For the price of a Prius...

[why?]

Originally Posted by Billiam

It's the same way with Yaris owners around here. Things are said that make one feel better about what they bought. You'll find that on any auto forum.

Sort of what I meant. I do agree there is nothing wrong with it. It does seem though some have a preoccupation with the Yaris.

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

LOL! I don't like the Prius either. It is too big and (given its cost) should be a more inspiring drive in many ways, one being IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION (I know...the CVT = best MPG for most people and supposedly compliments this incantation of the engine best). Even given all of this, THE WORST THING ABOUT THE PRIUS IN MY MIND IS THE FEELING I GET WHILE SITTING IN ONE. Car and Driver referred to the first US produced VW Rabbits as 'THE MALIBUIZATION OF VOLKSWAGEN'. They weren't referring to Malibu, California directly, they were referring to what had happened to the Chevrolet Malibu.....how it has become generic, numbing, stark, and devoid of sufficient design personality, respect, common sense, etc........not being a driver's car. However possibly illogical, this is what I think of when sitting in a Prius. I also feel that coming out with a PRIUS 'WAGON' shows that people who feel as I do aren't targets for these cars.

I disagree. The Malibu was a totally ugly and indistinguishable car. The Prius is unique and easy to pick out in a crowd. And the Prius is not aimed at people who like to drive, it is aimed at people who want to get good gas mileage, and unfortunately has been adopted by the eco crowd.

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Perhaps most of the Prius owners in PA are women (or emasculated men?), but this isn't really the vibe in the SF Bay Area...where many people feel as though people (female and many male buyers) are making an intentionally politically correct statement (and an intentionally smug one) buy buying a Prius...and many buyers (one can tell by querying them) know next to nothing about the car.

Probably true. Most people I've talked to buy it for the political statement, or for the unfortunate and incorrect hatred of the oil companies.

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Why? I usually agree with you,

Ok, give me a minute to get over the shock of that. Oh wait, you live in Texas. I so need to move there. Seems like a really good place to be.

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

but not on this one. On this forum alone, think of how many people list 3 or more cars they own. While they might have large families and need those cars and can only afford a Yaris or similar the choices they have made for the other cars they list, I think, tend to discount that possibility. All of the members of my extended family can easily afford a Prius, yet a vast majority of us choose to spend less than the cost of a Prius when purchasing a car.....and I know people outside our family with a greater degree of wealth who go to far greater extremes when it comes to frugality re their cars......I know....I know.....anecdotal evidence. I do, however, agree with you that very few, if any, Prius owners visit Yarisworld.

I'm not sure where you are coming from. I do think people think their choice is the correct one for them, but I do not think it has anything to do with what one could afford.

The Prius is sort of the punching bag for Yaris owners, and it has been so from the beginning. And the math easily shows why. If you go on the math alone, the Yaris is a much better value.

Yet the math does not tell the entire story. The Yaris is extremely spartan, and while that works for some, it does not work for a lot of others. For many people a car without the usual luxuries is not a car they will ever own. I can understand that perspective. There is something to be said for buying a car from the factory with everything you could want. Heated seats, nav, leather interior, full moon roof, etc. Some people want a car to have it all. You can't get that type of stuff in a Yaris.

It seems some people on yw don't like that perspective, which of course, is their choice.

Originally Posted by Billiam

"Snobs", "emasculated men"....Really? Man you guys are very judgemental. I'd gladly own a Prius or Prius V (and certainly could) and I'm neither snobby and most certainly not emasculated.....and not even a tree-hugger for that matter.

Since some of you seems quite worried about people's perception of you if you drove a Prius, you do understand that you drive a Yaris, right? Many of the "non manly" adjectives that you've used to describe Prius owners can be used to describe Yaris owners too. But you'd have to add "cheap" and/or non-affluent as well....because, outside of YarisWorld which accounts for a tiny portion of actual Yaris owners, most people's perception of the Yaris and the people who drive a Yaris is that it's a cheap, tin-can, econo-car and it's all the person driving it could afford.

I promise you that the "Yaris cool factor" that we like to tout around here is almost completely nonexistent out in the rest of the world.

Oh...for the record...by far, woman out number men, I'd say 10 to 1 as Yaris owners around here anyway. Maybe you guys could hang some of the those big truck-nuts from the back bumper of your Yaris and people might not notice what feminine little shit boxes you drive.

So true, with the exception that getting 40mpg is becoming cool to many people. And a drive in a Yaris and most people realize it is fun to drive, and nothing like what the auto journalists seem to think it is.

Personally I'd go with a Highlander Hybrid, because even the Prius V seems a tad on the small side. Of course I have no reason for either vehicle right now.

Originally Posted by teddy

Wow I'm surprised at the amount of hate for the Prius. It's not even in the same class as the Yaris, it's not an apples to apples comparison.

sub-compact=Prius c/Yaris
compact=Corolla/Matrix (for the sake of including the class in between)
mid-size=Prius/Camry/Prius v

The Yaris is a cheap econobox (which I happily own and would happily buy another). The Prius, across the line is a much more refined vehicle, IMO. For someone that does significant city driving and little highway driving it'd be easy to pick the Prius c over the Yaris both because of fuel savings and refinement.

The Prius across the line is a quieter, roomier car which is better on gas to boot. The Prius v just improves on all of that, this will be a strong contender for my next vehicle hands down.

Not everyone drives for the "driving experience" either. The HSD simply cannot have a manual transmission due to the nature of the drive, whereas the Honda hybrid system (like the CR-Z) can because the gasoline engine is always engaged in movement. Heck the Prius isn't even really a CVT, though it is classed as an e-CVT when required.

I love my Yaris, but I also love the Prius. If the Prius c were around when we got ours it would have been a tougher decision. Having a family now I can see us in something bigger, the Prius being a strong contender.

well said. Although Honda's system is sort of the exact opposite of Toyota's.