Notice other drivers treating you differently in a Hybrid?
04-15-10, 06:43 AM
#1
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Notice other drivers treating you differently in a Hybrid?
Ever since buying the HS, I've noticed other drivers treating me differently - like I'm some kind of moving roadblock that needs to be passed/avoided. Maybe they think the HS is a blinged-out Prius, always driven by a hyper-miler? Is this just a local thing for me (I live in uber-liberal Chapel Hill, where the most popular car seems to be a Prius with a "Hope" sticker on it), or are others noticing this as well? This is my first hybrid, but it seems to be even more pronounced than when I'm driving my wife's minivan.
Now, I have had some fun with this too - people passing me on a 2-lane exit ramp, only to have me pass them back on the inside curve :-)
Even more weird - I had a Prius try to race me from a red light last week !!
Now, I have had some fun with this too - people passing me on a 2-lane exit ramp, only to have me pass them back on the inside curve :-)
Even more weird - I had a Prius try to race me from a red light last week !!
04-17-10, 06:37 PM
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04-17-10, 06:59 PM
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In any event enjoy your ride and the joy/benefits it gives you.
04-18-10, 12:49 AM
#7
i agree j stuff! those suv's that like to show off are horrible to follow. they know they cant go fast, and its damn near impossible to pass them at times. whats worse is when they're trying to make a turn. i was unfortunate to follow a few on the side streets on my way home 
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04-19-10, 07:00 AM
#9
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Agree that driving 90mph is dumb in general - but your comment sounded like it was especially dumb for a Prius. Given that a Prius still gets better mpg at 90 than almost any other car, why is that especially dumb? I guess if I were to drive routinely at 90 and cared about mpg, a diesel would be a better option, but the Prius isn't too bad a choice either. On a side note, I read a few years ago that the car that gets the best mpg at 100 is actually a Corvette!
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
04-19-10, 07:33 AM
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Agree that driving 90mph is dumb in general - but your comment sounded like it was especially dumb for a Prius. Given that a Prius still gets better mpg at 90 than almost any other car, why is that especially dumb? I guess if I were to drive routinely at 90 and cared about mpg, a diesel would be a better option, but the Prius isn't too bad a choice either. On a side note, I read a few years ago that the car that gets the best mpg at 100 is actually a Corvette!
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
The Corvette c6 z06 at 90 MPH is basically traveling on idle in 6th gear so it gets amazing MPG on the highway especially doing the speed limit.
04-21-10, 08:04 AM
#11
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I think the issue is a few bad hybrid seeds blow it for everyone. There is a lot of "hate" for hybrid vehicles for whatever reason(s). I don't get it b/c my car looks like a regular GS and its faster than their car anyway
04-21-10, 10:09 AM
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Agree that driving 90mph is dumb in general - but your comment sounded like it was especially dumb for a Prius. Given that a Prius still gets better mpg at 90 than almost any other car, why is that especially dumb? I guess if I were to drive routinely at 90 and cared about mpg, a diesel would be a better option, but the Prius isn't too bad a choice either. On a side note, I read a few years ago that the car that gets the best mpg at 100 is actually a Corvette!
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
Now driving a brick like a Hummer at 90 would be especially dumb to me.
Top Gear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
04-21-10, 12:08 PM
#13
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Probably true if you drove it at speeds that required it to be floored the whole time, as in the Top Gear show. Plus, the M3 used to compare was carefully chosen by Top Gear to trump the Prius - it falls into the same exception category as the 'vette, a supercar specifically designed and geared to work best at triple digit speeds. I'll bet a more typical sedan wouldn't fair as well against the Prius in that test.
Besides, a 1.5L engine is plenty to cruise all day at 90 without breaking too much sweat - I've driven Fiats and Peugeots with 1.2L engines in Europe at those speeds and gotten decent mpg, and they didn't even have the slippery bodywork of the Prius. And the CVT allows the Prius to drop rpm down to just what's needed to maintain, unlike a conventional car that's limited to a top gear that was chosen as a compromise between multiple variables. It's also an Atkins cycle engine, which is inherently more efficient than an Otto cycle. Just don't expect to get to 90 very quickly in a Prius, or hold that speed up hills :-)
Not saying Priuses belong in the fast lane, especially the way most are driven. My HS does live in the fast lane with no problem and enough reserve power to pass or climb hills (I still don't understand why it's limited to 112 mph - it has the HP for 130+ and W rated tires - H on the base model), and still gets higher than EPA mpg, albeit with a bigger engine than the Prius. So I'm standing by my opinion stated above, until someone shows me a study showing that a Prius doesn't get better mpg than most other cars on the road cruising at 90.
Besides, a 1.5L engine is plenty to cruise all day at 90 without breaking too much sweat - I've driven Fiats and Peugeots with 1.2L engines in Europe at those speeds and gotten decent mpg, and they didn't even have the slippery bodywork of the Prius. And the CVT allows the Prius to drop rpm down to just what's needed to maintain, unlike a conventional car that's limited to a top gear that was chosen as a compromise between multiple variables. It's also an Atkins cycle engine, which is inherently more efficient than an Otto cycle. Just don't expect to get to 90 very quickly in a Prius, or hold that speed up hills :-)
Not saying Priuses belong in the fast lane, especially the way most are driven. My HS does live in the fast lane with no problem and enough reserve power to pass or climb hills (I still don't understand why it's limited to 112 mph - it has the HP for 130+ and W rated tires - H on the base model), and still gets higher than EPA mpg, albeit with a bigger engine than the Prius. So I'm standing by my opinion stated above, until someone shows me a study showing that a Prius doesn't get better mpg than most other cars on the road cruising at 90.
04-21-10, 06:57 PM
#14
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I owned a 2004 Prius the top speed is locked at 84 MPH so the electric motors do not get damaged. We maxed the Prius out at just over 84 MPH. I have driven many miles on a HS250h trying to decide what I will do with my RX400h that I leased. Buying the lease out.
Last edited by herbvdh; 04-21-10 at 07:00 PM.