Prius Fun Factors

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Apr 14 2006, 09:18 PM) [snapback]239984[/snapback]</div>

When people ask me how I like my Prius, I usually respond that it's a lot of fun. O.K., I confess to being a geek. How many other engineers are among our membership?

 

I think the car helps you meet people. For instance....

On this board, more people run out of gas with their Pruis than any other car I've ever heard about. You get to meet strangers to give you a ride.

Another example... In the past week or two, what? A couple prius's that have just died on the side of the road and 2 or 3 others crashed by someone. They got to meet other drivers and police officers, talk to repair dealers.

I think the Prius is a real social outlet!!

 

Sure it's fun. But I'm also a semi-retired software engineer, so I qualify as a geek.

 

For me, it is fun because it is so responsive. Just like how you used to play the remote control electric car toy. You make it go and it goes right away.... forward, backward... Although Prius is no toy car, it is still very fun for many grown ups. :lol:

There are also so many techniques to play around with -- deadband acceleration, stealth, low speed pulse and glide, EV, high speed feather glide, etc... Not always to save gas and pollute less but to amaze in awe what HSD can do.

Convenience of Smart Key System and no warm up wait. Get in the car and go is really neat. Less wait time pumping in the gas station and not to mention less frequency of stopping by also.

A funny but sad story. Yesterday, I pulled into the gas station and H2 also pulled in behind me. He ended up gassing at the other side of the pump (pump was between me and him) and started conversation wth a pick up truck driver infront of him. H2 driver was telling him that it costs him $100 to fill up every time. He said he drove H2 for work and that for the past 4 days, he spent $380 for gas. I did not hear the rest of the conversation because I was done pumping gas and it was time for me to go. I could of said something but did not want to sound like a smug. :lol: As I pull out of the gas station in stealth mode, I noticed his head turns as he kept staring at my Prius. He probably still had 20 more gallons to fill up. :lol:

Now, that's fun!

Dennis

 

The biggest fun factor for me is being part of a BIGGER group of geeks than the relatively small EV club allows.

Interesting to see that most of the factors I'm reading here are about power, stealth mode, and less time at the pump. Can you imagine how much fun a real EV is?! NEVER stopping at the pump, ALWAYS being in stealth, and having instant, quiet throttle response at all speeds. But I digress...

 

That would depend on your definition of fun.

Maximizing my mileage is fun for me.

The fact the car never jerks when it shifts....well because it doesn't shift...is really fun for me.

I find the touchscreen fun.

It's fun to see how much I can pack into it.

Then again....I also find it fun to wash and wax.

 

I still (after 1.5 yrs) love to run an errand cause it drives so smoothly - like a car from the future.

I also have to say I love my ipod (connected with viatec box) since I rarely remove it from my prius.

 

I had my last car for nearly 15 years. It had power seats, but no air bags or even cupholders. Here I have a car with a lot of gizmos to play with. My last car's NAV system consisted of a 2002 Thomas Guide of San Diego and a 1992 Thomas Guide of Los Angeles (plus what I could print out from Mapquest). I still like having the map scroll along. The EV mod gives me a glimpse of what Darryl experiences every day. I like the SKS and the MFD. I really like taking it out for long trips. This past weekend my mother wanted to check a couple of restaurants about pies. I was able to do that using the BT and the NAV system's database (I have the '05, so I have the override).

Yeah, it's fun.

 

The MFD, smart entry, and STEALTH MODE!! Oh. My. God. *glee* :wub: I loved playing with all the gadgets, and running around in stealth mode. So futuristic. I'm such a geek.

As much as I love my RSX..... I STILL want a Prius. I should have "forgotten" to return the Rent-a-Prius from Enterprise..... LOL. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Apr 14 2006, 07:18 PM) [snapback]239984[/snapback]</div>

Another geek here...it is fun to try to squeeze the mileage out of the car and work with the cars computers. Considering the price of gas these days, it seems to me to be a much better goal than to have a car that will do 0-60 in as few seconds as possible.

 

Definitely fun!

Fun to turn on the car and tell your passenger, "Yes, the car is on! Watch the backup camera." Or "Yes, I know it looks small from the outside, but it really is spacious on the inside."

Stealth mode is awesome, but then you have to be careful and not run over people, like students with ipods on walking between classes.

It is fun to wash and wax...and then answer all those questions people ask you. "Do you plug it in every night?" "What's your gas mileage?"

It is fun going to the gas station and having a conversation with the person on the other side of the pump about gas mileage and then telling them you have to leave because you are done, while they are still pumping gas. :lol:

And, yes, the SKS is the cat's meow on this car! Unfortunately, I still expect all doors (house door, office door, museum's main front door) to just open and unlock simply by grasping the door knob.

Lastly, it is, I must say, just plain fun to drive!

 

Not all the things that I consider to be fun are Prius specific, but they definitely have something to do with my Prius.

~the Smart Key System is one of the most awesome things ever! I often wonder if bystanders wonder how I got the car to unlock when I have nothing in either of my hands...or if my hands are full of groceries and I don't have to dig in my purse for a remote or key.

~the Bluetooth rocks-it's like having the person sitting next to you, having a conversation. I hate being on the cell phone while driving, and this solves the problem of digging out a ringing cell phone out of a purse. I don't often make calls from my car, but this sure does help when I have an incoming call

~stealth mode and sneaking out of parking spaces and startling people. Cruising parking lots in stealth and sneaking up on unsuspecting pedestrians

~CVT-it's wonderful not having the car shift gears-it accellerates so smoothly!!

~carpool lane/HOV lane in CA-I LOVE being able to take the carpool lane by myself legally, when necessary!!

~the buttons/functions on the steering wheel kick nice person. I don't have to take my eyes off the road for a second to switch radio stations, or turn the A/C up or down or switch from FM to Satellite

~the MFD. My husband is jealous that I have an energy screen that shows where the energy is going/coming from, and shows the little wheels on the cartoon car a-turnin'.

 

i think it's fun.

 

Stealth mode is fun and dangerous. I am waiting for the first "Prius scared the _____ out of me" lawsuit.

I wish more of my friends would want me to pick up stuff and move just so we can test out how much stuff can be put into this car.

I giggled like a little school girl with her first crush the 1st time I filled it up and it clicked off in like 45 seconds....full.

Happy dog, loves the car, makes me happy.

Smart Key and the Power Button though are things that I just cannot imagine not having anymore...and that tiny little shifting lever.

Questions:

Did anyone else have a hard time keeping their thumb off the black locking square while opening the door?

How many times did you turn on the windshield washers while shifting into/out of reverse??

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Salsawonder @ Apr 17 2006, 02:50 PM) [snapback]241095[/snapback]</div>

1) No...I reach for the handle when I'm opening the door, not just in the general vicinity of the handle. My four fingers reach behind the handle to pull it towards me, my thumb is on the outside helping to grasp...perhaps your thumb is extended in the direction of the black locking square??
2) Twice that I've counted so far. I'm quite sure it'll happen again.

 

I enjoy the look I get when I cruise by people in stealth mode.