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WSJ: what a bunch of party poopers

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by pilotgrrl, Jan 6, 2018.

  1. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    Here's the Wall Street Journal review. Sounds like they might never have cared about the Prius. The comment about the high cost of maintenance due to having both an ICE and electric motor seems pretty ignorant to me.

    The article's free on Google Play Newsstand, subscription required at WSJ site. I'll see if I can find a free link somewhere.

    Toyota Prius Prime: America’s Most Popular Hybrid Lacks Energy - WSJ


    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  2. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    conservative rant, sell more oil.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Between the paywall and the childish/flippant/shallow tone of the article, it has little going for it. It's been linked here two~three times now, and I keep thinking, this is a far-cry from the Wall Street Journal of the "All the President's Men" era. :(
     
  5. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    16 mile avaerage? Were they testing on a race track? In Alaska? In winter?
     
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  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Did Mozart ever write a bad piece of music? I do not know if he had a clunker.
    Did WSJ ever write a bad article? Don't answer that.

    OK come on, it's refreshing to hear from an electrification advocate who is less over-the-top, blindly pro-plug-in for political reasons. I have never driven a Prime, but somehow car journalists place high value in cars that can go 0-60 in under 0.1 second. So it's hard to know if I agree with this guy. Regular Gen2 Prius is fantastic by me. Also he seems ignore comfort and room in the vehicle, Toyota reliability, wicked appearance, and the fact Toyota has a PHEV sales mandate to deal with from California.

    It feels like he is bored by a fantastic car because he wants a car that can win the Indy 500.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    he claims to be an ev advocate to make his assessment sound reasonable.
     
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  8. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Sound like he is in the upper scale of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

    He make way too much money and he thinks he is more important to the world than he actually is.

    Most people have trouble getting through the basic Food, Cloting, and Shelter part of their life.

    This guy obviously hasn't had to do any real work his whole life to worry about the price of gas or anything

    else for that matter.
     
  9. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Occum’s razor, don’t ascribe malice when incompetence will do.

    Bob Wilson
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Funny thing, I don't care much about the price of gas either. Partly, because we don't drive much, no matter what it's the smallest monthly expense. Still, I think good mpg is the new "game", replaced performance.
     
  11. A Prime Factor

    A Prime Factor Formerly "I want my PHEV"

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    Shouldn't that be Hanlon's razor?
     
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  12. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Thanks! I hadn't heard that before but it certainly fits.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  13. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    As others have pointed out, the WSJ (which always had a conservative slant, but was at least a solid paper) has become a shadow of its former self.

    For years the conservative opinion pages were kept separate from news coverage (as it should be), but this last year has seen that wall sadly fall, with major stories being killed because they didn't line up with the Editorial Board's political views, and many of the WSJ's better reporters quitting in disgust over it.

    Even though I'm far from conservative, I used to subscribe to the WSJ, as what's important to me is straight, unbiased reporting outside the editorial pages. Unfortunately, the WSJ has now abandoned those principles, and like many of their reporters, I've left them as well.

    I don't know how reporters quitting lately has affected their softer articles (living, style, car reviews) but the WSJ is no longer relevent as a reliable news source anymore -- regardless of their thoughts on the Prime. I don't give the WSJ another thought.
     
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  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Rupert Murdoch bought the WSJ in 2007.

    Enough said ...
     
  15. Waterobert

    Waterobert Junior Member

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    I had my prime advanced for less then a week, switched from Toyota Highlander, and I have to say that this article is big BS !!!
    I am very happy with my purchase. Car may not be very powerful, however it certainly is not underpowered!
    Range could be longer, however it is long enough for my work commute. I always get back home with 2-3 miles left.
    I think author doesn't know that Toyota Prius was always about best fuel efficiency and not about power !
     
  16. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    The worst Ev range I've ever managed was 21 miles when it was 12°F. That's a lot of highway and hill climbing too. The best I ever got was 35.5, almost all 55mph highway.

    To get 16 you'd probably have to drive with the parking brake on. Or go 80 everywhere.
     
  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I continue to get WSJ solicitations to subscribe. Now I can reply 'No, because ...'

    Bob Wilson
     
  18. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    The thing that irritates me about articles like this is how they compare the Prius to non-hybrid high performance cars. The Prius is not a roadster and I didn't buy it thinking it was. The Prius is not a muscle car, a Suburu WRX, or even a new Kia or Huyndai sports car. The Prius is what it is, a Hybrid. As for cost to maintain, I'm going into my 3rd year and all I have done is oil changes. Prius/Toyota haters are going to find a reason to "dis" Toyota. If you want power, go buy a car with it. If you want great gas mileage buy a car that has it. If you want a Hybrid, buy a hybrid.
     
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  19. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    BEV: I can't do this, I need an ICE because of range anxiety.
    PHEV: I don't like having an ICE, it's double maintenance with the battery system.
     
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  20. Old Bear

    Old Bear Senior Member

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    Well said!

    I thought Dan Neil's Wall Street Journal review was juvenile and written to play like "sports talk radio" rather than anything automotive. i.e., more for entertainment than information.

    For example, I have no idea what Dan was doing during his test drive -- or even if he actually took a test drive. He describes his acceleration experience:

    "These full-throttle exertions fill the cabin with the keening of engine, motors, transmission and power electrics, a chamber orchestra of mechanical lament."​

    My experience has been that even freeway driving at 70 mph is achieved in silent electric mode. One really has to jam down the pedal to get the gas engine to cut in, and even then its doesn't add much to the moderate tire and wind noise in the cabin.

    If you have access to the WSJ online, check out the reader comments. They're fascinating. When I last looked at about 11:30PM EST, there were 106 comments with only a few being positive toward the car. Most were along the lines of "I don't like the car, would never drive one, don't own one, and anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot!" Very little said about the actual car and the kind of use it is designed for.

    One typical comment:

    "I commute about 2 miles per day in my F150 4x4 but if I need to go on a business trip I've got 700 mile range in my 36 gallon fuel tank. No electric or hybrid can match that versatility and reliability."​

    It would have been nice to see an intelligent discussion of the car's virtues -- including its rather ingenious transaxle drive train -- and some objective comments on its short-comings.
     
    #20 Old Bear, Jan 7, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2018