Ok, I am odd man out here. Its stupid to attack a car. It was stupid when people did it to Japanese cars in the early 80s, and it’s still stupid.
I drove a Prius as a rental once and it was way better than I ever expected. And best of all, the next day I stopped to fill it before I turned it in. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the pump clicked off.
I remember one of those retarded events in the early 80s where they got a Japanese car to blow up. They were going to prove how shoddy it was compared to early 80s US made cars. They put a brick on the pedal and let it scream at redline.
They sat there as it screamed and screamed and screamed. But much to their disappointment, it just kept going and they had to attack it with bats.
Idiots.
I’m with you. I got my wife a Prius because she’s tiny and likes tiny cars. It’s basically a Corolla with better gas mileage and an engine that wears about 30% less. After an ‘06 recently has its battery wear out, I replaced a couple cells for around $200. The regenerative breaks are crazy expensive to repair, too. But on the whole it’s a way better car than most compacts. And it doesn’t feel that small to drive when I have to drive hers. Except I wish she would move the seat back when she knows I’m going to drive. :-)