Transport - not a "car"

Here's a thought: there is a big factor in car ownership called culture. Many of you know, I'm originally from Brazil, although I feel more American now after so many years of great times and great friends/colleagues in this country. So, back to Brazil, in our culture, there are 2 types of cars: 1- the transportation ones, which are the most cheap and economic models, often with a flex 1.0 engine (gas or ethanol), such as the Fiat Uno with 65,0 HP @ 6000 rpm (gas) / 66,0 HP 6000 rpm (eth). The car, of course, is very economic (no wonder), averaging about 20 km/l (roughly 50 MPG) without a single HP of electric power). So, these are real transportation machines, not the real cars, but lots of people have them and they manage to drive them just fine in the hwy (not the safest thing of the world as you can imagine). Then, there are the real cars, with a lot more power, much less economic; but the last thing people is worried about with these real cars is fuel economy.

So, I have always had real cars here according to my culture. Now, that I decided to drive something more efficient and become part of this whole new concept of green initiative, my culture told me that a Jetta for instance would make a lot more sense because I did not have to give up the pleasure of having a real car at the expense of fuel economy. The Prius, in my culture, initially appeared like a transportation machine before I even checked it out…. but then I drove it and did extensive research on it until I realized that it is possible to maximize fuel efficiency and low carbon emissions without a huge compromise in power. Well, the problem is, it took a lot more than just research to me... I had to convince myself that Toyota was making it possible... I had to change my beliefs…

 

Any Monty Python fans here? Remember 'Life of Brian' where Brian tells his followers, "You are all individuals!" and the masses shout back, "Yes, we are all individuals!" and one voice pops up and says, "I'm not" ?

We all come here from different angles. I fall into the category from the first post. I just want to get there cheaply and reliably. Driving is a chore to me.
Yet I find no fault with those who love to drive. Quite the opposite. It is those folks that push the envelope and keep car designers on their toes. You go, you enthusiasts! :cheer2:

 

Much like stream mentioned in a previous post, I've been fortunate enough to own a lot of fine vehicles in my life including several Porsche 911's, BMW M5, M Benz, Land Cruiser, Harleys, Ducatis, etc. I do track days as a hobby, which means I burn upwards of $100 of fuel at < 6 mpg in a single morning. I feel comfortable stating that I'm a vehicle enthusiast.

I am tailor-made to hate the Prius, but instead I love it. It is an enthusiast vehicle. I derive a sense of pleasure out of getting max mileage, not because of some sky-is-falling shoddy-science political agenda, but simply because being wasteful for no reason grates on me tremendously. Breaking 70mpg for me is like getting a sub 1:45 lap time at Laguna Seca, very satisfying. The Prius is a pretty crappy car to drive if you pretend it's a sports car. Brakes, acceleration, handling, steering, suspension, transmission, seats, etc. are woefully bad by those standards. But I don't care, it's not designed for that. I don't get mad at my 911 for having poor towing, or my Land Cruiser for crappy mpg, or my Harley for poor seating capacity. They are all tools for specific jobs, and they do their jobs wonderfully well.

We need to see more hybrids and alt fuel vehicles that use the technology not just for better mpg but also for higher performance. When BMW or Porsche comes out with a hybrid car that beats the gas-only version around the Nurburgring, the holdouts will start to see the benefits of the technology. And that's good for everyone.

 

The largest majority of the population is not at all interested in anything approaching performance and gut-tugging edginess. The vast vast majority wants reliability, low cost and peace of mind while driving.

This is one of the key factors that the D3 cannot for the life of them figure out how the bland Camry / Corolla keep killing their beautiful curve-carvers in terms of sales volumes.

The Prius touches two of the key reasons for buying, durability/reliability and the low-cost of driving/maintenance.

 

No, I didn't know that. Hmm...Indy king, from Brazil. Mr Castroneves, I presume?

 

This isn't such a good analogy, but this thread reminds me of the first time I showed my father the second generation ipod (~2003). After I explained to him that the music from all of my CDs now resides on a device the size of a box of cards and that I now have the equivalent of a 500 CD changer for my car, he picked it up, looked at it, and put it back down. Looking unimpressed, he said, "This thing is no damn good. It doesn't have any weight to it!"

 

What follows is no less slanted and opinionated than the Truth About
Cars article. It just happens to cut another way.

My take on this is that most folks don't want to face the fact that easy,
unthinking transportation solutions don't (or soon wont) work anymore.

Until recently (Your call; 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2008, whatever) the
US had been in a continuous condition of economic growth since the early
1940s. It was the accepted truth that things would always be better: next
month, next year, next generation, whatever. There was little reason for
the average Joe and Jane to be careful, mindful, thoughtful, or
environmentally conscious.

But all that is over, and the Prius is a highly visible sign that the old ways
of justifying choices in personal and family transportation won't work
anymore. The Prius, with it's strangeness and idiosyncrasies screams,
It is time to change, and each one of us, individually and collectively, is
what needs to change the most.

The car, which point towards the future, is not threatening, but the
message is.

The Prius is just the automotive messenger. But for the careless,
unmindful, thoughtless, or unconscious, it is easier the shoot the
messenger than it is to let go of hollow dreams and unrealistic expectations,
or confront empty promises. For all too many people this is not about
rationality, it is about emotions... mostly the emotions of fear, loss, and
even betrayal.

Maybe Toyota is right in their current advertising campaign. Maybe the way
to get to these people is faeries, and butterflies, and flowers. These are all
familiar and non-threatening. Substitute a new, muzzy, unfocused, airily
positive reality for the old ones, now fallen to dust.

 

Very nicely said, Rokeby. Your opinionated slant is very similar to mine.

 

If I was Helio Castroneves I would certainly not get a Prius, no offense!