mcqueenmachine v. the Pious

[Pete-M]

My issues with the Pious were mainly to do with the lack of handling, dodgy ride quality, dangerous susceptibility to sidewinds, lack of space and lack of poke. 38 mpg I can get from my little 3 series on a run without trying, 70 mpg I can't.Oh, and the Pious I was driving was a top spec job, list price was on the insanely ludicrous side of £22k. There are a whole world of options when it comes to spending £22k and a Pious isn't the one I'd be choosing.

[Tayne]

.

[chester drawers]

^ I’d agree with your Mac comments. 9 times out of 10 I think it’s a better all round computing solution. I just get rather tired of Stephen Fry et al knocking one out over Steve Jobs at every available opportunity. And almost every user I ever meet bringing them into almost every topic of conversation.Sorry, I think their other products are poo though. I can’t be doing with this whole lifestyle bollocks at all. Anyway time for bed. Got to be up at half 5 again

[STUNO]

That Guardian article is pathetic.

Looks as if she will never buy a car again, cause she will never find a perfect car.

[garethj]

As said, when the Prius is on the motorway it's not very economical, it's just a heavier version of a 1500cc car which struggles to pull it along at high speed.In the city where you're stationary for lots of the time, electric is the way forward.Or a motorbike, 'cos I can filter like a teenager on a Piaggio 50

[Guest]

I don't mind them, to be honest.I've never met a particularly smug Prius owner, just ones who aren't massively into cars, noticed it was on the company car list and fancied having something which wouldn't cost them a fortune in company car tax.

[Mr Lobster]

Don't like them at all. Partly the 'look at how enviromentally conscious I am image, partly because despite all the hype they are not a particularly good product.Driving experience is far from entertaining, glacier like acceleration, heavy, dumpy looking and just not something that appeals to me at all.Plus, I believe the battery costs something like £3k!On the positive side, because below about 5mph they run entirely on electric and thus are silent, you can quite happily creep up behind colleagues in them when they are stood facing away from you and give them a nasty surprise as you gently run them over

[Volksy]

Plus, I believe the battery costs something like £3k!

IIRC it's the part of the car that you never actually own!

[Jon]

I wonder what the sales would be like if they offered an identical looking version but substantially cheaper and without the electric gubbins...?My wife's grandad is now on his 3rd! I really don't understand why a pensioner chooses to buy one on the never-never, then replace it without actually owning it. Surely getting a new one built every 3 years is also totally blowing any environmental credentials? Still, never heard him bang on about its 'green' status, or indeed anything else really, so I suppose it's just a set of (very expensive) wheels.

[Justin Case]

The revelation on the PM programme that the government has asked Quentin Wilson to take part in evaluating electric cars is sufficient to make me vote Tory at the next election.

[pogweasel]

Gordon Brown must be paying Quentin the Undead a hell of a stack of cash, to stop him banging on about buying secondhand mercedes with FSH...

[garethj]

I quite like the look of the Honda Insight At least it looks futuristic

[Skizzer]

I think the Pious is a brilliant idea. No wait, hear me out. What Toyota have kindly done for us is make it easy to spot all the really bolllocks drivers who are going to wander over into our lane, creep up to the lights at a speed exactly in between first and second gear, turn right off a roundabout they entered in the left lane etc etc.Volvo 340s used to serve this useful public safety purpose back when they were in production (pure gold shite now of course and, being rear wheel drive, the mark of a connoisseur).

[55bloke]

I agree with the article above, bit like the 'i'phone....

 

Rubbish at what it does, but smug-oids love the fact it is a statement.

See also Apple Mac.

Good so it’s not just me then

 

iSmug adjective pattern of behavior exhibited by Mac owners; characterized by an inability to stop banging on about their computer of choice’s perceived superiority over everything else.

 

Whilst I quite like the Mac, I also tend to regard Apple’s other offerings as triumphs of form over function. Alas in these days of brand and marketing that appears to be a very successful business model

Hmmm..... don't think we're in the least bit smug about it, and am only mentioning it because of these comments, but... We have a Mac, and absolutely love it! That is all!!

[dollywobbler]

Mac worship does my head in. I do find that people like to bleat about their new Apple products. I use a Mac at work. It's a computer.

 

However, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8510228.stm

 

An article on electronics in cars (annoyingly calling the Pious 'famously economical') that has bonus Marina content!

[richardthestag]

What fuggs me off most, is that a Focus Diesel is a better all rounder in just about every area than the Pious (except crawling about Lunnon at 5mph). I wanted to knock out a load of those fake parking tickets suggesting that those Pious owners bought the wrong car....But I suspect with MMGW Climate Science looking more like junk science with every day that passes our intrepid Pious owner know that and will be sinking lower and lower into his drivers seat.Sanctimonious bastards hahaha

[chester drawers]

Hmmm..... don't think we're in the least bit smug about it, and am only mentioning it because of these comments, but... We have a Mac, and absolutely love it! That is all!!

Shiteists exempt from my sweeping generalizations

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

However, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8510228.stmAn article on electronics in cars (annoyingly calling the Pious 'famously economical') that has bonus Marina content!

Interesting article. As a massive automotive luddite, I can't help but indulge in a little schadenfreude when electrical complexity forces cars off the road. What I did find a little depressing about that article was the last section. Summarised "All these electronics can make cars boring and soulless. But we can fix that with more electronics".

On the positive side, because below about 5mph they run entirely on electric and thus are silent, you can quite happily creep up behind colleagues in them when they are stood facing away from you and give them a nasty surprise as you gently run them over

This happened in the American version of The Office. (spoiler!) Dwight and Andy plan to fight each other in the car park after work, Andy wins by creeping up behind Dwight in his Prius and squashing him into a hedge.

[Rocket88]

If everyone rushed out and bought a Prius tomorrow, it would [on top of all thier current problems] pretty much bankrupt Tpyota. Evryone is sold at a not inconsiderable loss, apparently, if they were to sell at break even money, you'd be looking at approaching 30k for one.............

[mnde]

I quite like the look of the Honda Insight At least it looks futuristic

I'm with you on that - purely because:

 

 

 

 

it's kind of what the C4 would look like if based more on the GS...

 

The Honda looks as though it ought to have hydropneumatic suspension

 

and it reminds me of this beaut of a concept from 1985:

 

 

Ford Eltec anyone?

 

 

Mark.

[55bloke]

I quite like the look of the Honda Insight At least it looks futuristic

I've seen one of those running around in Sheffield a couple of times, but not had camera to hand.

[Volksy]

I spotted one a while back in leeds, the chap imported it new, cost a fortune, however the running costs have been minimal since and it's been completely reliable. Gets near to 90mpg too.

 

[seth]

However, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8510228.stmAn article on electronics in cars (annoyingly calling the Pious 'famously economical') that has bonus Marina content!

The engineers for different car brands can go further with this, taking the same basic components (because commonality reduces cost) but baking in a particular character of driving feel by calibrating the firmware to suit their brand.

I find that quite sad. That what was once the result of local design/materials/specification influence is now generated by a bunch of spods sitting behind a screen in nowhereville.

[mnde]

I quite like the look of the Honda Insight At least it looks futuristic

I've seen one of those running around in Sheffield a couple of times, but not had camera to hand.

There's one that parks outside a house not far from me, in that green colour I think.

 

Mark.

[Volksy]

 

One for sale on ebay at £5250