Do I look slower in my prius?

So far I haven't noticed any more of that sort of mistreatment than I did with my Subaru Forester. For some reason the old Ford Explorer I had to drive for six months seemed to really attract that kind of unkind behavior.

I've only had my Prius two weeks now, so I reserve the right to change my opinion later.

 

I really noticed that happening in the first few weeks I was driving my Prius, but then again being a new car, maybe I was more cautious than normal.

What I notice is as I am going to work, I drive a divided highway with a speed limit of 55. I set my cruise control at 55 - 58 and people blow by me like I am standing still. 90% of the time, I end up catching up to these people at a stop light. So is driving that fast really getting them to their destination any sooner?? I just don't understand people who feel they need to hurry, hurry, hurry when they are driving.

"Slow and Steady Wins the Race"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(spideyman @ May 18 2007, 03:16 PM) [snapback]445095[/snapback]</div>

What I've noticed is that my front end IS smaller than my other car AND I can't see the end of it so it SEEMS like people are coming much closer to me than they really are. I'm starting to get used to the actual size of this car. When I first got it and pulled into a space, I thought I had gone all the way into it so would shut off the car and get out only to find that I still had 2-3 feet left in front of me. That is why I wish they had a height-adjustable seat. Or a front-end camera. Or I was taller!

 

I was driving a city street today following a bus, and some idiot pulls out of a shopping center completely cutting me off as if I wasn't there, I had to seriously slam on the brakes to avoid rear-ending her...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bendial @ May 18 2007, 08:03 PM) [snapback]445334[/snapback]</div>

I’ve notice that these four bangers want to race me now that I’m in a Prius. : :blink:
I did not have these problems in the Pontiac Grand Prx GTP with a supercharger. Well when I did I made short order of them

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius Toric @ May 18 2007, 11:05 AM) [snapback]445087[/snapback]</div>

2 weeks with a new Prius here too! I notice the same thing! People cut me off and ride my nice person all day, it really irritates me, but then I realize how much it costs them to drive like a maniac, so then I just laugh and shake my head and then i drove even slower.

 

I sometimes think that people are riding my nice person too.
When I back up without relying on the camera I think that I'm close to an object but when I look at the camera I still have lots of room. I have stopped where I think my visual stop should be and low and behold I could have backed up some more. Leads me to believe that people aren't as close to my nice person as they appear.
I think it would be cool to have it so you could flip on the backup camera to check and see how close they really are!!!

 

ive noticed people passing me faster... but its because now im doing a lil over the speedlimit vs. when I used to just plow thru the speed limit.

I think its mostly just because we arent pressing the gas as fast.. and slowly climbing up to the speed limit for better gas savings, vs stepping on it and being at 45 in 5 seconds...

 

You need to have a Barcelona Red Metalic prius they go faster

 

At first I spent too much attention on my screen, now I'm back to passing people and I'm getting better gas mileage, go figure.

 

actually every day i see people who are behind me on a multi-lane road and they will zoom around me just to slam on their brakes to avoid rear-ending someone because i am coasting up to a stop light. i just laugh at them knowing that they think they accomplished something while we both sit waiting for the light to change, me at 56 mpg, them at probably 14 mpg.

 

I have noticed the very same thing.

I have also noticed that people do ride my nice person, and I am a fast driver.

I have also noticed that people do want to race the Prius, even one of my friends noticed it.

It is weird.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bastcat8 @ May 18 2007, 05:33 PM) [snapback]445358[/snapback]</div>

when i'm at a light and someone is too close, i actually have thrown it in revers, just to see how close they really are, it's funny to see their face when the lights come on and they are up my sphincter. HILARIOUS

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius Toric @ May 18 2007, 02:05 PM) [snapback]445087[/snapback]</div>

The car has a very small visual footprint. It's the lines and shape of the car. I think this is why people are so amazed at the interior room. The car is like a stealth aircraft. It just says, "Don't mind me, I'm not really here."

You might try driving with at least your parking lights on if you don't have DRL.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ May 18 2007, 09:07 PM) [snapback]445378[/snapback]</div>

You are comparing apples to oranges. There is huge different in driving for mpg and dynamic driving for pleasure of feeling the power. The latter has absolutely nothing to do with how much time it takes to get from A to B or how much gas the car burns. You don't expect someone driving Corvette to be constantly watching for better gas mileage. Or someone in Prius negotiating 270 degress ramp at 60 mph.

 

I have noticed similar behavior. Last week on my way to work, a woman in an SUV (all by herself, of course, and she needs an SUV) was riding my nice person at 70mph (I was 5mph over the limit). She decides to get even closer to my bumper before she moves over to accelerate past me, only to slam on her breaks less than 30 seconds later behind a semi truck. My lane slowed down but kept moving, and as I slowly passed her she stuck her arm out of the window and flipped me off!!! What on earth did I do to her? I stayed in my lane, drove my speed, and did nothing to her either way. She inflicted this upon herself.

A few weeks ago I was stopped on the freeway in traffic, merging to an onramp, and a car about 1/8 mile behind me didn't see the jam and was going 55mph and then slammed on his breaks -- you could see smoke -- and I was right in line to be smashed. There was nobody next to me, so I zoomed out of the way into the median and he came to a complete stop in exactly the spot where I had been previously. If I hadn't moved out of the way, I would have been toast.

I am starting to think, with some people, that they perceive a reality distortion field surrounding our vehicles. They perceive us to be hippies or these "green" people who only shop at organic markets and wear hemp underwear. I don't know, but behavior does seem to change around me when I drive my Prius. Then again, maybe I just notice things more when I'm settled into my car at a set speed and don't find the need to take out my daily frustrations on the driver next to me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LazyBear @ May 19 2007, 09:36 AM) [snapback]445692[/snapback]</div>

that is one possible way to look at the scenario i described i guess. the way i chose to look at it is irresponsible and reckless driving on the other person's part. i chose to not comment or speculate on the pleasure the other driver experienced when passing me.

another thing i chose not to look at is someone driving an overweighted top heavy vehicle in a manner suited to a sports car...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusBoyAZ @ May 19 2007, 03:33 PM) [snapback]445769[/snapback]</div>

I haven't noticed any different treatment in the month and a half since I moved from a Focus to my Prius, but then again, here in Boston, what you describe above is normal behavior for pretty much everybody (people here were shocked this week when Boston was only rated third on a list of cities with the rudest drivers - behind New York, even, and you know that hurts!)

 

I noticed that the prius doesn't have daytime running lamps. So it makes it harder for me to see.