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Using Prius beauty as a drifting machine on race track?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by apt49, Jul 26, 2016.

  1. apt49

    apt49 Junior Member

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    This question is intended for members with a driving profile quite different from the usual prius owner profile. As you might have know, prius even in its latest iteration is considered by journalists in US/Europe/Australia as a boring car- eCVT gearbox that spoils the fun criticism- (from the usual car journalist drifting/racing dynamics aspect). Those journalists drive and judge cars based on track behaviour. Even you might have heard of some prius review a few years ago, benchmarking fuel economy and dynamics while racing on track. But unlike the previous models, for the new gen prius somehow altogether they suddenly decided it does not worth highlighting the dynamics of the prius. I guess we won't see a battle of the new hybrids comparison test from a car enthusiast journalist media perspective.
    Well, the following review uploaded in April which certainly is not from the usual western journalists and media, presented the new prius from the usual car journalist point of view. Actually it seems they incorporated Toyota's way of thinking about the GT86 -Toyota uses low resistance tires to compliment the fun to drive character of GT86-, in order to make prius equally fun to drive too. They replaced the rear Toyo nanoenergy 15 inch wheels with a pair of equivalent slick tires. (Those tires are not legal for public road use).
    The result is in the following video



    You can skip the first part and start watching from 4:30. Then some related scenes at 8:50 & 9:45. At 10:03 Toyo nanoenergy tires are shown.

    Since this review uploaded a few months ago and probably some of you might have seen this review, I am curious to know if considering having fun on race track, was a factor to your decision to buy the new prius.

    On another note I am very happy that Toyota had the guts to give prius a Japanese style, closing their ears on internet keyboard warriors criticism. Well, Toyota is a Japanese company and I believe it would be unforgiving for them to ditch their identity in favour of German design. My personal opinion is that the new prius is the most beautiful car ever built by Toyota (including Lexus) and Toyota must be proud of the design. Its headlights and the whole concept somehow remind me of a Japanese dragon like those shown on matsuri festivals, but at the same time it has that kawaii character from the Manga/Anime arts and it is also so striking that causes psychedelic violence crime of visual shock to some people, an expression that I recalled from an XJapan album. It looks like Toyota follows the decays ago popular Visual Kei music scene movement in Japan that I love so much.
     
    #1 apt49, Jul 26, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2016
  2. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    I saw a couple of months ago a Toyota ad for the USA market, I believe, and they were doing all sorts of drifts...! Cool!
     
  3. raspy

    raspy Senior Member

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    What a fun video. Despite being only 4 hours drive from the Nurburgring track in Germany, my insurance policy explicitly states that I cannot take my Prius there. Oh well.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. apt49

    apt49 Junior Member

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    So, it seems that nobody bought a prius having on mind its going to use it for fun too. I don't mean racing on a track competing other drivers, which I believe is very dangerous for drivers without professional racing license. I meant having fun by drifting like in the video. Nevertheless, I believe Toyota could have promote prius as a fun to drive car, based on this video. I don't think that cost of buying a pair of slick tires should be prohibitive.Maybe 500 $?