Prius-my opinion- My feelings after 4-5k miles (negative) sorry.

32K,

Could you elaborate on the ride quality/road noise of your Prius? I once rented a Prius (Gen II) and the first thing that I noticed was the road noise. The same roads I had been traveling in relative serenity in my Subaru Legacy were now talking to me with loud bumps and thumps. The same tar strips, cracks and bumps that the Legacy muted down to a tolerable level were announcing their presence in a startling way. I was left wondering if there was ANY sound-deadening material in the car, as the sound was clear and sharp right through the floorboards.

Is this a fairly accurate description of the road noise, or can you better describe it?

Thanks.

 

In my whole life I has had 4 Fiat, 2 VW, 1 Audi, 1 Renault and 2 Toyota. Never I knew better only Toyota: in Belgium 5 years of full cover of origin, only Kia offers 7 years.
The most expensive was the Audi and Audi was the manufacturer with the least good on the level of guarantee : these people do not like what is free and money costs them.

 

Honestly, I don't feel that the vinyl quality in my 2010 ES is really any different than that in my 2003 ES...it has a different texture and grain, but its not slippery and shiny and feels thick and good quality.

 

I agree with you in some ways, but to be fair...you are the one who came in here not simply voicing your opinion, but being very rude, derisive and posting what basically is a flamebait thread. There's expressing your opinion, and saying how you feel and calling anyone who disagrees with you an idiot that doesn't know what they are talking about. You did the latter.

And 7 years driving experience. That makes you, what, 23? Definitely an expert to be sure! .

 

Yes, that's a pretty accurate description. Rides like a Lexus on smooth road, but on rough road it's a different animal.

I'll have to check out the 2010 ES, as you said it's a step up from the previous generation. The 2010 RX350 definitely has cheap feeling vinyl just like found in the Prius.

 

Again, that's a completely normal braking behavior for the Prius, or any cars with regenerative braking for that matter. If you don't like how it is, I suggest you get rid of it.

 

How do you know the "alignment is fine" have you had it checked? Just because it doesn't pull one way or the other and the steering wheel is straight doesn't mean the alignment is fine. Things can be very wrong with the alignment and the symptoms are pretty much what you describe. Unless you have had it on and alignment machine and had it checked you can't know for sure.

Being light does not make a car unstable, I have owned some older British sports cars that weighed less than 2000 pounds and were very stable under virtually any highway condition. Stability has a lot more to do suspension design, tires, and aerodynamics than weight.

Also consider that others have the same version of Prius that you do and have no stability problems, this points to problems with your car. I had a Gen2 Prius that had been damaged in shipment and was very unstable because of the damage. After it was fixed it was as good on the highway as any Prius of that generation.

 

Personally, I interperet "junk" to mean that the vehicle is only worth its scrap value. Funny thing about that is earlier this year the government defined what is a "clunker" and they used sodium silicate to destroy the engines and off the the junkyards they went. Low fuel economy was a major factor in to qualify as a clunker. Luxury and comfort didn't save these cars from the junkyards.

 

Because he's 23...obviously comes from a privileged background and knows everything.

 

Again per http://www.edmunds.com/media/advice...nce.programs/free.maintenance.spreadsheet.gif from http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/146906/article.html:

Audi -1st scheduled maint at 5K miles or 1 year, whichever comes first, confirmed via Audi of America > Owners > Warranty and Insurance > Audi New Vehicle Limited Warranty. http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/27/audi-ends-maintenance/ mentions 4 year/50K mile "free maintenance" ended w/the 2007 model year.

Mercedes: zip. They ditched "free maintenance". Per http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041031/news_mz1d31benz.html, it was ditched starting w/2005 model years.

Volvo: Yes, still has 5 years "free maintenance". Apparently, they've gone back/forth on this too. See http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/23/volvo-bringing-back-free-maintenance-program/.

Again "free maintenance" doesn't come from thin air. One's paying for in the price of the car.

 

Didn't get your drivers license at 16 then?

The rest is implied.

 

You've mentioned in another thread that you live in a very rich area and are "over 25."

 

The Model T was as close as we've come to one car for everyone. But you know eventually people wanted choice. Lots of choices. Some people like soft-riding, loose-driving luxury land yachts. Some people like barely street legal sportscars. I love my Prius. It fits my style. I don't expect it or want it to fit everyone's style. Matter of fact I love my Gen II so much I joined the large bunch adding a Gen III to their household.

 

Gen3 prius is over 3,000lbs. I don't consider it a light car.