First Personal Prius-Bashing Experience

[SunnyvalePrius]

Well, I had read about people who are convinced the Prius is evil, but I had never personally met one until yesterday. While having lunch with some former colleagues, I was talking about my Prius. One of my former coworkers then started telling me all the awful things about the Prius. It was all the same things I had seen posted and rebutted here before.

There was the story of the nickel mine that destroyed the environment all because of the Prius, to which I could reply that Toyota buys 1% of the output, the mine has been polluting for 100 years, and other cars use nickel too.

There was the downward revision of the EPA mileage estimates, to which I could reply that nearly all cars were having their numbers revised down, and by about the same percentage, so the percentage advantage of the Prius was still the same.

There was the claim that the Prius was hugely expensive, to which I could point out that compared to other cars with similar passenger size, cargo capacity, and safety and comfort features, it really wasn't, and comparing it to a Geo Metro wasn't really an apples-to-apples comparison.

There was the claim that the battery wouldn't last long, to which I could point out the 10-year warranty.

One of my coworkers actually said that someone she knew never got over 30 MPG in the Prius. I could tell her how much better my mileage was, but it's hard to imagine where she got such a low number. I have to wonder if people somehow get it in their mind that the Prius is bad and just convince themselves of the truth of some number they just made up because it seems reasonable to them, given that they don't think the Prius is really that efficient.

It was interesting to see how none of my replies had any effect. The two colleagues who were bashing the Prius just kept moving to other arguments against it and weren't phased in the slightest when I had facts or personal experience to contradict what they thought.

So after a while I just gave up. Those two people are still just as convinced that the Prius is a marketing scam.

[bredekamp]

You made logical arguments.
You quoted facts.
You remained calm.

Sometimes people are just stubborn and there's nothing to be done. Just enjoy driving your Prius. You know you're right.

Has anyone of your colleagues driven a Prius? Here's an idea. Invite the more stubborn ones to lunch. Pick them up in your Prius. Show them that it drives, feels and looks like a normal car.

You mentioned "former coworkers"....maybe they're jealous of your new car.

[larkinmj]

Every person who has seen my car, and especially those who have been driven in it, has been highly impressed- even my friends who drive big gas-guzzling SUVs.

[charliem]

There are a lot of jealous people out there ,put them on ignore.I have witnessed this amongst my own friends.

[cireecnop1]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Apr 11 2007, 06:44 AM) [snapback]421406[/snapback]</div>

Every person who has seen my car, and especially those who have been driven in it, has been highly impressed- even my friends who drive big gas-guzzling SUVs.
[/b]

every person I work with LOVES my car, the first thing they said about it was "it looks so sporty" thats because its the touring model I told them. Whenever someone goes for a "lunch run" they automatically come to my console and grab the keys to my car! not one of them can resist the chance to ride in, let a lone drive in, a Hybrid. I am sure its all the gadgets in the car but that ok they are saving the environment with every mile they put on my car instead of theirs.

[robincx]

95% of the time people are very impressed with my Prius, it is the default lunch car for the group. But, now and then I do sense an overly pushy driver that causes me to zoom quickly out of range. While that dents my milage in a negative way, I feel I silence the guzzlers with my speedy exit.

Your former co-workers are just jealous.

Robin

[MegansPrius]

And you need to tell that friend of a friend who gets under 30 mpg in her Prius that she should really try driving the car with the parking brake off. :P

[Delta Flyer]

Sunnyvale Prius,

Don't you get the impression some people never got past the grade school yard emotionally?

[hill]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(charliem @ Apr 11 2007, 09:39 AM) [snapback]421420[/snapback]</div>

There are a lot of jealous people out there ,put them on ignore.I have witnessed this amongst my own friends.
[/b]

Jealous? I'd bet they're GM/SUV types. They're the ones who typically throw up the most crap.

[rudiger]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MegansPrius @ Apr 11 2007, 10:40 AM) [snapback]421435[/snapback]</div>

And you need to tell that friend of a friend who gets under 30 mpg in her Prius that she should really try driving the car with the parking brake off. :P[/b]

Another way for a Prius' gas mileage to take a dramatic dive is to forget to turn the vehicle off when exiting. Supposedly, a new owner managed to get 12 MPG in this manner when they left their Prius 'on' for an entire week. The battery would discharge and would then be recharged continually by the ICE cycling on and off.