Jalopnik groks EcoModder: "The 2016 Toyota Prius Is An Enthusiast's Car"

[MetroMPG]

I was a fan of Jason Torchinsky's writing long before he posted today's 2016 Prius preview, in which he totally nails the ethos of us efficiency enthusiasts who hang around here...

The Prius is a car for car enthusiasts who are interested in fuel economy/efficiency as their primary goal. Efficiency is an aspect of a car just as much as lateral acceleration is. For most of our readers, it’s not nearly as interesting, but I’m not going to stifle anyone’s interest in cars just because it doesn’t line up with my inane interests.

You gotta give him credit for making this case to a traditional performance car / enthusiast audience.


He even mentions ecomodding! (Though by the wrong name... but I concede defeat trying to clarify ecomodding vs. hypermiling.)

So, a Prius is like a sportscar of efficient cars—and I don’t mean that it’s fast. Compare it this way: what a Volkswagen GTI is to a rallycross car with a full cage, etc., what a Prius is to one of those crazy hypermiler Geo Metros with the home-made wheelskirts and huge teardrop tail. It’s a practical, usable, everyday version of that particular class of car — a GTI is quick and handles well, much less than a rallycross car, but you can use it to get groceries, and the Prius has the same relationship to the extreme hypermiler car.

Read the full review... and many of Torchinsky's other ones. They're generally really good.

Jalopnik: The 2016 Toyota Prius Is An Enthusiast's Car

[vskid3]

Pretty good review of the Prius and of hypermilers. Just because we don't focus on pushing the speed and handling limits of our cars doesn't mean we're not pushing limits. I'm glad Toyota keeps advancing the efficiency and the overall quality of the Prius. If only they could have made it less weird looking.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

It's still an appliance-car aimed at those who are too lazy to shift gears and learn to drive more efficiently.

[MetroMPG]

^ That statement applies to the majority of cars!

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There are now tons of comments on the Jalopnik article. (I made one!) And many support his argument.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

^ That statement applies to the majority of cars!

Not to the ones with manual transmission

[cyclopathic]

Man this article made me feel really lonely. Face it how many people out there who care about MPG and lateral grip at the same time??

[MetroMPG]

Yeah, it's funny how that article presents it as an either/or interest.

[niky]

I actually understand the word grok in its original context.

That just makes me feel OLD.

[Xist]

The word actually has meaning? I thought something happened to Metro!