Surrendering my PH membership - I like a boring car!

[Toaster Pilot]

Spend a lot of time these days driving old sheds of various descriptions and like where I'm at with that.

Just had a hire car delivered for a trip for work tomorrow - 64 Toyota Auris hybrid. Small petrol engine paired to an electric motor and auto box.

I like it - not sure if it's the novelty of the new car smell with everything working as it should or the slightly more interesting than a shagged petrol engine / diesel drivetrain.

Not the pinnacle of driving dynamics by any means and I couldn't pay £25k for it but what a pleasant place to be for 25 quid a day.

I'm sorry, PH. Where can I get help for my condition?

[Codswallop]

As the old saying goes - It's not what you drive, but how you drive it.

Personally, I just enjoy being out on the road

[iloveboost]

For just getting from A to B a hybrid is a nice place to be as they are quiet, smooth, etc.
If it makes you feel any better it doesn't make you less of a man.

[Toaster Pilot]

One thing I will say is I find the prospect of supporting it on a banger budget at 10+ years old utterly terrifying - far too many control systems to act up and throw a light on.

How are early Prius' getting on in that regard? They must be getting on a bit now

[corvus]

Toaster Pilot said:

How are early Prius' getting on in that regard? They must be getting on a bit now

They are much better than people thought they would be.

[Pie with sauce]

Toaster Pilot said:

Surrendering my PH membership - I like a boring car!

Don't worry, you'e amongst the like-minded. Most PHers drive boring cars.

[soad]

corvus said:

Toaster Pilot said:

How are early Prius' getting on in that regard? They must be getting on a bit now

They are much better than people thought they would be.

What about the batteries?

[roystinho]

I love my Duster, almost as much as whatever I have beside it on the drive

[radiodanno]

No need to apologise.

I'm being drawn to a Dacia Sandero Access in a way that dwarfs the pull of the moon.

[corvus]

soad said:

What about the batteries?

Apparently they have been proven to be incredibly reliable. This is partly because they are never allowed to go completely flat, or charged to absolute capacity - they are not pushed to their limits.

Car Mechanics mag has been doing a detailed article on the Prius for the past few months, and it's very impressive how well the technology works.

[Depthhoar]

It's possible to like a boring car. I had a Subaru Forester (petrol, non-turbo) that was boring but I liked it because it was as reliable as a Swiss watch, for the most part, and had remarkable traction on snow due its excellent full-time 4x4 drivetrain.

....but it was deeply boring to drive.

[SidewaysSi]

Nothing wrong with a boring car at all. My W124 is the least sporty car I have ever had. But it's fast enough, has a brilliant ride and is built like a tank.

When I just want to travel or carry people, it really is supreme.

I love it!

[Toaster Pilot]

Just drove 100 miles to Heathrow airport - it performed brilliantly for what is. Lack of cruise control is my only bugbear and I'm sure you can get it in non-Hertz spec (although it had climate, reversing camera, fancy touch screen stereo etc) - anyone know what they cost?

May have driven the wrong way down a one way road by accident just around the corner from Hertz - sorry if I terrified you!

Might look for an older Prius to replace my daily (a shagged Picasso)!

[Toaster Pilot]

Witnessed the downside of hybrid/EV up close today though - SO VERY NEARLY ran someone over that just stepped into my path at the last moment without looking - no engine noise at low speeds to hear!