Just drove a Gen III today

Thanks Mike.

I would like to but either a used Gen. 1 or 2 so I could have another Prius. But the wife will not approve the purchase.

I have not driven any previous generations maybe I can soon.

Posted from my iPhone via the Tapatalk app.

 

After owning my Gen III for the last 60 miles and having also spent significant time in a Gen II, I still prefer the Gen II.

Yes, the Gen III is quieter and the fuel economy is about 10% better. But it feels overweight compared to the Gen II, the driving position is less roomy, and the rear seat legroom seems to be less. Also, while it may just because the Gen II I drove had replacement Cooper non-LRR tires, but straight line stability and traction on the Gen III are significantly worse.

MB860 ?

 

The Prius does not feel like a luxury car at all even with leather and the whole shabang. It is a nice car, but is not a luxury car, trust me.

 

Here we go again Mr. macmaster

You don't see a difference between "felt like" and "is"?
Why do you always have to comment if someone mentions luxury
within the same sentence with Prius?:mod:

 

OP should sit inside some Lexus and Mercedes, esp. higher end (e.g. Lexus LS or Mercedes S-Class) ones for comparison. Also try a BMW 7-series... An auto show is the perfect opportunity to do this. (FWIW, I'm not a German car fan.)

Be sure to poke, feel and carefully look at the seats, controls and all the interior surfaces. Open up and play w/the cubbies and glove compartment. Also note some of the features available on luxury cars unavailable on the Prius like massage seats, rear foot rests, power tilt and telescoping steering wheels, memory power seats, cooled seats, wood grain trim, stitching on the dash, power rear window shades, doors that you don't need to slam, etc. Play around w/the stereo of luxury cars too listening to some GOOD music.

If you have a chance, drive some of the luxury cars w/smooth engines and take them on the highway. Accelerate moderately on the highway and note the engine noise, harshness and vibration compared to your Prius. Punch it and note the acceleration vs. your Prius. (Even a Lexus ES should be good enough of a test for this.)

Most Lexus (maybe not the HS, which I had a week free test drive of) tend to isolate the driver from road, are pretty quiet and have a smooth ride.

 

Did you hear that sound?

It sorta sounded like a whooosh....

It was the point of this thread flying cleanly over your head...

 

Relatively. A good word. Some of you need to look it up.... (It is amazing how some kids these days just don't get it....)

Trust you? What do you know? How many luxury cars have you OWNED?? (aka not mommy's or daddy's, but actually owned?) Do you even own a G3??

How many of your post on this subforum is to put down G3?

How many luxury cars have what the Prius provides??

And please re-read OP's post...it does wonders to try and understand it BEFORE posting crap...because it only makes you look dumb.

 

Wow...remind me how much those luxury car costs?? And how many of the cars you mentioned are HYBRIDS? Acceleration? You're comparing a Lexus LS (BMW 7) vs. a Prius in acceleration and how smooth it is?? Well, if you have to take it up that high in the luxury quotient to compare it with the 7 series, S-class, and LS, then the Prius has done well for itself!!

Notice how your one exception (HS250h) is a HYBRID.

(BTW, you need to get a better sense of luxury...not all luxury cars have good stereo system.... BMW HK system has been notoriously bad...i have not driven the newest 7-series, but the previous gen wasn't anything to look forward to. Lexus ES base stereo suck to no end.)

 

I was merely responded to the OP's statement "felt like a luxury car (as if I know what one feels like haha). Leather seats, NAV, the whole shabang..." There's wasn't any qualification as to the price. Of course ALL of them cost more than a base Prius and all, if not all cost more than a Prius w/leather.

Having the OP look at fairly high end luxury cars really makes the differences stand out. That's the only reason why I mentioned it. It's not to imply that a Prius is comparable in luxury to say a Lexus ES.

I've driven numerous luxury cars (including a S600 and BMW 7-series) but mostly only on closed tracks. I've taken BMWs up to the 5 series, a Lexus ES and Acura TL on the open road, some on the highway. I've done what I've asked the OP to do in tons of luxury cars at auto shows.

My former 255 hp 02 Nissan Maxima had plenty of power and a very smooth ride (some reviews have described the ride as "Lexus like"). Perhaps the suspension was too soft as its handling was awful compared to my Z. The engine was fairly good in the NVH department unless pushed hard.

I've heard some pretty good stereos in various Mercedes and some Lexuses (not their base stereos). Unfortunately, at most auto shows, Lexus seems to disable their stereos.

The HS that I had for a week and put over 800 miles on had a 4-banger (only Lexus I can think of that does), so it's not as good in the NVH department as 6 and 8 cylinder engines. Its ride isn't as smooth as that of the ES. The base stereo sounded worse than the "premium" stereo in my 2nd gen. However, its interior quality was FAR better than any Prius. It did have heated and cooled seats w/memory power seats and had some cool telematics features like Lexus Enform w/concierge. It didn't have the package that included LKA, DRCC, IPA, wide-view front monitor, LED headlights, swiveling headlights, HUD and so on.

 

That's great to hear mikewithaprius. May be I should drive a Gen III for the heck of it. I always wondered, why did you name it Wentworth?

 

Please read the bolded words...for better understanding of what the OP was implying.

Well, your stereo taste may be jaded by your G2's bad JBL system...because Mercedes BOSE (in the older models) were less than spectacular! Their more recent HK offerings are better...and thus, as MB is getting more competitive in the car audio department, they are now relying on HK rather than BOSE.

But, I am going off-topic....

 

LMAO....no doubt.

 

My 2010 feels like a luxury car, too, compared to everything else I've owned -- and it's only a II!

 

Here we go again .......

 

luxury or not, it's just personal preferences, expectations, POV ...

 

Have you ever listened to Conway Twitty? He's the bee's knees. I think he's gonna be a big star someday!

The Prius is in no way a luxury car...that's for sure, and I think Mike w/Prius knows this. He was just making a tongue in cheek comment regarding the comparison of his Gen II and the Gen III (I'm guessing a V with the advanced techno package). If he's driving a lower model Gen II, then compares that to the top of the line Gen III, I'm sure the difference is pretty spectacular.

All that said, I would never compare My Gen III V with the 07 Infiniti G35S I had. I used to go for rides in that car when my back hurt because the seats felt so good...it was my "therapy" car. lol I loved how when I would push the start button all the mirrors, drivers seat, and steering wheel would automatically return to the programmed settings. The stereo was wonderful, it was very quick, but quite refined. I may never own another luxury car, but I wanted to be able to say that I owned one at least once in my life. I can now check that one off the ol' bucket list.