Acceleration in a good way! Oh my!!!!

That's frigging awesome. The performance in terms of 0-60 for the Prius has been nothing but impressive for me as I've left a few people with slack jaws when needed.

People always assume that just cause it's a Prius means it doesn't have any get up and go but it does, and with very little complaint. I've heard of plenty of people beating down those 400+hp pickup trucks that always seem so keen to get ahead.

Glad to see others showing people what's up!

 

She can be quick off the line because you have 100% of the torque from the electric motor. I wouldn't call 0-60 in 10.1 seconds impressive. I have not noticed any difference in Fuel Economy with load but I do need to make a conscious effort to remember to slow down when cornering. 300 pounds of cargo really isn't much. One--two people can weigh that much.

 

Now you just gotta work on your response time (the time it takes for you to go after the light turns green). A little tip I have is when you know it's about to go green, slide your heel over to the right, under the gas pedal, with the ball of your foot still on the right edge of the brake, then when it turns green, you just have to pretty much barely slide and punch it at the same time. I beat everyone off the line out here... lol. I laugh at how much $$$ they put into their car but they can't beat my little Prius off the line. :/ So sad...

 

LOL Ok then...

 

If you want a really slow experience, go test drive a Smart car. Pulling out into traffic on a busy road with that tiny 3-cyl engine, semi-auto trans that cuts all power while it clutches and shifts, and rear window right behind your head all make for some scary viewing in the rearview mirror.

 

Hmm, maybe my context isn't clear. I believe it is very impressive for a car that is geared towards getting maximum MPG that Americans are willing to buy. The fact this car can beat many pickups who tend to think they accelerate and drive fast is what I find "impressive".

It's no glued-to-your-seat kind of fast, but it's got enough pep to contend with what you'll experience in a day to day drive. Most of us are focused on getting the maximum mileage possible, we forget that we can floor the pedal and get decent response.

 

Wait, what? They must of fitted the MY 12's with a larger engine.

 

The 0 - 20 mph and 0 - 30 mph times for the Prius are considered quite respectable due to the torque from the electric engine. After 30 mph, it has all the passing power of a mid 1980's family sedan.

1988 Ford Taurus (3.8L) 0-60 mph 9.2 Quarter mile 17.1

 

So drag racing is out of the question?

 

Instead of the quarter mile (0.25 mile), you can take them down the 0.025 mile!

Ownage!

 

I hate the 2 lanes that turn into one just after the light in my area. The pickup truck drivers are going Wth? Was that a Prius?!!! Of course its even more shamefull if a friend (girlfriend) is with them. LOL!!

 

Nope, just Prius drivers beating cars off the line that didn't know they were in a race. I know you know this, but for the others a Gen III does 0-30 in 3.0 seconds, that isn't quick. It also doesn't have enough torque off the line to break the front wheels lose.

A Prius is great car, there is no rational reason to attribute characteristics it doesn't possess to it.

 

I always find it interesting that I'm often the first one away from a light. I don't punch it, just firm steady pressure at ~60% throttle to keep it around the "hobbit" peak efficiency band of inst mpg = speed/2. Its definitely not press you into your seat fast, but if accelerating at peak efficiency is still faster than the average pull away speed of the average driver 0-60 times seem pretty irrelevant. I'm sure the Gen 3 is even better in this regard.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the fun of popping the clutch off the line on my WRX, but the mpg game is more fun IMHO. 52-53 mpg average is a lot more fun than 17mpg on premium when it comes time to fill up too.

Rob

 

Amen brother, couldn't have put it better.