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Prius Convertible Reviewed by Edmunds

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by sdtundra, Jun 4, 2008.

  1. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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    2008 Toyota Prius Convertible First Drive on Inside Line

    "No one has ever confused the Prius with a car that's thrilling to drive — at least not in the conventional manner. It's mild-mannered and ultimately a bit distant in the way it responds to you. Of course it does offer terrific utility and clearly superior fuel economy. If only Prius owners weren't so smug about the politically correct virtues they presume their cars to have."


    That last line angers me just a bit, but hey what do the Edmudns execs know cruising around in their big SUV's and sports cars.:rant:
     
  2. wchardin

    wchardin Senior Member

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    I remember seeing this a while back. It's still ugly.
     
  3. KAR IDEA

    KAR IDEA Member

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    I concur, "muy ororoso"...big time. I don't get this "smug" thing though. Smug as in "my car is better than your's"? Smug as in "my car causes less smug levels in the air"? What is this smug you speak of? Could it be that excitement at describing the benefits of hybrid technology is being mistaken for smugness?

    Is someone telling me how awesome their car is being smug?

    According to the Merriam-Webster to be smug is to be:
    1 : trim or smart in dress : spruce 2 : scrupulously clean, neat, or correct : tidy 3 : highly self-satisfied

    So that would be like...most of the population of the earth! Aha! Take that smug-hater!
    I for one am not smug, because I dress like a bum, I'm really wrong all the time, and am never satisfied with myself, ever. This is known as: Modest.

    :biggrin1:
     
  4. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Oh, come on now. Maybe the folks buying them now are just looking to pay less at the pump, but most PriusChatters are awfully smug about driving a car that goes twice as far on a gallon. We've had threads about it on PC. They really feel that they're part of the solution because they're burning a little less gas. I say we're part of the problem as long as we continue to burn gas.

    It's like paddling a canoe on a river and there's a waterfall up ahead. The SUV drivers are paddling as hard as they can towards the waterfall. Prius drivers are only paddling half as fast, but we're still paddling toward the waterfall.

    People who take mass transit are treading water. The current is carrying them towards the waterfall but at least they're not paddling towards it.

    The only people paddling away from the waterfall are those who are putting sustainable energy into the system, like Darell with his PV array that dumps excess electrons back into the grid.

    Many Prius drivers are indeed smug, and we have little reason to be.

    BTW, I think the Prius convertible is a poor idea. I am sure it detracts from the structural integrity of the car. But an electric convertible Porsche would be a fun car to drive.
     
  5. bac

    bac Active Member

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    What does that have to do with the auto review?

    I'm guessing that when they review a high-dollar sports car they don't make the statement:

    "If only {insert high dollar auto here} driver's penises weren't so small, they wouldn't have to buy a $100,000 car to compensate."

    ... Brad
     
  6. Kremtok

    Kremtok Smug Alert!

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    I'm still working on increasing my smugness. I'm having a hard time getting past the part where all of the other cars on the road are my own private joke. Maybe someday I'll be openly smug like a Prius owner apparently should be.
     
  7. burritos

    burritos Senior Member

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    Unlike the convertible waterfalls are pretty.
     
  8. BIGGDOGG

    BIGGDOGG New Member

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    It is still very ugly, if they were ever to go into production of a Prius convertible it might look better as a 2 door and without the window trim.
    I don't even want to get into the whole smug conversation or the whole buying sport cars to compensate for other things. but here goes a lil.. It is what it is, Some prius drivers are Smug, but most are not. I bought a prius because I loved the car and wanted good gas mileage. I don't feel I am superior to SUV/Hummer drivers in ways of thinking I am saving the enviroment. I do however think Hummers and the people who drive them are dumb. but c'mon! if your not in the military then you don't need to drive one.
     
  9. hampdenwireless

    hampdenwireless Active Member

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    The Prius "limo" looks good, its a shame this one does not. They would need to make some custom doors and windows to make a nice Prius convertible. $12000 is a lot of dough, customs from small companies have ran as low as $6000 in the recent past.
     
  10. MikeSF

    MikeSF Member

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    Compared to those whole religiously bike everywhere, or those who are blessed enough to live really close to where public transit takes them from point A to B without much headache, Prius owners are the most humble people on the planet Earth!
     
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Smug... They're probably the same people who feel that their smugness about driving an SUV and looking cool was taken away from them so they put the blame on us.
     
  12. briansabeans

    briansabeans New Member

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    The whole "smug" thing is ridiculous. Cars make people feel a certain way. When you seek out a particular car instead of just getting the first one that comes along which meets your needs, you are going to have a reason. Hummer fans feel powerful. Prius fans feel environmentally conscious. Unlike most car owners, we think about our vehicle's effect on the environment. This is called "smugness" by people who generally already don't care about the environment and hate so-called environmentalists. Other liberals might call us smug because deep down they know they don't want to think about their vehicle's effect on the environment.

    Now if I go around and start flipping the bird to everyone in an ICE only car, that's smug.
     
  13. chogan2

    chogan2 Senior Member

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    I'd say I'm more contemptuous of other cars than I am smug about the Prius. Because I think Daniel is basically right. Or, as some wit said a few weeks back in one of these threads, half a pack a day is still smoking. So it's not that I just think the Prius is the be-all and end-all of motoring, it's just that almost everything else is so lame by comparison. And the bigger and more wasteful the vehicle, the lamer it looks to me.
     
  14. Prius77094

    Prius77094 New Member

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    I feel for people when they are gassing up their guzzlers.
    That is why I got the Prius, so I don't get pissed off every time I go to the gas station. But I'm still not laughing when I leave.
     
  15. lbligh

    lbligh Member

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    The word "smug" is chosen to be offensive. I wish someone could do a universal find-and-replace in all Prius-related articles ever written, and replace "smug" with "tickled pink."
     
  16. Gilbert

    Gilbert Member

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    if only it didnt have the rear windor door frames, and the cover completely hid from view, it would look abit ok, but right now i wouldnt get one of those ugly things.