"Truly Overrated"

[thewizard16]

Journalists overlook the crap fuel economy, cheap interior and slow performance because it "drives well" and they continue to hand it the driving victory over cars like the Fiesta, 2 and Sonic.



I've driven one. It's not all that special. Doesn't feel all that much sharper than my car to drive.

We are 100% in agreement on this. I hated it as the Honda Jazz (a few years before we got the "new" Honda Fit), and it's still a craptastically cheap and unpleasant car as the Fit.

Everyone rips on the GTO. It looks like a Cavalier.

Now I 100% disagree. The GTO isn't as "HEY LOOK AT ME!" as a lot of sports cars, but it's a very nice car and certainly looks nowhere as cheap or dowdy as a Cavalier.

Most of the best selling names out there are truly overrated.

Camry, Civic, Accord, Altima, Corolla, etc.  Every last one is a prime example of middle-of-the-road mediocrity.

(In the spirit of our posts in the clothing and style thread )

[hounddog]

The G37 isn't overrated and neither is the Prius.  Everything else I agree with.

G37, maybe not I dunno as I see almost zero of them. 

The Prius IS overrated because of how long it takes to pay for itself, that it is a loser in comparisons:  Prius vs. BMW 520d and Prius vs. Jetta TDI

It loses in passenger comfort, handling, performance, ride noise, price, cost to operate, nickle mining for the batteries, etc. 


Prius v TDI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_DunEDBoEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xYZu1wy-lM&feature=related

Prius v BMW 520d
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/17/toyota-prius-is-a-gas-guzzler-compared-to-the-bmw-520d/
http://goodcleantech.pcmag.com/automotive/281082-bmw-beats-prius-in-mpgs

Yes, it gets good mileage.  However, beyond that the car is just an aweful thing using every measurable metric.

[Colonel Cadillac]

No, the GTO really does look like a Cavalier. If I'm not really paying attention, I get them confused.

You can't be serious. And all this time I had you pegged for a car enthusiast.

[TurboDan]

I agree with HD. If you're not an aging hippie who wants to impress your friends when you meet up at a vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco, there is no reason to buy a Prius whatsoever.

[CJ]

The Prius really is a pretty good vehicle.  It's extremely spacious, pretty well built, and relatively inexpensive.  We don't GET the 520d, so the Jetta TDI is its only real  competition.  The Jetta does get great gas mileage, but the interior has too many compromises.  The Sportwagen TDI is the perfect mix of fuel efficiency, space, and build quality, but the Prius does the same thing for the same money.

[2o6]

I agree with HD. If you're not an aging hippie who wants to impress your friends when you meet up at a vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco, there is no reason to buy a Prius whatsoever.

Although the Prius has compromises in performance and space (compared to a midsizer) it's better on gas.




And the Prius C is a very, very good value. 53 city, 46 highway economy numbers. Compare that to the Sonic 1.8L, which offers far worse economy and similar performance and space numbers. The Prius C is only 2K or so more expensive.

[280Z Turbo]

I agree with HD. If you're not an aging hippie who wants to impress your friends when you meet up at a vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco, there is no reason to buy a Prius whatsoever.

Automotive choices are never 100% logical anyway. I'd rather someone show off in a fuel sipping Prius than a gas guzzling Escalade.

A smart enthusiast should want every unthusiast to be driving the smallest, most fuel efficient car possible. Why waste oil on the philistines?

[Rupert]

[Raza]

The GTO was awesome.  Anyone who rips on it has never driven one, period.  It's one of the most underrated cars in recent memory.

[hounddog]

The Prius really is a pretty good vehicle.  It's extremely spacious, pretty well built, and relatively inexpensive.  We don't GET the 520d, so the Jetta TDI is its only real  competition.  The Jetta does get great gas mileage, but the interior has too many compromises.  The Sportwagen TDI is the perfect mix of fuel efficiency, space, and build quality, but the Prius does the same thing for the same money.

We may not get the 520d here, but, the rest of the world does get it.

Since the US accounts for only about 4.5% of the world populace, that we do not get the car is irrelevant to this portion of the discussion.

And, I think it would be pretty hard for you to find many people who would actually prefer the clunky interior of the Prius over the far more refined Jetta. 

I have yet to find ANY comparos where the testers prefered the Prius for anything other then city fuel economy.

I would tend to agree the Jetta TDI wagon would be a more useful choice if one was looking to haul larger items.  In fact, there is one in town for sale and it looks pretty nice, and quite large considering it is considered a small platform.

[Colonel Cadillac]

Automotive choices are never 100% logical anyway. I'd rather someone show off in a fuel sipping Prius than a gas guzzling Escalade.

A smart enthusiast should want every unthusiast to be driving the smallest, most fuel efficient car possible. Why waste oil on the philistines?

No, because then companies would only sell that type of product.

[GoCougs]

The GTO was awesome.  Anyone who rips on it has never driven one, period.  It's one of the most underrated cars in recent memory.

Big power but it was expensive ($33k msrp in 2005 is equivalent to almost $40k today), sorta flimsy and wasn't much of a (distinguished) looker.

[SVT666]

The styling of the GTO wasn't great, I agree.  It was way too subdued.  The handling was good, but it wasn't great.  The wallowy 300C handled better according to the mags, but the power was fantastic.  I still kinda want one.

[hotrodalex]

The wallowy 300C handled better according to the mags

Seriously?

[68_427]

Seriously?

No

[Payman]

No

Actually, IIRC, when C&D did a direct comparo between the two in '05, they said the 300C was the better handler.

[CJ]

We may not get the 520d here, but, the rest of the world does get it.

Since the US accounts for only about 4.5% of the world populace, that we do not get the car is irrelevant to this portion of the discussion.

And, I think it would be pretty hard for you to find many people who would actually prefer the clunky interior of the Prius over the far more refined Jetta. 

I have yet to find ANY comparos where the testers prefered the Prius for anything other then city fuel economy.

I would tend to agree the Jetta TDI wagon would be a more useful choice if one was looking to haul larger items.  In fact, there is one in town for sale and it looks pretty nice, and quite large considering it is considered a small platform.

Considering that the US (You know, the country we live in) doesn't get the 520d, I'd say it's perfectly relevant for this discussion. 

The new Jetta's interior is pretty shit, which is reason enough for me to buy a Prius over a Jetta. 

[LonghornTX]

The styling of the GTO wasn't great, I agree.  It was way too subdued.  The handling was good, but it wasn't great.  The wallowy 300C handled better according to the mags, but the power was fantastic.  I still kinda want one.

My roommate had an LS2 model for awhile that I got to drive a few times. It was a cool car, pretty fast and with a nice interior. Especially nice back seat that was only lacking a center arm rest. We took it from Austin to Houston, with me in the back (6'0/185lbs) and my other roommate, who was of equal, in the front passenger. My knees didn't even touch.

Handling wise, it was alright. The rear diff didn't particularly lock very well and it was kind of floaty. The shifter straight up sucked. I mean really really bad. And the pedals were very poorly positioned.

[S204STi]

The GTO was awesome.  Anyone who rips on it has never driven one, period.  It's one of the most underrated cars in recent memory.

Definitely.  Blisteringly quick, great handling, and built very well. The only Pontiac I may like better is the G8, though they are somewhat different in purpose.

[LonghornTX]

Definitely.  Blisteringly quick, great handling, and built very well. The only Pontiac I may like better is the G8, though they are somewhat different in purpose.

I would be cautious to say it was a great handling car, especially with the stock tires and suspension. That car with better tires would probably be a lot better, but it still had a fair amount of BR in corners. The GTO was also too quiet with stock exhaust, for having such a nice engine.

The G8 is nice (I never got to drive a GXP), but the GT definitely felt like it had less soul than the GTO.

[ifcar]

Considering that the US (You know, the country we live in) doesn't get the 520d, I'd say it's perfectly relevant for this discussion. 

The new Jetta's interior is pretty shit, which is reason enough for me to buy a Prius over a Jetta. 

Not the wagon's.

[CJ]

Not the wagon's.

I know.  The wagon's interior is extremely nice.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Definitely.  Blisteringly quick, great handling, and built very well. The only Pontiac I may like better is the G8, though they are somewhat different in purpose.

The GTO was also too quiet with stock exhaust, for having such a nice engine.

Same goes for my G8.

[280Z Turbo]

No, because then companies would only sell that type of product.

Wrong.

Crossovers, midsize sedans, minivans, SUVs, and trucks are not suited for enthusiasts either. And they sell a lot more of those than sporty cars.

[Laconian]

The Prius delivers on its fuel efficient premises moreso than any other hybrid. The interior is *enormous* and smartly laid out. The transmission is ingenious. I think it's a sweet car, it's just not a car that I would want. There are so many other cars that are more deserving of my scorn than the dorky Prius.

[Raza]

I would be cautious to say it was a great handling car, especially with the stock tires and suspension. That car with better tires would probably be a lot better, but it still had a fair amount of BR in corners. The GTO was also too quiet with stock exhaust, for having such a nice engine.

The G8 is nice (I never got to drive a GXP), but the GT definitely felt like it had less soul than the GTO.

Remember, the LS1 and LS2 GTOs acted quite differently.  The LS2 was louder, sharper, and better to drive than the more subdued LS1 version.

[Xer0]

I?d say anything Kia/Hyundai these days is overrated.

[rohan]

Actually, IIRC, when C&D did a direct comparo between the two in '05, they said the 300C was the better handler.

They were full of shit then- I drive the Charger for work and I owned the '05 and the GTO had better handling prowess.  And Jeremy Clarkson agrees- loved the GTO hated the LX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=680X8C5E1YY&feature=related

[Payman]

They were full of shit then- I drive the Charger for work and I owned the '05 and the GTO had better handling prowess.  And Jeremy Clarkson agrees- loved the GTO hated the LX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=680X8C5E1YY&feature=related

Oh well then, if Jeremy Clarkson agrees...

[MX793]

I recall seeing a comparo in one of the major US mags (might have been MotorTrend) where an LX car trumped the GTO in most performance categories.  However, the LX car was wearing wide, summer performance tires while the GTO had narrower all-seasons, and the difference in performance (braking, skidpad, etc) were well within the margins of what better tires could get you.