I really tried to coerce my ’94 Honda Civic VX into starting again after it died in the parking lot at work. New plugs, rotor blade, distributor cap – words that previously had no meaning to me, until Ricardo explained, and helped me install them (thanks Ricardo!) – but to no avail. Hybrid car shopping commenced.
I took a spin in Mark’s Honda Civic Hybrid. It is a nice clean spacious car. The engine kicks in when you step on the gas with only a slight delay.
But once I sat in the Prius cockpit, I fell in love, as would any geek worth her salt:
- Generation-2 electric/gas hybrid system
- Powerflow diagram that helps you keep in golf-cart mode
- Continuously variable transmission
- Bluetooth headset integrated into cockpit
- 6-CD mp3-cabable 6-speaker JBL audio system (~600 songs)
- Auxillary input for mp3 player within center console
- Key system that auto-opens when you approach the car
- Rear-view camera
It’s a perfect match for my Treo 700p, with full in-dash phone functionality and the ability to play the Treo’s mp3’s while storing it in the console.
The powerflow diagram feeds my need for sqeezing the best mileage out of a tank of gas. You can accelerate like a banshee simultaneously using power from both the engine and the electric motor. The electric motor gives you torque the instant you step on the pedal, giving the Prius faster off-the-line times than other cars like the Camry, according to Mike at the Toyota dealership (who knows the Prius!). But once you’re up to speed, it’s easy to feather the pedal so that you only use the electric motor, which means you’re using NO gas at all! It’s like the world’s coolest fastest golf cart. :>
Now when I’m out driving, every other car just seems paleolithic in comparison. Why isn’t everyone driving a Pruis! :> Now all I need are new bumper stickers – ideas:
- I brake for the environment
- My car is smarter than your honor student
- (suggestions?)
I think you mean “Prius”, not “Pruis”!
Bumper Stickers:
“Prius See Us! Prius Free Us! Prius Be Us!”
“See Us, Prius, Free Us, Be Us!”
“I Brake for Energy”
“Caution – Objects are Quieter than they Appear”
“Silent Cruiser”
“Battery Jumper”
“Honk if you want to be heard”
“Power Generator”
“Caution – May Not Hear Vehicle Approach”
“This Car Employs Stealth Technology”
“My Engine has a Whisper Mode”
“Why’d the Chicken Cross the Road? He Didn’t Hear the Prius Coming.”
“Prius: Equality for the Deaf”
“When God created Prius, He Left Out the Oil Companies”
“Need a Little Gas? I do!”
“I Have a Little Gas” or “My Prius has a Little Gas”
“Your Car is Such a Gas!”
“Caution: High Power Vehicle”
“Battery of Batteries”
“Kiss my Batteries!”
See what a lousy consumer I am, I can’t even spell the names of my very own “cult brands” right! I’m a capitalist failure!
Hahaha nice choices! Now to come up with a prototype of that rotating bumper sticker we talked about…
I’m proud and happy for you for the choice you made. I had considered buying a hybrid for my next new car (and the Prius is the best), but my reason for replacing the old Crown Vic was that mom had accumulated a sum on a GM Credit card for car purchase that, after 7 years, started to decrease. So my choice was my new Pontiac G6. It’s not a Prius, and CU reports that it fishtails and did not handle well in its maneuver avoidance trials, which I confirm each time I take a turn at 77 mph. But there are some features I love:
•Keyless, remote start. Great for cooling or heating the car summer or winter before you get in. Also is a headturner when you point and shoot and the engine roars.
•Separate trip odometers so I can use one to check my gas mileage (not as good as the Prius) and the other to track my work mileage for reimbursement.
•You mention the “cockpit.” My car interior is also designed like a cockpit and wraps around passengers providing a feeling of safety, security and comfort (Especially useful when I “fly” off the road).
•And, of course, the CD player inside the car (not in the trunk, like the Crown Vic).
•The cruise control is well designed and much easier to use.
•Sleek design
Enjoy!
Poppa
Mike,
Is the Prius essentially a nuclear or coal powered vehicle?
It looks pretty cool.
Kevin
Hey Kev! It only uses plain old gas, which is kinda boring, I admit. If you want to see some really cool new ideas, check this out.
I was wrong on this one. (Hard to imagine.) I was thinking it was a plug in, but the hybrids are not.