokey old Prius, sport-touring BMW R1150RT motorcycle. Even my old '03 RT with a measly 95hp, compared to the later R1200RT's 110 hp is still a very capable and very quick bike that will leave the vast majority of cars in the dust when ridden hard.

Harry

[Bennett]

I was enamoured with my Durango the moment the salesman told me to "Floor it" on a highway on ramp... The smooth relentless V8, space for kids and more, AWD, the ride height...and yet now I'm missing the electric steering and gas-less glide of the HCH while Wifey takes it on a road trip to her Mom!