I am going to say, of all the times I've been tailgated on the freeway doing perfectly acceptable speeds of (75-85 usually) an alarmingly large number of them have been Prius drivers.

Also on a drive down from Big Bear Mountain (here in Socal) I thought I was going relatively quick, until a Prius-driving woman passed me doing about 85 down Highway 18.

It's pretty rare for me to see a Prius driving slowly.

 

I was rearended by a Volvo who "couldn't see" all 5 housings of GS brake lights.

 

It has always been my opinion that Volvo owners are trying to compensate for their lack of driving skill by buying a so called safer car. Although the new Volvos are pretty nice, too bad they will soon be owned by the Chinese.

 

As a hybrid owner and mind it being a pet peeve of mine but I do NOT understand hybrids built for maximum economy speeding. As I stated, this is not unusual to me, I see tons of Prius flying by me on the highway.....

Cleary a Prius doing 85 MPH is still getting better MPG than most but still, it is not the way to get that maximum rating.

As for parking spaces, I am all for it . Kind of dumb since my hybrid is not built for economy in particular but hey, give it to me!

 

If Im a drive who likes to cruise fast a Prius will get me 48 MPG at 80 MPH where a Camry will get me 32. It makes perfect sense to me. Get the Prius.

 

I've only been passed by one Prius in my live doing probably about 90 MPH. It put a smile on my face. Were I'm from, I would say most never pass 65 MPH. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are NOT in the left lane on the freeway. That is my pet Peeve for any car. If you're not going to keep up with traffic stay out of the left lane. That also leads me to wonder why would a economy built Prius driver want to go into the left lane in the first place if they are concerned about fuel economy. Stay to the right and out of my way please. I can follow a car doing 55 MPH (Speed limit) all day in the right lane and not be bothered, but if I come up on a car doing 60 in the left lane with nobody in front of him and a train of 3-4 cars behind him it bothers me. I do admit I'm a very aggressive driver though. Seem like I get a speeding ticket every 5-7 years or so.

 

That is if ultimate fuel economy is your primary concern. If it were me I'd get the Camry because it looks better. My ex inlaws have a nice 2009 Camry Hybrid and that car is great. They only get about 33 MPH though, but still better than a regular Camry. My next car will probably be a Hybrid, but only a good looking one. When it comes to cars, I still put looks and style at the top of my list. I'd buy the Prius for my mom though

 

I agree, Corvette drivers dont hyber mile, Prius drivers should not speed. I blame the lack of driving education and lack of law enforcment for drivers who do 55 MPH on the left lane.

 

Prius & Other Hybrids Lose Cali CarPool Lane Access 2day

Back in line with the unwashed masses, you Prius folks. You, too, Honda Insight drivers. In fact, all you yellow-stickered, solo-driving, HOV-using people are just like everybody else on California highways, starting today.

After years of smugly wheeling down the high-occupancy vehicle (carpool) lanes all by your lonesomes, while other users had to have a passenger or 2, you hybrid pilots lose the perk.

The California DMV says: "On July 1, 2011 hybrid vehicles carrying the yellow sticker will no longer be allowed to operate in an HOV/carpool lane unless the minimum passenger requirements are met. This expiration date will not be extended…"

That yellow sticker allowing traffic-jam-skirting solo passage in the HOV lanes was a big draw. In fact, once California quit issuing new stickers, the prices of older Priuses, Insights, Escape hybrids and the like that already had the stickers rose higher than new versions of those hybrids, whose owners no longer could get the stickers.

Call it a case of no good deed going unpunished. California decided that motorists trying to do their bit by stretching a gallon of gasoline and reducing emissions no longer needed incentives.

But, the state says, people considering newer technologies that might save even more fuel and emit even fewer pollutants could use a hand.

So, DMV says: "A new Green HOV sticker program will be in effect as of January 1, 2012 to promote the use of the next generation of hybrid and other technologies." Some vehicles already on the market -- typically electrics and natural-gas-fueled vehicles -- can qualify for white stickers that provide HOV solo-occupant use until Jan.1, 2015.

So trade that old Prius for the likes of a modified-for-California Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric, Nissan Leaf battery car, or a plug-in hybrid, and jump back into the HOV lanes when you're flying solo.

Because driving that previously privileged Prius, stuck in traffic behind the Hummers, Navigators and Escalades of the world, surely is going to sting.

 

Speeding in a Prius just doesn't make sense.

 

I don't recommmend the Volt. I recently reviewed one, and its gas mileage and technology are (admittedly) impressive. But, for 41K to start, several K more in factory options on most of the ones in stock, and the inevitable dealer-markups (3-5K, from what I've seen), IMO, it's just not worth what it costs. You're looking at close to 50K (or more) out the door, and, even with the $7500 Federal tax-credit, that's still over 40K.....simply too much, IMO, for a car like this. No thanks. In addition, the Volt has what are, IMO, some interior-ergonomic flaws. Among other things, the all-white center-dash/console, buttons, and video-display is a mess....and you have to reach your hand inside a silly tunnel-hole cut into the center-dash to pull out the shift-lever for the CVT transmission. I didn't test-drive one in cold weather, but Consumer Reports noted a weak-performing electric heater in the one they tested.