Prius Envy / Prius Rage

I live South of the Mason Dixon line. I drive a Prius. I am a great grandmother. Never had a problem with other drivers due to my vehicle. Just because we live in the South doesn't mean we are redneck fools. BTW I love my Prius!

Liz

 

I found that when being tailgated for a period of time, it's time to use my windshield washer to really clean my windshield, over and over again.

 

My experience in my 18 years of driving is that 90% of the time regardless of which vehicle I am driving the person in my way is generally always an old person who looks like they are likely in their retirement years and never in a hurry to get anywhere. Ironically (at least in Ohio the state of a bunch of corn fed hillbillies) the Prius generally mostly appeals to retirees and in my 6 years of ownership I have rarely seen anyone who looks sub 50 years old driving one. I think the Prius is quickly just replacing the large Buicks, Mercury's, and Crown Vic's of yesterday and becoming the vehicle of choice for old people. The Camry has to be right up there with it though because those are always in my way as well.

 

I also suffer from this disturbing phenomenon in London UK too. When travelling along dual or triple way carriages, in free traffic I tend to switch to Cruise Control mode (I get great MPG that way) and always stay in the slow lane ensuring I can be passed if need be. Nonetheless, there are those dimwits that always tailgate me, urging me to go faster (I don't). I tend to completely ignore then and continue on my merry way. The irony is them eventually thundering past me at twice the speed of sound and 2 miles down the road, in heavily congested traffic, I'm somehow silently gliding past them all on electrical power with a fully charged HV battery to boot. Yes, actually I do have the most annoying SMUG look on my face!

 

Data I see you and raise you this lol:

How about when you come on someone in the fast lane and there chugging along so you move over and slowly pull up next to them to pass.
Meanwhile there' another car coming up fast in the fast lane. Instead of that guy staying on the chugger in the fast lane they switch over and tailgate me in the slow lane. Demanding I speed up and make a space for him.

When I see that I just sit there.

 

Mostly yes. I drive faster on fwy a bit though. I don't jack rabbit start from lights in either vehicle.

 

This sounds suspiciously like you did something to P him O, and since you were unaware that you did so, you are assuming it is because of your car. Even idiots like the guy you described have at least some reason for foaming at the mouth.


That said, I hope his engine falls out.

 

Yup! I've actually experienced that once or twice on the way to work. I usually try to stay in the slow lane when I'm conserving fuel during my regular commute but the behaviour of some of those asinine drivers has to be seen to be believed.

I've been amusing myself by using google to visit web sites dedicated to half-wits who hate the Prius and its drivers with a passion verging on the pathological. I am happy to say my amusement comes from the "convenient untruths" they spout with all the intelligence of a potted plant. "Moronii in extremis" (made up Latin but you get the idea) . I'm fascinated by people who simply refuse to educate themselves about one of the most amazing vanguards in modern automobile technology - a 21st century icon in its own right!

Sadly, these misguided people prefer to hate on advanced technology they literally cannot comprehend. I am reminded of those Simians in the opening scene of that equally iconic movie - 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yes, those proto-humans milling around the Black Monolith in a state of utter confusion and unbridled bewilderment.

Incidentally, the first time I saw the "dashboard" of the Prius II, I was immediately reminded of the "flight deck" of the Orion Space Plane from the same movie. I still am...!!

 

Boy, did I cop "the raging finger of damnation" from some seriously outraged BMW 3 Series Cabriolet driver who turned puce with rage and was as irate as a provoked Hornet about to deliver the sting of death. This late afternoon, I was silently cruising through a narrow street designed with wide pavements for the passengers exiting from the local Tube Station (Stonebridge).

The BMW Bully was right up the tailpipe of my Prius, frantically trying to coerce me to go much faster through an area teeming with pedestrians walking away from the Station. I was travelling at about 18mph - it was a one way street, so keeping to a 20mph speed seemed logical. I turned a tight corner and as I approached a raised pedestrian crossing right in front of the station, coasting soundlessly in stealth mode, some old bearded dude exited from the station and made out to stride across the pedestrian crossing. Not sure if he'd heard of even seen me. I came to a halt to avoid wiping him out.

BMW Brute lost it completely!!! His hand went for the horn, beeping viciously as if I'd stopped in the middle of an empty narrow road to read a map or comb my hair. Mr Dumkopff was totally oblivious to the safety of all the pedestrians milling around. Good heavens!! He had a BMW 325 Cabrio - with twin exhausts no less and I was robbing him of a chance to show off by roaring past them all at breakneck speed while snarling "Powerrrrrrrt...!!!!". What a dumbo. So, I stayed at 20mph once I got moving again. Finally, risking a frightful accident with an oncoming car the "Deathwish Dimwit" spotted an entirely unsafe spot to get past me, and floored it. Yes, he narrowly and of course quite dangerously made it past me, while waving his fist at me with the obligatory finger extended. He then tore around a roundabout and flew up the road driving not unlike "Toad of Toad Hall". I caught up with him about 45 seconds later without trying, sticking to the 30mph speed limit on this wider road. I stood in traffic behind him. There was nowhere for him to "Powerrrrrr...!!!" off to now. The fool sat there, his right hand supporting his BIG head. I could see him peeping through his side mirror at me - wondering if he might have offended the local drug lord. Now he looked positively sheepish. Where was he speeding to exactly? I sat with a kingly disregard behind him for 5 minutes, then turned into a side road and silently floated off home out of sight. What a chump!!

 

I had a young "lady" on my tail yesterday afternoon...back roads in North Carolina. I was doing 5 over the posted limit. I know the road very well and knew that there were sharp S turns and a few off camber turns coming up so I gave her an education. Contrary to popular belief, The Prius is not a bad handling car. When she caught up to me in a couple of miles, she didn't tailgate again. And I had some fun in the process. Thank you, redneck "lady" driving the Avalanche. You made my afternoon complete.

 

My wife and I own a 2013 Prius, which we've had since April. We drive it every day and neither of us has ever experienced any kind of rage, Prius-related or otherwise. We live in Sarasota, FL, where some of the drivers have issues, but rage isn't one of them.

 

In Nor Cal I get someone at least 2 times a week no further then a foot from my rear end on the freeway. What I want to do I can't, but what I would like to build in, or use on the later models, is an app that would utilize the camera and take a picture of the plate showing the distance and noting the speed as well. A quick photo flash might just put the scare into their reckless driving.

 

There's nothing scarier than travelling along at the stipulated MPH for a particular highway (in the "slow lane" - allowing others to pass you freely, I hasten to add), and observing in your rear mirror a humongous Heavy Goods Vehicle bearing down on your hind quarters like a motorised herd of irate Rhino's. The giant hulk, easily dwarfing your Prius, could freely pass you without hindrance, because the other two lanes are devoid of traffic - but it doesn't.

It literally ends up mere inches from your rear bumper, grudgingly decelerating to match your speed and tries to bully you into increasing your velocity. You stick to your guns, not wanting to ruin your perfect MPG ride (Cruise Control is engaged and even though your engine is turning over, you're achieving a notable 83mpg at that moment, plus minus 5mpg - but I digress).

The Imperial Battle Cruiser behind you with "Darth Vader" at the wheel continues to perilously hound your hind quarters, still illogically trying to goad you into going faster. With the resolution of an overwhelmed Corellian Blockade Runner on a diplomatic mission, you stay put, fearing the inevitable.

After raising your blood pressure considerably, distracting your driving concentration and possibly evoking the famous hymn "Nearer My God To Thee" from those of us convinced that our unscheduled demise is at hand, the overbearing bully dramatically changes lane and tears past you so closely, you are buffeted in the wake of its wind stream. The massive Multi-Wheeler rumbles past, diesel traction motor snarling incessantly and slowly recedes into the distance as it precariously swings back into your lane. Without a doubt, he's travelling at well over the speed limit without a care in the world. You heave a sigh of relief as your blood pressure slowly begins to normalise.

In the distance not too far behind you, another multi-wheeled HGV Trailer is bearing down upon you like a rogue asteroid about to drop in on Chelyabinsk unannounced. Changing lanes is the last thing on its mind. You don't know it yet, but your heart is about to get another undesired workout.

Note: This experience refers to driving on UK roads and is in no way meant to insult or otherwise upset those considerate truckers worldwide who drive with professionalism and the utmost courtesy

 

First post, new Gen 3 liftback owner. Ex. autocrosser, ex. overly aggressive driver... well, maybe not quite ex. on any of those.

I got my VentureShield Clear Bra put on my new Prius today, and finally felt free to drive it around to further my familiarization with it.

Experienced two instances (within 5 minutes of a 10 minute drive!) much like the OP, one while I was above the speed limit (35-40mph in a 25mph zone) on a traffic-less road in a commercial area, the other while I was braking to a stop approaching other cars stopped at a stoplight. Both were people cutting into spaces that did not exist, forcing me to slam on the brakes. And short-braking when I flashed my brights to communicate my displeasure.

Having decades of aggressive driving (to a certain ethic) under my belt, there was no mistaking the donkey-aggression.

I think this "Prius rage/envy" is very real. I am dismayed since part of the reason I bought the Prius was to calm my aggressive tendencies (mostly for the benefit of my significant other).

 

Yea why do folks think people from the south are like that? Is it the tv shows showing the south as a bunch of rednecks or retards?

SCH-I535 ? 2

 

I've experienced all the situations talked about here driving my gen II Prius 60k miles.
What is really crazy is these experiences don't happen when driving a Prius C compact hybrid!
I have rented Prius C three different times each for weeks at a time with no pissed off drivers around me !
WHATS GOING ON!
MY conclusion is a person following a Prius C can see that the Prius C is driving as fast as the car in front of him.
Driving behind a gen II or gen III is like driving behind a truck with no visibility beyond the truck.
Everybody wants to pass a low visibility vehicle. And nobody knows why traffic is so slow till they pass a
A low visibility vehicle like gen II and III Prius or a slow truck.

 

Go on any Youtube about a Prius. Prius is universally hated amongst rednecks.Venomous hatred.

Because its green and a certain political party has made green anti american. Because this party is pro oil. Because they are owned lock stock and barrel by big oil. According to them there's no such thing as Global Warming.

I don't let the rednecks mess with me anymore. I see a beat up F150 coming up fast behind me I punch it. Most of them can't catch me. Which really really must piss them off to my delight.

Not as bad as it was 6 years ago. There are too many Prius's around now.

 

Actually, in the UK (London in particular), a slow Prius II or even Prius III is a very rare feature indeed on our roads. I should know - I'm on the road literally everyday. Prii are not by their nature slow cars really - I'm one of the very few Prius owners in London who might be seen on the road crawling along conserving fuel where I can. However, I must stress that I go to great lengths NOT to stress out other drivers by being a snail speed pain in the posterior.

I'll always keep up with the traffic - unless they're breaking the speed limit - then I really won't want to know. Even then, on a dual carriageway or wider, I'll pull over into the slowest lane and usually pootle along at the speed limit. However, on a 70mph expressway, I'll cruise at 65mph in the "slow" lane, allowing all to pass me by if they want. I've been experimenting with cruising home on 50mph stretches at 42mph - 45mph just to see how the car responds - and how it affects my MPG. But that's just me.

I REALLY have yet to bump into anyone else in London slowly cruising along in a Prius II making some attempt to conserve fuel by sticking to the speed limit. If anything, these Prii II's over here tend to go past me at way beyond the speed limit. Yup, warp speed more like!! Indeed, you'll never see cars lined up behind slow Prii II's in London. If you do, it'll probably be me!

I sometimes suspect that a large number of Prius II owners / drivers have absolutely no idea how frugal these cars can really be. Most people drive them like normal cars - or even faster than that. Y'see, the Prius II has it's "Electric Assisted Turbo Mode....", you know the one; you've got lots of blue bars or even the coveted full pack of greens. Then you need to get out of a sticky situation or get away from a bunch of idiots driving erratically, so you floor it. And your Prius II responds with an instant burst of acceleration leaving literally everything behind. Yes, I've floored my Spaceships throttle in anger occasionally - the smooth "Turbo Boost" response could be well addictive, and it never fails to astonish me - and onlookers. Even IF they catch up with me minutes later plodding along at 42mph on a 50mph limit stretch.

Everybody else in a Prius here seems to take advantage of its capability to do a "Road Runner" of the meep meep variety act. Don't even get me started on the Prius III's with their 1.8i engines - they travel at transwarp! They seem to race these Hybrids like they're Sports Cars - which obviously, they aren't. Even a Classic Prius went high tailing it past me the other day - it was a 2001 model, and it left me for dead.

Over here, Prii sure ain't slow - unless you've got wise PC members cruising along with an eye on the MFD and naturally MPG. I'm not sure there are any in London - apart from me




iPad ? HD

 

A similar, but not quite as black-and-white story yesterday along the HWY 1 twisties between Leggett and the coast.

I first spotted in the rear distance this gunmetal gray Mazda 3 doing his best tailgating to make his way ahead, forcing the SUV behind me some 20-30 car lengths back to go into a dead-stop turnout. Then it was behind me. So I did the same at the earliest dead-stop turnout available, which was not immediate given the narrow ravine-side nature of the road. He shot past me.

Cue a few minutes later where I come back upon him, no longer driving at the rate of speed that would've necessitated all our dead-stop turnouts. This is, of course, a common story on the roads, where somebody decides that he needs to be ahead... not because he is actually, naturally driving faster... but simply that he needs to be ahead.

Now spotting me behind him, he gasses it.

One interpretation is that he merely wasn't aware of how he had slowed, and merely wanted avoid delaying me with his slow cruise. Another interpretation is that he was confident he could easily leave the Prius in the dust. More-likely-than-not, the truth is probably some combination of the two in some never-to-be-known proportion. Knowing the reputation of the Mazda 3 and assuming that he knew it as well, I decided it was more fun to work with the latter interpretation.

Now he is obviously driving in haste and pushing his 3. It needs to be noted that I am not tailgating him (the GF would have none of that if I were even inclined). I am merely keeping him at 5-ish car lengths, and he is trying to leave me in the dust. Also, note that if he wasn't inclined to respond with speed, he could've done the same everyone else did for him: let me pass at a turnout. No, he figured he could shake me.

Not a chance. While he had a degree of advantage in flat sweepers owing to the Prius's Model Two's narrow LRR tires (could see him put a few feet between us at each one)... whenever weight transfer was possible, I just reeled him in. (I was running this exact color commentary to my GF/navigator in the passenger seat, who was generally supportive and contributing to the balance of the car.) It was downright embarassing in downhill right switchbacks (a particular specialty of mine; part of the color commentary to the GF was just to prepare for how I take these), as I would cut whatever distance he was trying to grow by over half in a single turn just by a correctly-executed late-apex.

About 15 minutes-or-so later, he gives up trying to shake me and returns to a normal rate of driving. (I wasn't tailgating him to begin with, as so it goes to normalcy.)

Not to imply that the Prius is any sort of Mazda 3-beater when it comes to overall performance given correct technique, but I think there's one guy who's going to think a little harder when it comes to picking on a Prius in tight downhill twisties in a FWD econobox.

Yes, I am aware that I may have just fostered a different type of "Prius Rage".

 

Hahaha.....so true indeed! I'm proud to own a Prius!

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