first drive of a conventional car

Ooooh yeah...

Feels like you're going back to an archaic time doesn't it?

Sort of like having to build a fire instead of using a stove...

h34r:

 

Kinda felt like an M1 Abrams did it?

 

I drove a V6 Alero last weekend, and had to merge onto a somewhat busy highway (Route 22 in NJ). I punched it, like I have to do with the Prius, and was somewhat shocked to find that I was going way faster than I thought.

 

I keep my '92 Chevy Blazer to drive in bad winter weather. As DC is expecting snow, ice, sleet, rain today, I decided to leave Cousin Preesee in the drive and take the Blazer today.

I felt liberated. I did not care if other cars would not let me merge, I just turned the wheel and said, "hit me if you dare". The Blazer is cannon fodder. It's job is to protect Queen Prius from the fools on the road.

But, they are night and day to drive.

jrohland

 

I drove my Ford F-150 club cab long-bed today for the first time since I got my Prius at the beginning of Nov. They are forcasting snow turning to ice and I have OEM's on the Prius. The truck has 4x4, so it got elected this morning...

What a shock!! I had forgotten how BIG this thing was... 'Big Blu' jumped out of the driveway :huh: and screamed down the road (don't you just LOVE that sound of a 5.4L when it's cold - it literally roars!!).. The brakes felt way low - not nice and crisp like 'Lil Blu'

Then I found that my son had left me with about 1/8 tank of gas :angry: - OH NOOOO $43.50 to fill up ($2.039 per gal). A bit of a shock after the $16.00 I paid the other day to fill Lil Blu!!

After all this - it better darn well snow!! <_<

 

Did you notice that the ICE will not stop no matter how hard you press on the brake peddle? My leg still aches from the last time I drove my Explorer. You actually have to take the key out of your pocket and not just put it in but turn it? How quaint.

 

This is what happens when you go from a CVT to a normal tranny, if you've driven any other CVT-only (non-hybrid) type car before.

 

When I was driving my wife's Mazda MPV the other day, I noticed that every time I started from a stop, I would give the car too much gas based on the training that I've gotten from my Prius, so the MPV would jump. The trip was too short to get over it, but I chalk it up to the way that the gas pedal wiring on the Prius is set up...

I don't know if really is linear, but there are a lot more things that I do with the Prius near the "off" position of the gas pedal than I do on a conventional car...like as soon as I reach cruising speed with the Prius, I let up on the gas pedal to see if I can get into the high gas mileage area. If I did that with a conventional car, it would just slow down...So it makes sense that they would make the gas pedal ramp up more slowly on a Prius (if you know what I mean).

Anyways they seem to have optimized the action of the wired Prius gas pedal for feathering, etc., which is not an issue with a conventional car.

-Roger

 

On the rare occasions when I drive our tiny, ancient Tercel, I feel as though I'm in a WWI biplane. It makes lots more noise than the Prius, and the bumpy ride and nearness of the road make it seem as though it's really going fast, but not much is happening.

 

When I drive my wife's Windstar I always have to remember to that the door will not unlock unless I either insert the key or use the remote, nor will it start unless I insert and turn the key. Mind you, when I'm in reverse I don't hear a beep unless something is behind me.

 

I drove a Camry once when my Prius was in for a TSB, and some kind of Chevy on two occasions while travelling. The failure of the engine to shut off at stoplights, as any sensible car would do, was annoying and frustrating. In Hawaii I drove some kind of high-powered convertible. It was fun driving with the top open in the warm weather, and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed all that power... until I got the speeding ticket. After that, trying to hold the stupid thing back to 55 was frustrating. I was glad to get back to my Prius. (And Hawaii was not all it's cracked up to be. I'll take Mexico over Hawaii any day.) (I get the distinct impression that the Hawaiians do not appreciate our having taken over their little paradise and turned it into a tourist trap.)

 

I was born and raised on Kauai, one of the major Hawaiian islands.

Took my then boyfriend, now husband, from Kauai to Honolulu on his first visit to Hawaii three years ago. He dished Waikiki as "Miami East". Dan liked getting a taste of local life on Kauai, loved B&Bing on the Big Island of Hawaii and hiking around the volcanos, enjoyed playing mega-tourist on Maui (driving around in a Mustang, diving, whale listening and watching, eating all kinds of local junk, acting the big spender at resorts ).

But he hated Mexico, was afraid he'd caught hepatitis there. As his doctor told him, "Why anyone should want to go to a pestilent shit-hole like Mexico is beyond me."

Friends on the northeast coast ask if they should spend the money and go to Hawaii or visit the Caribbean. I ask them what they want to do (each island in Hawaii or the Caribbean is different) and then we go over the choices. Hawaii is usually too expensive. Folks get more bang for the buck in the Caribbean.

Very observant of you, to notice the transformation from paradise to tourist trap in Hawaii.
Don't feel any guilt about the bad feelings generated by tourism. Hawaii's residents chose to develop. They can complain about big business coming in and "ruining" everything but it was all legal and approved by their elected officials. A shame but that's the truth.

 

My husband and I own a 2005 Prius, "Foxy", and a 2004 2-door Honda Accord, "Big Red". Big Red has a souped up engine and whatever bells and whistles Dan could order. Big Red's engine thrums while idling.

When Dan drives Foxy, he complains about the lack of pickup, heated seats and sunroof.

When he drives Big Red, he misses the keyless system, instant computer feedback, and the NAV's sexy voice. He also misses the startled looks on SUV drivers' faces as he and Foxy fly by on the highway. He likes to use Foxy to rattle the doors on SUVs.

The last time I drove Big Red (Dan commandered her heated seats once the weather turned cold), I spun her wheels on our gravel driveway backing out of the garage. Was afraid I was going to ram the side of the doorway. The additional power definitely took some getting used to. Also noticed the engine running while waiting at lights. Foxy is so quiet!

 

Mod note:

The childish little flame war has been pruned from this thread. The two participants know who they are. Please take the bickering elsewhere.