Disadvantages of buying Prius?

I agree with most of whats been said here but want to disagree with a few folks regarding accelleration, getting up to speed to merge, passing, and all that.

I actually believe the Prius is the very best car I have ever owned in this respect, and my previous three cars were a VW GTI VR6, a Nissan Mixima V6, and VW Jetta 1.8 turbo. These are all powerful, fast cars, but none of them were as good as a Prius in real world driving. Becaue of the torque of the electric motor and the very responsive nature of the drive train (no shifting!), I am more comfotable passing in the Prius than any of the above. You all may think I'm crazy, but I've had my '04 prius for 50,000 miles and believe it is the quickest car I have ever driven in most real world driving situations. The downside is if the battery is drained, or if you there is a substantial hill, then the Prius struggles a bit and would not compare to the other cars. But this is not the norm, and I prefer the quickness of the Prius overall. I beleive it will kick a Camry's a_ _!

 

I currently drive both a v6 Camry and a Prius.

Camry's cargo space is nowhere near comparable to Prius, in space or flexibility. I don't care what the measured cubic footage is because in the Camry there are lumps at the wheel wells, the low ceiling in the trunk, and very narrow opening through the seats if you put them down. Prius is one big open space. It's ideal.

Camry has a bit more power, but the real question is, do you want a little bit more power, or 1/2 the cost in fuel consumption? I LOVE driving the Prius and feel like the power that the Camry gives me is all for show.

If anything, the slightly lower power of the Prius is a good thing because it makes me drive less aggressively, which reduces my stress level and the risk of accidents, and makes driving more fun! I've realized that 99.9% of times that I accelerate hard, I don't need to for safety or any other good reason. The 0.01% where safety is involved, the Prius handles it flawlessly.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Justin30519 @ May 9 2007, 09:38 PM) [snapback]438765[/snapback]</div>

(Acceleration) - Acceleration is great for city driving and respectable. Highway acceleration is tolerable, but the 45-51 mpg I normally get on the highway is well worth it. (I've made long trips averaging 65mpg on highway!)

(Batteries) - Panasonic is company that makes the batteries for the Prius... Panasonic and Toyota shops have confirmed that most batteries will hit 250,000 to 300,000 without needing a replacement.

(Hatchback Space) - Space is great and ample but it's not as much as Camry, go bring all you stuff to a dealer and open up a Prius and try it out. HINT: remove the rugs in the trunk and remove floorboards there is a dugout area with will help you cram more stuff into the trunk.

(Comfort) - This car is very comfortable, even better than the Camry. Unless you have more than 4 people, the middle rear seat is horrible.

(Extended Warranty) - DO NOT waste your money, unless you like to stain the fabric in your car. Very few Priuses have any problems.

My prius is just shy of a year old with 72,000 miles and it runs like new, not even an odd squeak.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Justin30519 @ May 9 2007, 09:38 PM) [snapback]438765[/snapback]</div>

(Acceleration) - Acceleration is great for city driving and respectable. Highway acceleration is tolerable, but the 45-51 mpg I normally get on the highway is well worth it. (I've made long trips averaging 65mpg on highway!)

(Batteries) - Panasonic is company that makes the batteries for the Prius... Panasonic and Toyota shops have confirmed that most batteries will hit 250,000 to 300,000 without needing a replacement.

(Hatchback Space) - Space is great and ample but it's not as much as Camry, go bring all you stuff to a dealer and open up a Prius and try it out. HINT: remove the rugs in the trunk and remove floorboards there is a dugout area with will help you cram more stuff into the trunk.

(Comfort) - This car is very comfortable, even better than the Camry. Unless you have more than 4 people, the middle rear seat is horrible.

(Extended Warranty) - DO NOT waste your money, unless you like to stain the fabric in your car. Very few Priuses have any problems.

My prius is just shy of a year old with 72,000 miles and it runs like new, not even an odd squeak.