Does the Size of Your Prius Matter?

Navigating the world in your Prius, does its smaller size compared to most vehicles on the road bother you?

I guess I think of it as mid-sized, not small. There are A LOT of smaller vehicles out there! I don't like driving the big trucks that can't fit into a standard parking stall, and I find the Prius quite agile and convenient in terms of exterior size. Very easy and fun to drive.

The interior seems quite roomy, too. I've been able to transport 10-foot PVC pipe, tables, chairs, etc. with ease. Plenty of legroom and headroom all around.

Not too big, not too small - just right.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TwelveInchPrius @ Jun 16 2006, 10:35 AM) [snapback]272185[/snapback]</div>

It's not the size of your Prius, it's how you handle it that counts.

But to seriously answer your question, not really. I'm an ex-SUVer, so I was used to being up high. I've gotten used to it now, but I still have issues when trying to see around large vehicles, but I guess all cars have to deal with that.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Jun 16 2006, 10:52 AM) [snapback]272192[/snapback]</div>

Very well put.

You better believe that size matters!! :angry:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TwelveInchPrius @ Jun 16 2006, 10:35 AM) [snapback]272185[/snapback]</div>

Initially changing from the truck to the Prius as my primary vehicle was an adjustment to get used to, particularly the height.

But, no, as the Prius is a mid-size car and not an econo-box, I feel it's rather average sized vehicle on the road.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(littleprius @ Jun 16 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]272200[/snapback]</div>

But as with anything else, it's more important to know how to use it!!! :lol: :lol:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Skwyre7 @ Jun 16 2006, 10:03 AM) [snapback]272196[/snapback]</div>

My wife's previous car was a 350z. She says that she feels like she's on top of the world when she sits in the prius.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jun 16 2006, 11:22 AM) [snapback]272210[/snapback]</div>

I get that feeling too... I normally drive our 2000 Civic coupe. When I drive the Prius, it always feels vaguely "too big" for the first 5 minutes or so!

- Michelle

I guess I'd have to say no, since I went from a Jeep to my Prius and never really thought twice about the size.

Our main vehicle is considered a "small" SUV. The Rav4 (original body form). The Prius is bigger than that vehicle in just about every metric but height. It is the biggest "secondary" car that we've owned.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jun 16 2006, 07:22 AM) [snapback]272210[/snapback]</div>

These are the same words my girls spoke--"she feels like she's on top of the world when she sits on my prius"--after the second date with me!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TwelveInchPrius @ Jun 16 2006, 07:35 AM) [snapback]272185[/snapback]</div>

This cracks me up :lol:

I just upgraded from a Scion xA to a new Prius. I feel like I'm hogging all of the road and driving a friggin tank!

My wife thought that she wanted a Prius but then when I got mine, she felt that it was actually a bit larger than she wanted, so she's going to stick with her Echo. Everyone who has been in my car so far has thought that it had plently of room, so your impression of it being smaller than most vehicles on the road is just an optical illusion.

I intentionally bought the Prius because it was small. With my car, I am trying to compensate for the size of my other things.

Not at all. The car I came from after 9+ years of driving it was a compact Saturn coupe that felt like I was siting inches above the road. In the Prius, the car itself is so much bigger and it feels like the driver's seat sits a lot higher than most sedans I've been in. It took a couple of weeks to get used to the dimensions (for parking) and rear visibility, but that's no longer an issue for me.

Compared to my 69' Mura it seems tall and roomy. It feels like a go cart compared to my Tundra though. And it feels like it after a 2 hours

Coming from an F250 I cannot see past traffic now in my prius but with my fuel economy I do not seem to care as much. Just turn up my music and enjoy the ride. The one thing I do notice is that I get cut off more often than not is that I get cut off more in the Prius than my F250. I drove the same way with my F250 as I do not with my Prius, for the most part.

I don't feel like I'm driving a small car at all. Again, the interior is roomier than some SUV's I've driven.

I also feel like I'm sitting higher up than in most cars with a great view of the road ahead of me, which I like alot. In my old car I felt like I was just skimming the surface of the road.

There are a ton of semi-trucks in this area and just about any vehicle seems small next to those and I still get a little nervous when I have to stop at a red light next to a logging truck.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pollenfax @ Jun 16 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]272340[/snapback]</div>

Before having taken delivery of my Prius, this was a big concern for me, especially having driven nothing but tall 4x4 trucks or SUV's for the prior 20 years, although, it would have been a compromise I was willing to accept. At 6'1", I don't like crawling in and out of small cars that are very low to the ground. This was a particular concern, because I was aware that the ground clearance on the Prius is quite low. But the extra height of the aerodynamic roof allows the doorways to be taller and the seat isn't anywhere near to feeling like I'm sitting on the ground. I am very comfortable getting in and out of the Prius.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TwelveInchPrius @ Jun 16 2006, 07:35 AM) [snapback]272185[/snapback]</div>

Well I have a lot more height in my Prius than I did in my Ford Taurus wagon.

I have a friend who is 6' 6" and he says the Prius has a much room as the Ford Explore he own.
He had several inches of space above his head sitting in the Prius.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TwelveInchPrius @ Jun 16 2006, 07:35 AM) [snapback]272185[/snapback]</div>

No, but then I am not driving a 12 inch Prius like you.