A Posh Prius

[barrycoll]

the Telegraph yesterday, described the CT 200 as a posh Prius, for owners who would like a Lexus key fob

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/car-manufacturers/lexus/10759945/2014-Lexus-CT200h-review.html

damned with faint praise, although another Motoring column discovered that the most important feature for new car buyers was Reliability, and Not Road holding

Handling and Fun, still seem to be the most important feature that journalists look for

[Duffryn]

Yep, not much 'fun' to be had on the roads these days though, but if they can don their shades then lift the rear wheel mid-bend then they're happy.

Having 'fun' and getting well paid for it, no doubt...........!

[valmiki]

To be fair, you can't test drive reliability, especially on new models. Though the stats and past history speak for itself.

[Seamaster73]

Clarkson gave it a right old panning in last week's Sunday Times.

[PeteB]

Clarkson gave it a right old panning in last week's Sunday Times.

what a surprise!

But he did once make positive comments about the Lexus LS Hybrid - but then that does 0-62 in just over 5 secs and (limited) 155 mph - not bad for a 2½ ton barge!

[cuius]

"Soft touch plastics" seem to be a major factor - given the only time I touch the dashboard is during the semi-annual clean, I have never worked why this is important. I guess with so many shared components across the industry this is the only component to differentiate between cars

[Grumpy Cabbie]

So long as manufacturers listen to owners and not journalists, then they'll do fine.

Example I like to quote is a WhatCar article a couple years ago. They rated the Prius 3/5 for being boring, too vague, not handling well, too softly sprung and revving if pushed. They then ran a survey and the Prius came top for the family car section with owners loving the light steering, comfortable stress free and quiet ride.

As others have said. There's no fun driving anymore. Sure I'd love a sporty little number to blast down some empty country road on a lovely sunny summers evening. But the reality is that I'm commuting in crawling rush hour traffic where anything that makes it less stressful if most welcome. I'm also very unlikely to lift a rear wheel going round a roundabout with the wife n kids in the car on the way to the coast either. I want a smooth drive so they're not getting car sick or spilling their drinks everywhere.

And with all the potholes and knackered roads about, you don't want hard suspension with ultra low profile wheels.

WhatCar rating it 3/5

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/toyota/prius-hatchback/summary/25893-5

JD Power Survey in conjunction with WhatCar rating the Prius TOP

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/small-family-cars/1206907

All I'd say is Toyota, take note of what OWNERS want and like :)

[Joseph D]

So long as manufacturers listen to owners and not journalists, then they'll do fine.

...

All I'd say is Toyota, take note of what OWNERS want and like :)

Hear, hear.

[stompe]

So long as manufacturers listen to owners and not journalists, then they'll do fine.

...

All I'd say is Toyota, take note of what OWNERS want and like :)

Hear, hear.

Ha ha as if that will ever happen! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YRHDomoLb-A/TPLzLzhv8EI/AAAAAAAAArk/9GnXW-v2olY/s1600/pigs.jpg.gif

[Joseph D]

So long as manufacturers listen to owners and not journalists, then they'll do fine.

...

All I'd say is Toyota, take note of what OWNERS want and like :)

Hear, hear.

Ha ha as if that will ever happen! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YRHDomoLb-A/TPLzLzhv8EI/AAAAAAAAArk/9GnXW-v2olY/s1600/pigs.jpg.gif

LOL, you're the eternal optimist, Stompe. :)

[stompe]

So long as manufacturers listen to owners and not journalists, then they'll do fine.

...

All I'd say is Toyota, take note of what OWNERS want and like :)

Hear, hear.

Ha ha as if that will ever happen! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YRHDomoLb-A/TPLzLzhv8EI/AAAAAAAAArk/9GnXW-v2olY/s1600/pigs.jpg.gif

LOL, you're the eternal optimist, Stompe. :)

Realist lol

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Judging by your profile picture Mr Stompe, you're a cheeky monkey! :)

[Duffryn]

I'm a bit puzzled as to why, in the JDPower survey, the Prius is classed as a small family car.Plenty of room in it for 4/5 plus luggage, and it comes with a 1.8ltr engine. I'd hardly call it's physical dimensions small either.

One thing that definitely ain't 'small' about it though - it's price.......

[APS]

I'm a bit puzzled as to why, in the JDPower survey, the Prius is classed as a small family car.Plenty of room in it for 4/5 plus luggage, and it comes with a 1.8ltr engine. I'd hardly call it's physical dimensions small either.

One thing that definitely ain't 'small' about it though - it's price.......

I think this is the result of two ends of average car size spectrum. As far as I know JDPower is American - where the Prius is indeed classed as small family sized. In the UK, where we are used to very small cars, even when compared to the rest of Europe, it is classed as a medium sized family car.

LIkewise, a 1.8 engine is small in the US. The average would probably be around 2.5-3.0 there. I'm guessing.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I've heard that the Prius falls between the two bandings (Auris & Avensis). Some say it is a medium size car, but would that be classed as a small family car for the sake of the article? I'm guessing a medium family car would be an Avensis and a large one would be a BMW 5 series? Emphasis on the word 'family'.