[Aaron Cake]

Well technically they bought it about 3 weeks ago, I am just now getting around to posting about it. Sort of odd, because they have never expressed even the slightest amount of interest in my Insight, and one day my mom* asks me "Is that the new Prius?". Sure enough, it was. Have not really talked to them about it, so I don't know what they're seeing for mileage. As you can judge from the pictures, we are currently quite a bit into winter, so my normally steller mileage has dropped to depressing levels (47 MPG ).

Kind of an ugly looking thing, isn't it? I want to like it, but the similarity between the Prius and the Pontiac Aztec is just too obvious.

I know, my Insight is disgustingly filthy. We've had this much snow for about a month now, which precludes the opportunity to wash the car (I always hand wash, even in the winter).





*Yes, I still live with my parents. Since I did not attend university, I never got around to the "moving out" ritual. Currently looking for a house though. A nice fixer-upper with a 3 car garage and a 3 arce lot just outside of London might be mine soon....

 

[opal]

I agree with you, the Prius is kind of funny looking. Neat colour, though (but I'm glad it's not mine! )

As an aside, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's mileage is taking a beating in this 3 straight weeks of snow nonsense.

 

[No. 166]

Jo, Aaron !

So I'm not the only silver Insight driver on the planet who still lives with his parents.

 

[b1shmu63]

Awww, come on guys, it really isn't that bad. Someday a lot of cars are going to look like that just because of the drag coefficient. I am surprised that it is not bigger considering it weighs 1000 pounds more than the Insight. I'd rather be seen driving it than the new Honda Elephant. That's got to be the only really bad looking Honda in the last 3 decades, but people are buying them, so what do I know?

Kip

 

[opal]

Awww, come on guys, it really isn't that bad.

It could be much, much worse. Just next to the Insight, there's no contest about which one my personal asthetic values prefer. I meant no disrespect to the Prius. Honest.

I'd rather be seen driving it than the new Honda Elephant. That's got to be the only really bad looking Honda in the last 3 decades, but people are buying them, so what do I know?

If you mean the Element , my Honda rep doesn't even like it. His comment when I made disparaging remarks about said vehicle was "Honda could slap an H on an outhouse and people would buy it."

'nuff said.

 

[Holicow]

Nice red minivan behind the cool silver car.. :wink:

And Elements are not doing nearly as well as hoped. The dealer here can barely move them.

 

[GreenHybrid]

It's interesting to see the bias in hybrid related sites. Where the Prius is popular, it's beautiful. Where the Insight is popular, IT's beautiful. Can't we all just get along?

So you know, I'm a Prius guy. The Prius is beautiful. The Insight isn't

 

[Holicow]

It's interesting to see the bias in hybrid related sites. Where the Prius is popular, it's beautiful. Where the Insight is popular, IT's beautiful.

On an Insight forum what did you expect? In general, we will be biased, whether founded or not, that's just human nature. I didn't get an Insight because I thought the Prius was better. I think it is an excellent vehicle, though.

So you know, I'm a Prius guy. The Prius is beautiful. The Insight isn't ...
....
Can't we all just get along?

Then stop with the prodding... :wink:

 

[Rick]

<---- Make that 3 Insight owners who lives with their parents.

 

[GreenHybrid]

Holicow, I'm not saying it's inappropriate. Just interesting to note.

 

[Luna]

Come on, guys. Each hybrid is equally beautiful in its own special way.

Luna

 

[Aaron Cake]

I agree with you, the Prius is kind of funny looking. Neat colour, though (but I'm glad it's not mine! )

Seeing the colour in person you might disagree. It's almost like the colour is "trying". There's no depth.

As an aside, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's mileage is taking a beating in this 3 straight weeks of snow nonsense.

It's irritating the hell out of me. To make matters worse, I have not logged any real highway miles in the past 3 months, and I lost part of the undertray last week due to snow.

So I'm not the only silver Insight driver on the planet who still lives with his parents.

I guess not...But my problem is that I am rapidly approaching the patience level of mine...With 3 cars (used to be 4) and a basement full of junk, I'm probably treading on thin ice.

Someday a lot of cars are going to look like that just because of the drag coefficient.

Yeah, and that's truly unfortunate. The shape of the new Prius is like the old Prius; generic. It's like an Aztec and Saab had a lovechild. I personally just don't like the shape...Is it a minivan? Station wagon? Hatchback sedan? It doesn't seem to have any definable quality. And no flow. The Insight flows along it's lines, the Prius seems to have a front that doesn't match the back, and vice versa. It fights with it's hatch...And what's with those taillights?

 

[Dgate]

My Neighbor just bought a 2004 Prius

Aaron Cake,
Gee whizz Aaron if you dislike it that much why did you even go out in the cold to set up that shot with the Insight? :?
What amaze's me is how they got so close to the Insights CD figure with a much bigger car,maybe if the Honda had the same styling the figure would be below .20!
Dgate #151
Oxygen Blue

 

[Holicow]

Regarding the Cd, size doesn't really matter. I don't know what the Cd for a 757 is, but I will bet it's lower than an Insight's, and it's just a little bigger.

Frontal surface area is the biggie. The bigger the car, the more drag.

Feelin' the love...

 

[Aaron Cake]

They had already parked the car in front of my house, so I figured that I'd plop the Insight in front of it and snap the picture on my way out of the house...I don't even think they knew I took it.

 

[Tim Maddux]

Regarding the Cd, size doesn't really matter.

It does not matter at all, by definition.

Cd (drag coefficient) is the drag force on an object divided by the air density (if it's in air) and the frontal area and the velocity squared. For turbulent enough flows (fast enough airspeed or big enough object) the drag coefficient is independent of velocity, and can be treated as a constant whose value is a function of how "draggy" the object's shape is.

Cd of a sphere is about 1/2. Cd of a cube is about 1. Cd of airfoils can be as low as 0.02.

 

[Guest]

Hi All:

___Personally, I like the looks of the new 04 Prius. If it weren’t so darn expensive for its size and amenities, I would own one for the family and myself …

___I saw my first 04 out on the road just 3 days ago on I55 near Bolingbrook, IL. That is besides the 2 I have driven at the local Toyota dealerships that is. The lady in this 04 Prius paced me for ~ 2 miles before turning off … To bad she didn’t know I had a trip average of over 80 mpg at the time

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:3mx1pl4r][email protected][/email:3mx1pl4r]

 

[Braxus]

<---- Make that 3 Insight owners who lives with their parents.

3+1=4

I for one like the new look of the Prius. WAY better than the the old echo style! My friends and I just call it a "4dr Insight".

 

[Aaron Cake]

The lady in this 04 Prius paced me for ~ 2 miles before turning off … To bad she didn’t know I had a trip average of over 80 mpg at the time

That's also what I find funny. The Insight design is now 4+ years old, yet is so simple compared to the Prius and still gets more then twice the mileage. Of course, the Prius is a much heavier car...

 

[GreenHybrid]

Apples and oranges...

The Insight gets better mileage, but I'm sure if Toyota stripped the Prius of 1/3 its size and all the features that came with it (can you say "5 seats?"), it would double in mileage.