Do any other models inspire such hatred?

It would be interesting to know which car that message board was devoted to. I have never encountered these sorts of responses from anyone in real life, though I am aware that on line there are people who feel that way.

If the car which that board was devoted to was any kind of SUV (or if the people giving those responses were SUV owners), I'd explain their reaction as their intense psychological need to justify their ownership of a vehicle that is impractical for city use, and horribly expensive to maintain and operate.

People hate to feel they have made a poor decision, so they invent reasons to justify their choices. And an irrational insistence that Prius is not really economical is an easy way to justify their own SUV, which costs them so much for gas.

Again, whenever I talk to people about my Prius, they marvel at what a great car it is, and often express regret that their own car is so inferior.

 

Not many things bother people more than being called out on faulty logic. There are people that would like to think they are doing their most to help the environment, support the troops, etc. Yet they draw the line at owning an SUV or other gass guzzler. They absolutely must have that SUV. The CNW report and other Prius myths allow them to complete the mental gymnastic to justify not owning a Prius. Deep down they know is BS and that angers them.

 

First of all it's not hatred! It's opinion.

Why do "Prius" people think SUVs are impractical? Mine was great. I could see better then most drivers, I didn't have to worry about road debris much, and my vehicle could handle just about any weather. The -only- downside was the fuel use.

I'm not saying I don't think my Prius us really really nice, because it is.

What I am saying is don't start thinking the SUV or miniVan owners hate you, because it sometimes appears the opposite is also true.
Both vehicles have their place.

Prius just happens to be ascending while heavy fuel use vehicles are descending as fuel costs increase.

 

Awww, they're just jealous! :lol:

I imagine the Hummer H2 is probably more hated than the Pri, so most people seem to have their priorities right.

It doesn't bother me--I just let them think what they want and I try not to brag. I just pretend I'm just driving a normal car.

I still haven't admitted on the "other" board www.colorado4x4.org that my daily driver is a Prius. They still think hybrids are a scam. It's alright.

I've never felt any animosity torward Prii from any other source other than the internet. The only impressions I've gotten in real life are neutral or positive.

Eric

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pyccku @ May 28 2007, 07:27 AM) [snapback]450953[/snapback]</div>

I think it is pretty strange as well. Rightly or wrongly, I think there are several reasons the car seems to engender hostility. For one, some people honestly believe that it is an elitist car considering the price premium that must be paid for a significant but not dramatic mileage gain. Their point is further supported by the argument that there are ICE cars that get good mileage, e.g. Honda Civic DX, that don't command the same premium and may be easier to maintain and accelerate more quickly regardless of the other design weaknesses. Also, I've seen criticisms of the behavior of hypermilers holding up traffic as they accelerate too slowly for their fellow drivers. Aside from all of the perspectives you pointed out, it doesn't seem to matter if the opinions are supportable or not. Clearly if someone claims that I should purchase a car produced by a company whose corporate headquarters is located in the US, they lack a fundamental understanding of the Amercan economy and multi-national corporations on several levels. I think ultimately these people are responding based on a lot of other emotional factors that you'll never see from their posts. This is after all the internet and any moron that can register on a board has a voice and doesn't have to agree to have a reasoned discussion with you.

 

There can be a backlash, due to popularity. The Prius has become the poster child of the "we care about the environment and you don't" idea...at least, in the eyes of an SUV owner. It makes them think you're better than them, and they don't like that.

 

The only vehicle type that receives MORE UNdue criticizm is Electric Vehicles. And much of that criticizm comes from hybrid drivers.

And yes, I hear this hybrid criticizm in person as well as online.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pyccku @ May 28 2007, 07:27 AM) [snapback]450953[/snapback]</div>

And on this... the major downside for me is that I've now sent the "pocket-book" message that I'm happy with a car that still uses gasoline. I've struggled with that one for quite some time. If I buy, does it say, "I want the best, cleanest gasoline vehicle you're making, so please keep working toward ZERO gasoline?" Or does my vote say, "This is exactly what I'm looking for. Please keep making gasoline cars that at least get reasonable mileage?"

For me the Prius is just one small step back toward where we were eleven years ago, and where we should have been 20 years ago. I don't want any car maker to think that I'm satisfied with a teeny tiny bit of electric drive in my gasoline car.

 

I believe a sizable portion of the population are terrified by the Prius. Remember how many people were scared of computers just a few years ago? People are afraid of hybrids because they are new technology. They are afraid hybrids may put their favorite marque out of business, and they're right.

Harry

 

"Change is bad! change is BAD" says the group of old white guys smoking cigarettes in a small room attempting to control the world!

 

EVs have been around much longer than most people realise. Electric vehicles predate both gasoline and diesel motors, and were first produced experimentally in the 1830s. Diesel-electric railway locomotives are hybrids, and largely replaced steam in the 1930s.

 

nothing causes one to talk more loudly and with more assertiveness than JEALOUSY and IGNORANCE.

Never, I repeat, NEVER have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.... :lol:

 

I think the biggest problem is that people just don't understand hybrids. The Prius happens to be the most popular, and thereby the most visible hybrid, so it is going to be the one people tend "bash". I think for the most part that people have a lot of misconceptions about hybrids and turn that misunderstanding into mistrust.

A good example of this happened to me yesterday. We were over at a friends house for a Memorial Day party. Someone commented on the Prius and one of my friends immediately started on a tirade about how stupid it was to own such an untested technology. He also said that he had read that hybrids only get good gas mileage for the first year and that they then revert back to about 30 MPG.

Of course, this is coming from a guy who's father had worked for GM his whole working life and was now reaping the benefits of their generous union health care and pension. My friend had also worked his way through college by working as a night security guard at the local Chrysler plant. So, his general attitude is that any foreign car is crap. Ironically, he drives a Chevy Tracker which is made by Suzuki, but just try to argue the logic of that with him!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ May 28 2007, 02:17 PM) [snapback]451045[/snapback]</div>

I agree. The ignorance is huge.
Here is a case in point from the Mazda3 board:

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=77414.0


I can see if they say handling & looks are not their cup of tea. But then to follow up with a bunch of uninformed 'lies' is just plain stupid.

 

There are a number of powerful tools to help cut through all the intentional slander & misleading that goes on in the WWW (wild, wild, web) land.

This forum is obviously one of them. But unfortunately, you have to be a participant-type personality to even seek out the treasure it provides. Nonetheless, the wealth of information available is spread among a population.

My own website attracts a different type of online inquisitive person, helping to reach further into the general market. The USER-GUIDE is among the most popular features. With over 300,000 downloads, I'm quite pleased and always open to update suggestions (hint hint).

As for the hate itself, that's part of life. Do your best to learn from it.

 

offtopic, sorry:
Hey John. I did download your user guide and found it VERY useful. I was wondering if you could put in pros and cons of inflating the tires on the prius. Also, if you know of a guide similar to yours for the civic hybrid II, that would be nice.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MickeyA @ May 28 2007, 02:30 PM) [snapback]451052[/snapback]</div>

That link was quite humorous. I really got a kick out of the guy that posted, "if you want to make a statement, buy a Prius." Where do these people come up with this stuff?

Seriously though, I would love to see some demographics on Prius owners. From my guess, we would tend to be a bit older, well-educated and have household incomes that were above the median. I am basing this on the fact that most of us made a very logical purchase versus an emotional one. You buy a Prius for the benefits, not for the features.

 

How is it any different than people saying they want an SUV on here? Remember the thread where someone said that they were dismayed their adult daughter wanted an SUV and the backlash that got, people saying she was selfish and vain and trying to come up with ways that the poster could curtail his adult daughters freedom simply to stop her from buying what she wanted. It was actually quite pathetic. I've been called non-environmental simply because I wouldn't ever choose a Prius as my own car. I've also been called "part of the problem" because I drive a ULEV sedan that gets 25MPG by the members of this board.

On here sometimes it seems ANY model thats not a Prius inspires hatred.

More to your point, I bet that was an american car or SUV forum. I'm active on a Lexus board and on a couple other japanese centered boards and the reaction to the Prius is not that way.