I have a Prius as a daily and it performs as well as any other compact car out there. It is fine at 80 on the freeway and handels as well as could be expected. It's no where near sporty but it's not suppose to be. I usually get 48 to 50 mpg so it does reduce my carbon footprint while I drive my 110 or so miles a day. When your alternative is to buy a twenty something mpg car or 50mgp car, it makes a difference if the purchase is going to happen anyways.

It's also safer than most would think. My friend in a prius was t-boned at a 4 way stop by a 3 series going about 60. It hit him on the passenger side. The car was totaled and he walked away with a soar back. Not bad for what happened.

Just my 2cents.

 

Well this makes no sense at all. Of course the only way to save gas is to drive less... if you're in a place where this is possible. Which, for I'd say 70% of the US Population it is not.

Therefore "the only way to save gas" (if this is what you want to do) is to drive something that gives you better gas mileage than an otherwise comparable car that does not.

The rest of the argument above, respecting manuf costs, etc. applies to both hybrids and non-hybrids alike...

I, personally, have a Prius because I drive 110 miles/day round trip to work and, in CA, I get the benefit of carpool lane stickers that allow me to drive in the carpool lane by myself (thereby cutting my commute time in 1/2).

Would I drive a Prius, otherwise? Nope. But not because of the above theory. I wouldn't drive it because of the "hybrid premium" which makes the premium paid for a hybrid car over a similiarly equipped non-hybrid car make no sense from a cost recoupement perspective (think Toyota Camry Hybrid at 25% price premium for 10-15% better fuel economy over a non-hybrid variant).

If I had to drive 110 miles round-trip and did not have the benefit of the carpool lane access I currently have, I'd shoot myself... ... then I'd go pickup a Honda Civic giving me 20% less fuel economy at a 30-40% discount off the Prius.

Just my 02

 

If I had hit the Prius it would be a T-Bone hit.
The Motorweek review of the all new 2010 Prius indicates the power button will give confidence when crossing an intersection. Does that mean drivers of the older Prius do not have confidence when crossing an intersection?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mdMD_ppm0I

 

I thought this thread was going to have something to do with the prius being silent and then blam-O

 

I was going to try and make my point a bit simpler, while expanding on it a bit, so that you could understand it. But then I figured...why waste my time? There were a couple of posts before yours that indicate people got what I was trying to say, so I know it is possible to understand just the way it was written. Here's a hint, don't apply everything you read to your world in order to make sense of it.

J

 

I'm sorry but equating manufacturing costs to why a Prius Hybrid isn't a good option makes no sense at all. It just doesn't.

 

^lol.
Of course this doesn't make sense; but then again, it wasn't what I wrote and has nothing to do with my point. Rep for you for trying though and being nice about it.

J

 

Another Prius owner here. It's my co-DD along with my 997S. It's a brilliant car. Amazing amounts of engineering and features in the thing.
For the OP, I'm glad you were able to pull off a quick move and avoid the collision. Sadly, if the roles had been reversed, the Prius could not have done the same. Handling is not it's strong suit, either low speed or high. But power to cruise is more than adequate, if acceleration is modest.
Re mileage, I am more than happy to pay a bit more to purchase a car to save fuel for everyone. Money is renewable. You just work harder. Oil is not.