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You may have heard about the challenge I laid down to Jalopnik's Travis Okulski. You're probably read about brother Bark's experience at NJMP this past weekend. But if you haven't, the story goes like so: A team of scrappy Midwesterners fought a bunch of Euro-weenies and high-net-worth individuals on the mean
streets straights and curves of New Jersey. They endured fatigue, crippling expense, and hair-raising 100-mph off-track excursions to challenge their inner demons and define themselves.
This is not their story.
This is the story of the Prius they drove. Over 1,600 miles. From Ohio to New York to New Jersey to Philly and back to Ohio.
Plus fifteen laps on a racetrack.
Stress and nervous tension are now serious social problems in all parts of the galaxy and it is in order that this situation should not be in any way exacerbated that the following facts will now be revealed in advance:
- I thought the Prius was absolutely brilliant, and I'm going to give you ten reasons why.
- I also thought the Prius was depressingly cheap and annoyingly outmoded, and I'm going to give you five reasons why.
- My opinion about the Prius has been changed forever.
- My opinion about the bulk of Prius owners remains unchanged.
Alright, let's get to it. This is the TTAC of 2015, so instead of telling you a sordid tale about a bottle-blonde working girl named Natalya who stood next to me and told her date, "I'm worth the money" as I watched Mike Stern, Anthony Jackson, and Lionel Cordrew just kill it at 55 Bar in the Village last Wednesday night, we're going to have a listicle.
Ten Reasons The 2015 Prius Is Absolutely Brilliant. Number Six Will Blow Your Mind.
1. No tumblehome. The sides of the third-generation Prius are actually concave. The side windows reach straight up from a surprisingly low doorsill to a squared-off meeting with the roof. This car feels hugely roomy and comfortable to me, more so than any other car with its footprint on sale today, and that's why.
2. Reasonable driver position. There's plenty of room to be had between the door card and the floating console. The blank space ahead of you, where the instrument panel would be in, say, a Ferrari F12berlinetta, is grey plastic adorned with a "Synergy" waveform pattern that also appears in every glass divider in the lobby of every mid-price hotel in America. And maybe it's because I'd driven a '99 Camaro SS right before getting into the Prius, but the distance to the windshield base was positively reasonable.
3. The vision thing. There's no "DLO Fail", as our own Sajeev Mehta would say. The front quarter windows are useful for parking. The rear quarter windows have heating elements on them. Driver vision is clear and nearly unobstructed. And the rear double window in the hatch – holy fuck, man, when was the last time you drove a car that let you see the license plate of the car following you? This is the opposite of the face-down-ass-up thing that most modern sedans have. Love it.
4. Uninvaded space. The Prius had room for three people, their luggage, their race equipment, and a carbon-fiber Rainsong jumbo on which I played "Ramble On" after practice on Friday. "Jesus," my brother said, "make that stop." The packaging just plain works for both people and luggage.
5. You can turn the DRLs off. Every car in the world should offer this feature. Combined with the "EV mode", to be discussed shortly, this would make the world's greatest night-time drive-by vehicle ever. Room for a Bulgarian AK-47 clone in the back? Check! The ability to roll silent? Check! No DRLs to alert your rivals? Check!
6. The hybrid powertrain, as implemented in this car, is beyond reproach. From Columbus to Manhattan, the Prius returned about 51 mpg despite being asked to cruise at 80-90 mph. But it was on the road to Chinatown that I had my own road-to-Damascus moment. Exiting the Holland tunnel, I pressed the "EV mode" button. The engine didn't turn on until we arrived at the hotel and had to wait for the valet. No fuss. No drama. Half an hour on the battery, stopping, starting, listening to Father John Misty on the crank-up. It would have been two gallons' worth of gas in anything else.
What Toyota has done with this Prius is simply brilliant. You can watch the energy displays if you like, but you don't need to. Only once was I caught out by the Synergy Drive; making a left turn onto a crowded four-lane, I pumped the throttle to sneak into a hole between two cars and was unexpectedly braked by the Toyota's decision to cut the engine. That's it. That was the only time I didn't like the system in the space of 1,600 miles. I'm a believer.
7. The quiet aero. True, my current fleet of vehicles, containing two Porsches, two Honda motorcycles, and a car (the Honda Accord) which has been infamous for road noise since 1976, tends to damage my idea of what a quiet car is. Still. This Prius has less wind noise than anything else I've ever driven. You can have a reasonable conversation at 90 mph.
8. The handling. Yeah, it's on those low-roll Avids, which aren't great. But when I took the Prius around New Jersey Motorsports Park's Lightning course, the Prius was a capable and friendly partner. It can hit 96 mph on the front straight before recovering sixty watt-hours braking at the "4" mark. You can rotate it – wait, I'm laughing as I type – you can rotate it at turn entry on the Synergy Drive recovery mode of the brake pedal. No, it's not fast, but it's not undriveable. More importantly, the Prius ended its tour of the track with a firm brake pedal, no worrying heat smells, and two bars of battery left in reserve. Hey, it's got two controversial F1 technologies: a CVT (hey, Williams!) and battery energy recovery (hey, every F1 team during KERS development except Williams!) The only caveat: The stability control doesn't like high-G maneuvers at freeway speeds.
9. The air conditioning. Oh what a feeling, to sit in the Prius on a hot Jersey day and just let the battery run the A/C for you while the engine sleeps. Guilt-free motoring at its finest.
10. The stereo. Best cheap-car stereo I've heard in a while. The dynamics of it won't cause my friends at Stereophile to pen any rapturous tributes but at least it's loud enough for a 43-year-old man who has been deafened by years of unmuffled club racers and Benelli shotguns operated indoors.
After six days with the Prius, I was ready to buy one without question. Keep in mind that only the existence of my personal fleet would make such an idea palatable; I'm about as likely to buy a Chinese-made dress shirt as I am to make a car that can't break 100 in the quarter my only vehicle. Still, for ninety-five percent of the driving that I do, the Prius makes more sense than anything else on the road. And trust me, after blasting out to the lead of a forty-one-car pack while the Bimmers behind you bang fenders loud enough for you to feel it in your chest, getting into a car that "turns on" with a beep is oddly comforting.
Of course, the Prius has problems, and here are five of them:
1. The dashboard is garbage. Forget the fact that it's in the center. The displays themselves are a strange mixture of cheap monochrome LCD and monochrome segment LCD and backlit icons like you'd find on a God-damned '79 Tercel. Every time you look at the display, you're reminded of just how they found the money for the Toyota Synergy Drive in a $24,000 car. No Ford made after the Tempo looks this cheap inside.
2. The rest of the car is cheap, too. You can load these things up but my rental-spec "Prius One" lacked basic features such as a three-blink turn signal. It's equipped like a base Accent despite costing half again as much. There's no reason for it other than to push you upmarket to the five trim levels above. It's exploitative and stupid in the best GM practice.
3. It also treats you like an idiot. Yes, we all know the kind of people who buy these things in droves: feckless, mouth-breathing Whole-Foods-shopping asexuals who treat the government like a surrogate parent and use phrases like "I'm not okay with that" and "Here's why that's a problem." Some day it will be legal to cut those people down from horseback like a Dothraki, but in the meantime they have to be coddled by a car that BEEPS INSIDE WHEN YOU'RE BACKING UP. I know I'm backing up, damn it! I also don't need the car to flash some tacky-ass additional display every time I touch the Volume button. I know I'm touching the Volume button, because I'm a functioning human. What's worse: the "you're-touching-a-button" display lights up when you touch the button, but you have to press the button more to get it to do anything.
4. The seats are fairly miserable. Front and back. They're shaped oddly and made of mouse fur. Toyota knows how to make a great seat – the Lexus RC F that showed up at our race proves that. They just don't give you one here.
5. It's really slow. Yes, I know that's part of the package. But I hate it. I don't see why there isn't some KERS-style maximum-discharge mode for when you really want to get up to that open spot in the lane next to you.
And that's it.
A thousand miles in a Prius will make you a believer, as long as you understand what it is. It's not a Swiss Army Knife, it's not a Hellcat, it's not a Tesla Model S. It's the most intelligently-executed basic transportation since the Model T. As such, it lacks both surprise and delight. If you don't like it, get an Accord V6.
The Prius is not brilliant because it's a hybrid. By and large, hybrids suck and it doesn't matter if you're referring to the Highlander Hybrid or the Panamera Hybrid. The hybrid concept only works when you apply it to the Prius, the same way that a double-clutch transmission is racetrack magic in a McLaren 650S but utterly miserable in your commuting Fiesta. The Prius isn't brilliant because it's a hybrid. It's brilliant because it is designed for a single purpose – efficient transportation – and the HS-Drive is a part of that design. A Prius without the battery would be a better commuter than an Elantra with one. But as a single, unified system, the standard Prius is flat fucking wonderful.
If only I didn't feel dirty after driving it, like I'd been caught reading a Jezebel article about The Top Ten Ways Men Are Stare-Raping You At The Gym or something. I think I can fix that. If you'll excuse me, I have a superbike that needs some conspicuous wheely-ing.
Tagged as 2016, jack baruth, Prius, Toyota, Track Test
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156 Comments on "2015 Toyota Prius, Track Tested Review..."
Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 8:11 am
"lacked basic features such as a three-blink turn signal."
I would consider that to be a benefit, not a curse. I have the three-blinks-whether-you-want-them-or-not, and I really dislike it.
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Thinkin...May 5th, 2015 at 10:34 am
Agree – I find the three-blink on BMWs & MINIs annoying at times. It works, but requires brain space. Hmm did I push the indicator stalk down far enough or not far enough, is the blinker auto-cancelling or not? Ditto with the double-pull on the doorhandles to get out of the car. All it does is confuse friends – I really don't get what problem the Germans think they're solving there.
Also, FWIF regarding the negative #3: Both the reverse beep and the display mirroring of steering wheel inputs can be switched off. It's the first thing I did when the wife got a Prius.
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kokomokidMay 5th, 2015 at 8:30 pm
I had the reverse beep disabled, but I like the mirroring of the steering wheel controls, at least at night when it's harder to see the buttons.
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Pch101May 6th, 2015 at 4:37 pm
"I really don't get what problem the Germans think they're solving there."
If you are driving in the left lane of the autobahn and wish to indicate your desire to pass, you use your left turn signal. (Flashing high beams is not acceptable.) I would presume that the three-flash option is meant to be used primarily for that purpose.
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darkwingMay 5th, 2015 at 10:43 am
Just because you don't understand the feature doesn't make it useless.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 12:10 pm
You must be great at cutting people off. (At last, we've discovered that you actually do have a talent.)
I dislike them because three flashes is rarely enough. Don't start the maneuver until others have a chance to see that you're going to be doing it.
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darkwingMay 5th, 2015 at 4:24 pm
A racist, a wannabe brownshirt, *and* a slowpoke. Winner winner chicken dinner.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 4:26 pm
If you were trying to look clever, then I hate to break it to you, but you failed.
HummerMay 5th, 2015 at 7:23 pm
It has nothing to do with not understanding how they work, they're a pain, they're super sensitive to being accidentally hit, and rarely do I need exactly 3 blinks.
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:14 pm
I hate the three-blink signal because it makes people think three blinks are enough. They're not. Even if you change lanes pretty quickly it takes 6-8 blinks to give people a blink or two of notice and then keep blinking until you're established in the new lane.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 12:30 pm
Exactly. You usually need the first 2-3 indicators just to alert other drivers that you are about to make a move, then several more to complete the maneuver.
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krhodes1May 5th, 2015 at 3:43 pm
If you are so close that three blinks is insufficient, you are probably too close anyway. And decent cars let you set the number of autoblinks higher anyway if you wish.
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QuentinMay 5th, 2015 at 4:00 pm
And Prius drivers are accused of being smug…
dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 4:18 pm
Why does not being close require fewer blinks? You blink about twice to let people know your intent, then you keep blinking until you're established in the lane you're moving to. That applies whether you're squeezing into a tiny hole in city traffic or on a wide-open interstate.
Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
The stereotypes of BMW drivers have some truth to them.
krhodes1May 6th, 2015 at 1:06 am
Three blinks is usually enough to signal your intentions. I see no reason for the signal to be on throughout the entire lane change – It doesn't generally take me 5 minutes to move from one lane to another, and I am virtually never squeezing in between other cars. If I need more than that, the option is there to simply turn the signal ON. Or tap the stalk again for another three flashes. Not rocket science.
redavMay 6th, 2015 at 8:43 am
Three blinks is not enough because you can't rely on other drivers seeing/noticing immediately, and signaling through completion is necessary because those inattentive drivers need information of what your intentions are while you are between lanes. No, it's not enough that they see you moving laterally, they need to know that is your intent.
Since three blinks is not enough, and since mistakes happen (accidental hit of stalk, change of mind) it's undesirable to have e.g., seven blinks. And since it is also undesirable to have to perform a second action to deactivate the blinks, it is better to simply not have the auto blink feature in the first place.
In summary:
– To use turn signals well, you will hold the stalk longer than the auto blink feature. Thus having the feature adds no value to proper use of turn signals.
– When mistakes occur, the auto feature makes things worse. Thus, having the feature destroys value.
– The net benefit of auto blinks is negative, and therefore, the feature should not exist.
Pch101May 6th, 2015 at 4:40 pm
Now I can see why some people think that a quick use of the turn signal provides them license to cut off other drivers. ("But I signaled!!! Isn't that enough?!?!?!")
dal20402May 6th, 2015 at 5:20 pm
"Three blinks is usually enough to signal your intentions."
Only if you think everyone is staring at you all the time. People can easily be looking away for more than three blinks.
"I see no reason for the signal to be on throughout the entire lane change."
Other than the law?
krhodes1May 6th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
If I am so close to another car that whether they see me or not REALLY matters, I will not use the autoblink function, I will turn the signal fully on. I always assume those around me are not paying attention anyway. Or trip the lever for another 3 blinks. Easy.
There is no requirement to signal throughout a lane change in my state. In fact, if your lane change will not affect other vehicles it is not legally required to signal at all (though I do it even on an empty highway – force of habit). The legal requirement is to signal for at least 100ft prior to your lane change/turn, and at highway speed three blinks more than satisfies that requirement.
Pch101May 6th, 2015 at 10:03 pm
Unless you suffer from some sort of odd case of arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome that makes turn signal usage difficult for you, there isn't a good reason to not use turn signals with the objective of making yourself conspicuous to other road users, rather than attempting to beat a completely arbitrary three-flash clock.
Domestic HearseMay 5th, 2015 at 4:13 pm
BMW drivers are confused. What is this three-blink device you speak of?
And turn signal?
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Judging from what I've seen, turn signals are optional equipment under FMVSS.
Once upon a time, I had a jerk who cut me off in traffic as he failed to signal. Since we were in gridlock and he was in a convertible, I decided to share my displeasure.
I rolled down my window: "Excuse me, but I think that there's something wrong with your car… Your turn signals don't seem to work."
He responded with some incoherent profane rant that attempted to blame me for being there, as if it was some kind of shock that a busy roadway would have other cars on it. What a maroon.
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kokomokidMay 5th, 2015 at 8:13 pm
I have a Prius, and a MINI with the option of three blinks. I have the three blinks turned off on the MINI. If I want three blinks, I can do it manually.
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SunnyvaleCAMay 5th, 2015 at 8:17 pm
I hate the 3-blink feature too. In my Porsche Cayman S a second press of the signal lever doesn't stop it, either. If you accidentally activate it you are stuck with all 3 blinks.
A further problem with the feature, at least here in California, is that it doesn't blink long enough to fulfill legal obligations. On the "freeways" I believe current law requires signaling for 5 seconds before starting a lane change. On non-freeways you need to signal 60 feet in advance of a turn but also continue signaling throughout the turn. Either way, 3 blinks isn't nearly long enough.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 9:56 pm
Unlike some of those posting above, the state has figured out that turn signals don't do much good if other drivers on the road don't see you using them.
I only find the three-flash feature useful if I'm starting a passing maneuver on a road that is fairly empty and the slower traffic is well ahead of me. In town, it's pretty useless.
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kokomokidMay 5th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
One of my four cars is a Prius, and yeah, the beeping in the car in reverse is obnoxious. I don't know why they did that, but the good news is that the dealer can disable in in about 2 minutes, for free.
Overall, that is a great article, Jack. For the most part, you are right on with the good, and bad of a Prius, and I've had one for 5 years.
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Luke42May 5th, 2015 at 9:22 pm
They did made it beep in reverse because tho position of the shift joystick doesn't tell you who gear you're in.
The spring moves the electronic joystick — or at least it did before our spring broke. Ours is an 11 year old car which han survived my wife's early 20s and our two kids.
Every so often, some idiot crashes a car by putting it in forward when they want reverse. One of these people bashed up the wall of my favorite sandwich shop whet I was in college. My guess is that Toyota has annoyed the crap out of millions of Prius owners to prevent those rare accidents from happening, or at least to prevent being sued successfully when it does.
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redavMay 6th, 2015 at 8:47 am
I really dislike the Prius gear shift. It seems to be a 'solution' to a problem that never existed.
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JimC2May 5th, 2015 at 9:15 pm
And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Prius. Then shalt thou blink the Holy Turn Signal to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt blink, and the number of the blinking shall be three. Four shalt thou not blink, neither blink thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then turneth thou thy Holy Prius Steering Wheel towards thy neighboring car in the neighboring lane, who, driving an SUV and therefore being naughty in My sight, shall yieldeth."
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 9:57 pm
Puts a whole new spin on being attacked by a Rabbit.
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PartsUnknownMay 6th, 2015 at 4:26 pm
I logged on just to say: That was awesome. Bravo.
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redavMay 6th, 2015 at 8:31 am
I was going to post the same thing.
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JMIIMay 5th, 2015 at 8:27 am
I swear #4 is why most people buy it. Like many Honda's it looks small from the outside but is actually HUGE on the inside. I bet most CUVs has less useable room. The dash and the slowness are its downsides, but most people don't track their cars so if you can live with the silly dash graphics the Prius is an excellent, all around, "normal" car. Oh and as a bonus it greats mileage.
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dash riprockMay 5th, 2015 at 11:03 am
This was the majority reason why we ended up with the Prius V. Drove the Sienna but found it really not nice to drive, it was coarse. Wife liked the Rav 4, but there is precious little space in it for kids and luggage. The fuel economy of the Prius is impressive, but with the amount we drive, the premium we paid to purchase, will never be recouped in savings. All the same, a really good functional vehicle.
A side note, the EV operation mode has really got me interested in a pure EV for the next purchase. If the Volt PHEV was put into a vehicle with the V's package(they could make it more attractive too) then it would be a great veehicle for us.
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kokomokidMay 5th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
I just turn off the dash graphics most of the time. I've never bothered to learn what they mean.
I'm wondering about Jack's gas mileage, though. He said he got 51 on a high speed trip on the interstate, but I get only 44-45 for my trips between Florida and Indiana, going 75-77 when the SUV's aren't impeding my progress by blocking the passing lane.
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Luke42May 5th, 2015 at 9:30 pm
I'm under the impression that people buy it for the green halo, kept it for the interior space utilization, and maintain it because it has the reliability of a cockroach.
At least that's been our experience with it. Oh, and you still can't beat the MPGs. After 11 years with the thing, my wife won't let it go when I eventually buy an EV to do the same work. I'm OK with that because it's a comfy old shoe that's cheap to own.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 8:27 am
"From Columbus to Manhattan, the Prius returned about 51 mpg despite being asked to cruise at 80-90 mph."
That's quite impressive at that speed to maintain that mileage. Sadly, diesels achieved that mileage status over a decade ago before the govt f*cked them all up. (Although at much lower speeds, as in legitimate freeway speeds,not sustained 90 mph)
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 8:32 am
Gas MPG and diesel MPG are not directly comparable. Diesel has higher energy density, i.e. more carbon.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 8:45 am
That's why they're superior.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 8:48 am
That's like arguing that a donut is healthier than a carrot because it has more calories.
MPG is not a measure of energy efficiency. Having more carbon isn't better or worse, it's just what it is.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 8:53 am
Higher BTU per gallon = more work per said gallon of fuel. Gasoline engines have made a lot of improvements in recent years and work good in little commuters but put a load on the engine and that efficiency goes right out the tail pipe.
Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 8:54 am
That isn't a measure of efficiency.
krhodes1May 5th, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Given we buy both by the gallon and not by the pound or btu, of course they are comparable.
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Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
I hope that your chemistry teacher isn't reading this.
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Japanese BuickMay 9th, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Diesel costs significantly more per gallon than the regular unleaded that the Prius runs on.
$/mile is the only measure of efficiency that is objective and easily figurable. Don't forget to include the maint costs of the diesel car and the Prius in that, btw.
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30-mile fetchMay 5th, 2015 at 8:42 am
Having been behind enough soot-belching diesel trucks and cars, I'm glad the gubbmint f*cked them up. Hate breathing that exhaust, even the ones that seem to be running properly.
The mpg advantage of the Prius grows greatly over diesel in city use.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 8:49 am
Sorry, that's a biased comment with more opinion than fact. No properly tuned diesel belches black smoke excluding the dim witted idiots that intentionally tune them to run hot (more fuel than air) and 20 year old semis loaded to the hilt.
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May 5th, 2015 at 9:06 am
This. When I see people rolling coal in their heavy-duty F-350s and Rams, it makes me want to kick all their teeth out. And I'm not a violent person…
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Flipper35May 5th, 2015 at 10:08 am
Assuming they have all their teeth still.
psarhjinianMay 5th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
"Sorry, that's a biased comment with more opinion than fact. No properly tuned diesel belches black smoke excluding the dim witted idiots that intentionally tune them to run hot (more fuel than air) and 20 year old semis loaded to the hilt"
Diesel produce more particulates an more oxides of nitrogen & sulphur then gas engines do. The Prius produces less yet.
Diesels, of course, used to be _even worse_ when it came to emissions until, as you say, the government f*cked them up by requiring them to be not as filthy.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 2:09 pm
The OEMs were doing quite well improving the efficiency and cleanliness of diesel engines on their own. HPCR technology was several years old before the mandated DPF and over extensive use of EGR which plugs the internals full of soot was required to meet the target emission levels (which only improved incrementally by the way.) AND they were all getting substantially better fuel mileage with longer OCI before the lovely mandate. So in trade off for MARGINALLY better air quality each truck that runs OTR on a daily basis does so at the cost of several extra oil changes per year at 6-7 gallons a pop and sacrificed 1-2 mpg which equates to thousands of gallons of fuel burned per year PER truck. How many trucks do you see on the road everyday? How many thousands of gallons a day do you suppose we are burning for MARGINALLY better air? Were not even at the break even point when all factors are considered. Yes, the government f*cked diesel technology up royally, but all the right people are benefiting from it so all is well, right? Nothing but a big smoke show.
Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 3:58 pm
OEMs only reduce emissions to the extent that they have to.
The fact that they would build separate systems for Europe that produce more pollution than permitted by California or the EPA, and that they otherwise use fewer controls outside of Europe and the US whenever they can get away with it are good indications that these reductions in NOx, particulates, etc. are not strictly voluntary.
jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Comparing Europe to the US is like arguing a donut is healthier than a carrot because…oh wait someone already used that one.
Europe and the US have very little in common, mainly vehicle models and a crooked EPA. They build cars to their local requirements. A Ford built in Australia or Asia wouldnt be built to US "standards" so why should Europe? Comparing them to each other is just not comparable.
Pch101May 5th, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Are particulates healthier in Europe? Do they build better lungs?
jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 4:55 pm
I suggest you look at the NOX threshold now vs 2007 before you side with the crimanals. I'm all for cleaner engines and lower pollution. I'm not all for trading one pollution for another,which is all we've done, while lining the pockets of some and stripping the pockets of others. As I said,its nothing but a big smoke screen.
Furthermore, if a truck now has to burn 200 gallons of fuel vs the 175 gallons of fuel that used to be required to travel the same route and haul the same load, how much cleaner are your lungs really going to be? They won't.
Japanese BuickMay 9th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Saying the govt f*cked up diesel by making it become cleaner is like saying the govt f*cked up paint by banning lead in it.
jrmasonMay 9th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
You need to find a better comparison. They didn't replace a toxin (lead) with another which is essentially what they did to diesel. Read my last paragraph above your reply and tell me our atmosphere is for the better. Nobody that knows anything about diesel technology can say with a straight face that diesel didn't take a huge hit in fuel mileage when the all knowing EPA stepped in with their latest round of emissions. They like to take credit for cleaner air but the truth is simply switching from 500PPM LSD to 15PPM ULSD (which happened concurrently) did more for air quality than forcing the use of DOC and DPF which coincidentally increased the fueling requirements.
ciratsMay 5th, 2015 at 9:18 am
jrmason says his mileage comparison was "at much lower speeds, as in legitimate freeway speeds, not sustained 90 mph." If that's the case, then the comparison is pretty much worthless anyway, as there is a huge difference in mileage at 55-60 and mileage at 80-90. I've had cars that can get 30+ at 60 but drop down to the low 20's at 85.
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jrmasonMay 5th, 2015 at 9:36 am
Do you drive 55mph on the freeway? I sure hope not.
Freeway speed limits here are between 70 and 75mph and I drive about 5mph over given the conditions are safe. Yes there is a big difference between 75-80 and 90 which is why I mentioned it. Thank you, Captain Obvious.
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sportyaccordyMay 5th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Good review!
More power is definitely a must. I really wish they would throw the Camry's 2.5L hybrid setup into the Prius, with some real tires and an IRS. Hell, sell it as a Lexus, but don't touch that god damn perfect kammback (and ruin it like with the CT/HS). I think a lot of folks would gladly trade a couple of MPGs for base Honda Accord performance. And with the Prius' lowish curb weight the combo of 200HP and legit tires could make for a legit low key driver's car. CVT and all….
Still waiting on that dual Chrysler 200 review by the way…….
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Jack BaruthMay 5th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Derek never turned in his side! You're going to get a single 200 review :)
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bball40dtwMay 5th, 2015 at 9:23 am
Prius buyers don't want more HP. They want more efficiency.
Ford will happily sell you a C-Max with 188 HP, but it isn't as efficient as a Pruis. As a result, people don't really buy it.
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May 5th, 2015 at 10:00 am
I happen to think the Prius looks better than the C-Max.
No, really.
The Prius has a nice, smooth profile, while the C-Max just looks like a half-arsed minivan/wagon mash-up. Truthfully, the C-Max is more a competitor to the Prius V than the regular Prius hatchback, but maybe I'm just bitter that we didn't get the better-looking Grand C-Max like we were *supposed* to.
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bball40dtwMay 5th, 2015 at 10:08 am
I don't like the look of the Prius at all.
I like the look of the C-Max besides the grille. It has the Fusiony grille, plus the Escape grille. Why does it need two grilles, Ford?
Either way, I bought the C-Max for function, not looks. I would have bought the C-Max with or without the hybrid powertrain. It's a good powertrain that will prove to be reliable, but I would have bought a gas or diesel powered version if we had it.
Ford was smart not to bring over the Grand C-Max or S-Max. As much as I like both, they would be too expensive here and end up as showroom poison. The Grand C-Max would get killed by the cheap FCA vans and other 6-7 passenger vehicles on the Ford lot.
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May 5th, 2015 at 11:46 am
The Prius is really ugly.
all the current Fords are really ugly. Fish-faced with slitty eyes, and a downer of an expression.
That's not saying much, though, because most current cars are really ugly.
I'm surprised the Prius has such good visibility. It doesn't look like it would have good visibility.
And, yes, 51mpg at 80-90 is amazing.
Great review, Jack!
CoreyDLMay 6th, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Hey also I've seen two brand new Escapes, and they really catch the eye from the back. The resurgence of the full-width tail lamp goes on!
(I also really like the razor-thin brake lamp lines on the Challenger currently.)
nguyenvuminhMay 5th, 2015 at 10:28 am
Kyree, it seems as though you're reading my mind. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I do think the Prius is brilliant in its technology, and it looks much better than the criticism that is laid on it. I do think the C-Max that I test drove felt better in terms of handling. And I am still pissed that Ford changed their mind about bringing the Grand C-Max to the US. Without SkyActiv in the Mazda5, I bought the Mazda5 but without the enthusiasm that I would have had with the SkyActiv (or with the Grand C-Max had it been available).
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CoreyDLMay 6th, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Even my sister, who does not notice ANY cars except for very high end stuff, noticed the C-Max. She said, "Wow, that's really ugly!"
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bball40dtwMay 6th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
It's because it has two faces. Is it supposed to look like the Escape or Fusion? Ford says both! Add it's stumpy proportions, and it looks like an off brand Aston Martin supository.
I still like mine, but that's the cross I'll have the bear.
CoreyDLMay 6th, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Is there a dark or black grille replacement in bars or hexagon mesh available? If it was painted a dark color that might help. Sort of like a grille delete for the lower portion.
dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Bumping the Prius's power wouldn't be consistent with its mission, which is low TCO and reliability.
But for a Prius-based car that makes some claim to enthusiasm it would be perfect. The Lexus CT200h should have become the Lexus CT300h years ago.
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CJinSDMay 5th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
A CT300h would be a fascinating car. The CT's interior makes a BMW 550i's look like a Checker Marathon's, and the drivetrain that takes a Camry Hybrid from 0-60 faster than a Fusion Ecoboost would have made it the best hatchback in the world.
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KixStartMay 5th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
I would settle for a CT250h. But then I do drive a Prius.
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CJinSDMay 5th, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Call it whatever you want, but I would love a CT powered by a Camry drivetrain.
heavy handleMay 5th, 2015 at 8:32 am
The seats take it out of contention for me. They are miserable for any drive over 15 minutes, whereas I can drive all day in a Saab.
I don't know what it is about Japanese cars and knees-in-the-air driving positions. My old Impreza was the same (and that's the man reason I sold it). It's much much worse than the stereotypical Italian driving position.
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
I agree. This is the worst thing about the Prius for me. I understand the lack of power or enthusiasm — both are serving goals which are more important to Prius owners. But comfortably shaped seats wouldn't make the Prius any less efficient or reliable. And it's not all Japanese cars; the Camry isn't affected, and I find the Accord exceedingly comfortable.
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Luke42May 5th, 2015 at 9:51 pm
The interior is lightweight.
It's probably not a coincidence that, after 10 years of being out in the elements, our Prius is starting to give off some of the same smells as a Cessna interior. I'm starting to think Toyota used some of the same lightweight plastics that Cessna chose.
That's a positive association for me, though — I love flying around in Cessnas, even if a Prius with Jack driving it can beat a me in Cessna 152.
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W.MinterMay 6th, 2015 at 3:29 am
@Luke42: The smell comes from the rubber hoses used to vent the HV battery (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/batbox/). Toyota seemed to use 2 suppliers for the hoses, one of them used stinky stuff. Solutions: a) Change the hoses (OEM; smell before you buy), b) Change the hoses (DIY; build your own set of hoses and connectors), c) Seal the vent channel in the trunk with duct tape.
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Athos NobileMay 5th, 2015 at 8:51 am
I sat in a local hybrid Camry taxi and became a believer too. Test driving one, however, is another matter.
Local taxi drivers seem to have changed religion, because the whole fleet is moving toward hybrid Camrys.
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Quadrupling your fuel mileage and reducing maintenance costs at the same time will do that. There's no better application for a hybrid powertrain than a city taxicab.
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jbltgMay 5th, 2015 at 8:52 am
Thanks Jack, you hit all the nails squarely on the head regarding all aspects of this car. My experience with it has only been as a rental, and if you hit the "sport" button or whatever they call it, this car can be amazingly energetic and athletic.
There are many of these on the roads here in LA, and their owners seem to be able to drive them in our crazy traffic like a bat out of hell without any problems. Better they should do this in a car like this than a gas-guzzler, I guess.
When my current ride finally wears out, I will consider one of these. With a little luck, the overall package will be a little nicer by that time.
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VW16vMay 5th, 2015 at 8:56 am
Prius interior sound deadening at this level of auto and price is brilliant. And there is also the increasing amount of Gen III Prius's with 200k trouble free miles. If someone is looking for an auto that is not trying to hard to be the go fast racer, or wanna be BMW or MB. Ex: Infiniti, Lexus. The Prius is the car. More room then any sedan, Accord, Camry, etc. And they can be had for under $20k
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EMedPAMay 5th, 2015 at 8:59 pm
Gen II's, too. My mother has a 2005 with 130K, and my cousin's is well north of 200K and he hasn't even replaced the original service brakes yet. These cars aren't perfect, but someone looking for a reliable commuter/family sedan requiring minimal upkeep could do a whole lot worse.
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Luke42May 5th, 2015 at 9:56 pm
Ours has 166k on the original brakes.
We'll probably have to replace them in the next couple of years, though.
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EMedPAMay 5th, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Regenerative breaking may give you a funky pedal feel, but it sure seems to save a lot of wear on brake pads.
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gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 9:03 am
Jack, it happens again and again, where your thoughts and experiences totally mirror my own with a particular car, and you put into words so eloquently exactly what I am thinking.
I think that at this point, the Prius is thankfully mainstream enough that the 'asexual mouthbreathers' are definitely not a majority of owners. Like you and me, most people driving them appreciate it for what it is: a brilliant transportation device. Doesn't hurt that they are insanely reliable and are incredibly easy on wear parts (brakes, oil, no more accessory belts to change).
When I got a rental 2013, I expected the floating center console to get in the way of my knee and make things feel claustrophobic compared to the minimalist 2nd gen car (I've driven my gf's dad's 2009 a fair amount). But it totally doesn't get in the way, I completely forgot about it after getting in the car. It is indeed a very roomy and airy environment, a must for me. The classic '5 door hatchback' shape ala Saab is also very useful, more so than 'chopped butt' hatchbacks IMO.
I'd very seriously consider trading up from my Civic into one, but I think I'd miss having a stick shift vehicle in my fleet too much.
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SunnyvaleCAMay 5th, 2015 at 8:32 pm
I had a rental Prius and was also pretty impressed. I, like you, would sorely miss rowing my own gears. But in the Prius, at least the CVT nature of the transmission is completely predictable, unlike the shift algorithms in a conventional automatic transmission. I think the worst automatics are the "learning" ones–you never know what bad habits the transmission has recently learned!
I found the cornering a lot of fun. With modest speeds that won't spill the coffee you can have tire-squeezing fun around every bend! I like to put a positive "spin" on the low rolling resistance tires by borrowing a complementary term from frying pan technology: non-stick tires!
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rpn453May 6th, 2015 at 9:08 pm
A "learning" transmission is a ridiculous concept. The transmission should simply behave in a consistent and predictable manner relative to the inputs, and the user should adjust to that.
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RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 9:11 am
I sigh every time I see one. So brilliant, efficient and well built, but I can't abide a greenhouse that makes the upper half of my field of view left to right: roof upholstery, A-pillar, roof upholstery, RVM, roof upholstery, A-pillar, roof upholstery.
It's a visceral response… I literally can't drive my brother's for claustrophobia. So economical, so Toyota and I can't have one.
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VW16vMay 5th, 2015 at 9:23 am
I get the claustrophobic feel of cars. Try sitting in a MB GLA c-class, Chevy Camaro, or Nissan/Infiniti Q50. Not very pleasing, like you are sitting on the ground and the windows start just above shoulder level and I am over 6 foot tall. But, I didn't find the Prius with these issues. Test drive a Outback or Forester, very pleasing for those with claustrophobia.
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RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 9:33 am
Yes, all sedans/coupes are increasingly claustrophobic due to CAFE tyranny. I've avoided them for over 20 years now by driving mostly pickups and lately SUVs.
But I want some nimbleness back since I don't often haul big things anymore and shopping areas are only getting denser. Eagerly awaiting the HR-V.
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May 5th, 2015 at 10:02 am
I don't know about the rest of those, but the latest Camaro absolutely invokes a sense of claustrophobia.
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bball40dtwMay 5th, 2015 at 10:27 am
The Camaro is prepping people to man the Nazi's Normandy bunkers.
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28-Cars-LaterMay 5th, 2015 at 10:30 am
It needs a periscope.
May 5th, 2015 at 11:49 am
+1 to both bball40dtw and 28cars!
gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 9:42 am
That's interesting because I had quite the opposite reaction. For reference, what cars do you own that you feel aren't claustrophobic?
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RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 10:00 am
'08 CRV, '11 CRV, '06 Aztek (inherited… hey, wasn't that bad), numerous Chevy half-tons through the years (latest an '04) and '86 and '97 Ford E-vans through work. Prior to/along with these I had '80s and '90s J-cars for when I wasn't working, hauling or on a motorcycle. Mostly Hondas but one really sweet Nissan Stanza 5-door and a Metro in belated grad school.
Come the '90s, sedans and I pretty much parted ways. The airy greenhouses of the '80s J-cars forever spoiled me to where I couldn't stand the ever encroaching slant of windshields, lower rooflines and fattened-up pillars for air bags.
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gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 10:22 am
Hmm yeah in that context I agree. Still, within the realm of most modern CUVs and sedans I'd say the Prius is far from the worst offender. I maintain that my 1990 Civic Wagon had the best visibility of any car, ever. Typical double wishbone Honda low hood and dash, with seats that were up higher than in just about any other Honda, and a more upright windshield than other Civics. It was a total fishbowl, the 2007 Fit that replaced it was a big regression. Funny, given that the 2007 Fit in the context of new cars has a low belt line and large windows. The 2015 Fit is an abomination in this regard.
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RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 10:29 am
" The 2015 Fit is an abomination in this regard."
SO agree with this. My wife has a '13 Fit and will never give it up. After sitting in it once she literally refused to even visit other dealerships on our short list when we were shopping.
But the hotly awaited '15s when they finally arrived were a complete meh to me. Taking away rear cargo space for the sake of a roomier back seat makes zero sense for a couple our age.
Also, I *love* the extreme cab-forward moon buggy look of the earlier Fits. It's what gave the driving environment its airiness. But of course Honda had to make the 2015's styling more conventionally aggressive overall. Fail.
gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 10:44 am
"Taking away rear cargo space for the sake of a roomier back seat makes zero sense for a couple our age."
The base 5spd 2007 that my empty nester parents have spends 99% of the time with the rear seats folded down and a tarp in the back, hauling plants, soil, implements, and even bee hives to their homestead. it's their little 35 mpg trucklet. Like you, they would not benefit from the increased rear passenger room (which is already usable for average sized people btw), at the cost of rear and total cargo room.
RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 10:51 am
Heh, yeah.. we tarp the back and take a 55 gal. Rubbermaid container full of gardeny stuff to the yard waste place. We've had several hatches and always used them like trucklets or microvans.
We could use the CRV or my truck that's at my brother's place (parked in shed) but it's way more fun to roll up amidst all the pickups and giant SUVs in her Fit. Plus, she won't drive anything else o_O
gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 10:58 am
I'm waiting with bated breath for an OEM to recognize the legion of older folks that buy these sorts of cars (Soul, Element, Fit, etc) and use them as 'microvans' for gardening and landscaping. We rented a really neat Corolla wagon in Russia once, a worn out old JDM variant. It was in a super basic 'courier/delivery van' spec which included: leaf sprung rear beam axle (rated to carry 800 kilos judging by the sticker), steel bars across the rear hatch side glass to protect it from cargo, vinyl interior, basic 4spd manual transmission. That would be perfect for my folks.
Some sort of 'green-thumb special' that was marketed to this seemingly growing sector of empty nesters who love working outside with their newfound spare time (hobby farms, gardens, etc).
RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 11:04 am
Yeah… same wavelength here. The iron is hot now for the manufacturers to strike with all us home-owning oldsters. I'm encouraged by the recent rise of vehicles like the Transit Connect. Whatever my next purchase, the TC is on the short list, windows or no. I love that thing.
May 5th, 2015 at 11:50 am
cars are generally claustrophobic these days, making you long for one of the '70s-90s Volvos.
But the Camaro flaunts the claustrophobic look the way Donald Trump flaunts his hair.
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ajlaMay 5th, 2015 at 9:20 am
Is there anyway you can test the Camry SE Hybrid?
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Jack BaruthMay 5th, 2015 at 9:24 am
If I can rent one, absolutely. Haven't had a Toyota press car in not never.
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ballyRBMay 5th, 2015 at 10:36 am
Or the newer Accord hybrid that Alex really likes?
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LeMansteveMay 5th, 2015 at 9:20 am
I think it would be interesting if Toyota made a performance-oriented hybrid version of the FR-S. Skip the turbo, just adapt HSD to the flat 4 engine. Maybe that's what they are doing with BMW on the new joint-developed sports car.
Honda tried it with the CR-Z and hopefully they decide to try it again and make it better.
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QuentinMay 5th, 2015 at 9:55 am
HSD means you lose the stick shift, though. The manual transmission on the FR-S is a very pleasant little thing.
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mikedtMay 5th, 2015 at 9:21 am
My wife drives a Prius and to be honest I have a love hate relationship with it. It is damn boring to drive in just about every way from controls, road feel and instruments (hate hate hate the digital dash). And yes it does have an interior that screams cost cutting. On the other hand is it incredibly quiet and efficient. I drove across the state of Pennsylvania and averaged close to 55mpg – my motorcycle can't do that. And given the number of miles my wife puts on that efficiency is well appreciated. If, like a lot of Americans, your driving consists of traffic of one kind or another and dull-ass commuting then the Prius is pretty much a perfect car. Is it fun? Hell no, but few of us would have much fun driving an M3 on our commutes either.
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ttacgregMay 5th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Just how much "spirited " sporting fun is one going to have when immersed in congested city traffic in an M3 anyway?
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QuentinMay 5th, 2015 at 9:58 am
I enjoyed our Prius v. If it had AWD, I'd have kept it instead of swapping it for a CUV. Tons of space, easy to drive, easy on gas. The upcoming Rav4 Hybrid could be very good. It is lighter than the NX300h, more powerful than the 4 cyl Rav4, and should be more efficient than both.
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joeveto3May 5th, 2015 at 9:55 pm
I've had two Prius's, a 10 and an 11. Both with the solar roof. Both I traded for BMW's. Not because they are bad cars, they are very good. But I get bored easily.
At any rate, I ran snows on my Prius's, and they never got stuck once. With snow tires, they are fantastic in even deep snow.
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GT_FanMay 5th, 2015 at 10:03 am
I inherited an '05 Prius with 114k on the clock, and had to choose between that and my '04 Passat 1.8 AWD manual with 2/3's the miles. On paper, any gearhead would stick with the VW, but the damn Toyota won me over with its sheer ease, utility and ridiculously low cost of ownership. My commute is a straight shot of highly patrolled interstate, leaving no room for fun anyway, so I found the Prius to be the perfect tool for the job. My Porsche-driving friends gave me some grief about it, but the 'dub got the For Sale sign and the Prius has 180k now with zero issues.
I actually LIKE the placement of the instrument panel. I'm farsighted, so the fact that the readout is so far away means that I can still bring it into focus uncorrected.
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SCE to AUXMay 5th, 2015 at 11:11 am
My xB1 had center-mounted gauges, and I really liked it that way.
They are demonstrably safer because your eyes leave the road for less time. And as a tall driver, it's nice to see the entire speedometer for a change, rather than have it blocked by the steering wheel.
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darkwingMay 5th, 2015 at 11:17 am
You're still pulling your fovea off the road — I doubt the reduced travel distance makes that much difference. (Though perhaps the reduced time to refocus does.) I still prefer my HUD, though.
I've heard it said that the trend towards center-mounted gauges and double dashes is to get ahead (so to speak) of hyperopic drivers.
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CJinSDMay 5th, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Hah. If you want to see a speedometer, get a Civic.
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RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 3:15 pm
I wish the HR-V copied that.
RideHeightMay 5th, 2015 at 11:21 am
"it's nice to see the entire speedometer for a change"
God, yes! No matter which hand(s) grip the wheel, where, or how the wheel is tilted, center-mounter gauges are still completely visible.
And manufacturers: I exclusively drive automatics and I drive like stoner grandpa… why must there be a tach in every blessed vehicle *exactly where a speedo should be for right-handed drivers to get an unobstructed view*?
The sam hill does the average driver need a tach for?!
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:30 pm
When I drive a Prius, I don't find that my eyes leave the road for less time at all, probably because I always look down at the blank panel in front of me, and then have to swivel my head right. I think it was just an attempt to reduce the cost of building RHD and LHD variants.
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Jack BaruthMay 5th, 2015 at 2:08 pm
I have an opinion piece coming on that later this week :)
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QuentinMay 5th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
The instrument panel is asymmetric. It has a contour that wraps around the push button start that would flip to the other side on RHD.
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SCE to AUXMay 5th, 2015 at 10:51 am
I could drive a Prius. An 05 was a candidate until I got my former xB1 back then. Now, I really like the "v", in bright blue.
But now that we own an Optima Hybrid, I like the compromise of more power and lower (36-40) mpg, in a package that draws compliments instead of glares.
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TruckduckenMay 5th, 2015 at 11:36 am
If I had a little more time, I'd pen a listicle about the seven ways that this here item was the best listicle ever!
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wstarvingteacherMay 6th, 2015 at 12:35 am
Yeah. The wife and I had pretty much decided to make our next car a Prius if we can ever wear out the Nissan Cube we have now. My high mileage 4runner has made me a believer in the durability of Toyota and the two daughters who drive Prius now have convinced me of the versatility and economy. This list from someone who I would have assumed would consider Toyota drivers soulless was the icing on the cake.
Thanks Jack.
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gasserMay 5th, 2015 at 11:38 am
As an L.A. Traffic driver, I have been long attracted to the Prius. The rave reviews by owners whom I know is the biggest plus. I am more attracted this year to the Camry SE hybrid, but real world mileage for this model is mid 30's. What I am really waiting for is the pending shift to the new platform, supposedly for 2016. Rumored is also the shift from Ni-hydride to Li-hydride batteries, which will allow more storage in a smaller footprint and allow reprogramming the drive for even better mileage. Since rain is non-existent here, I guess I could live with the LRR tires.
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 12:26 pm
I disagreed with Jack's Camry review, but I agree with pretty much every word of this one. The Prius has clear goals and accomplishes them extremely well, and it's a brilliantly engineered product. I won't own a Prius because of the seats, the lack of power, and the boring interior, but I love the concept of the HSD system and the car has my respect. I've always had a crush on the GS450h, which is the same idea but with luxury and speed, and would buy a lightly used 2013+ one in a heartbeat if the resale value weren't "cheaper to buy new" high.
Here on the West Coast, there isn't so much of a problem with the drivers, because people of every stripe drive Priuses, and they're so ubiquitous. They're just normal economy cars.
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KrohmDohmMay 5th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
I recently had this kind of revelation with the Camry. We've had an SE model as a rental for the past week after a minor accident. What a great car! I love my hot hatches and cars that growl at passersby or are more engaging to drive. But this thing is quiet, comfortable(for me and the family), efficient and will even take a freeway ramp at a good clip. Much as I hate to do it I think my manual tran hatch is on its way out of my garage!
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gtemnykhMay 5th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
"and will even take a freeway ramp at a good clip"
Most definitely. With the reasonably wide and somewhat sporty tires that come on it, along with the stiffened up ride, I run out of guts before I run out of grip in my gf's SE when driving on public roads. I've always been a Honda guy and thought for sure an Accord Sport 6spd would be in my future, but I'd seriously contemplate a 2015+ Camry for a daily driver, there's something to be said about Toyota's very competent NVH tuning, and managing to do so while keeping the car's weight rather low (within its class).
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dal20402May 5th, 2015 at 2:00 pm
People keep praising the SE's chassis. I really need to go drive one. I've only driven LE and XLE rentals of the current generation, and they were the worst kind of mushy and dead-feeling.
At least Toyota makes the XSE V6. Honda really needs an Accord V6 sedan with some real tires and a bit less "retired guy in Arizona" look.
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30-mile fetchMay 5th, 2015 at 8:45 pm
If you haven't driven the SE, how can you disagree with Jack's review of it? As I recall, soon after the SE track review he posted an LE track review and came to the conclusion that the SE was a far better driver. So maybe you don't disagree with his review after all.
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night driverMay 5th, 2015 at 1:50 pm
"But as a single, unified system, the standard Prius is flat f*cking wonderful."
Fantastic review. Jack nailed the reasons why, after twelve years and 300K miles in a 240HP Accord V6, I just bought a 2015 Prius Four.
The Four has an 8-way power driver's seat with power lumbar, which is *much* more comfortable for me and takes away the biggest negative in Jack's list, plus the upgraded JBL audio. And they are discounting the Prius in a big way – I was able to get it for $5K under sticker (including $2K rebate plus 0% for 60)…
ps – the dealer can (and will) easily change the reverse beeping to a single beep if you ask
pss – I'm getting over 50 MPG (for real – calculated by hand) in all sorts of real-world driving conditions
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KixStartMay 5th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
Baruth: "Benelli shotguns operated indoors."
"The shotguns," my mother said, firmly, and with more than a touch of exasperation in her voice, "are *outdoor* toys. And wear your ear protectors. Do you want to end up like your father?"
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CliffGMay 5th, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Ah, you bought a VFR. I do like that paint scheme the best. The kick you get at 6800rpm is fun, but the low speed fueling may just drive you nuts. It is not as if Honda can't do FI, just try a late model CBR1000 for spot on perfection in that regards. But it will do 135 on lonely roads in southern Idaho, so you got that. When I was still in my fifties I could do 800 mile days on it, so it is comfy. Oh, was this a review of the Prius? Still can't be in the HOV lane all be yourself in Seattle, so probably not for me.
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KixStartMay 5th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
We're very satisfied with ours. It has been to the East Coast a couple of times and the fuel economy is astonishing.
Mostly, I agree with Baruth's assessments, except:
7 – "The Quiet Aero." There's not much wind noise but we hear a lot of road noise. Our is a 2012 and different tires or the newer model may have improved this. We "upgraded" from a much noisier car into the Prius and the noise isn't a problem, per se, but I'll be looking for a quieter successor when we're done with this one (which will probably be in about 10 years).
4 – "The seats are fairly miserable." I don't find this to be the case and I've spent 12 and 13 hour days in them. Maybe, compared to Baruth, my backside is protected by additional layers of flab.
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tekdemonMay 5th, 2015 at 2:28 pm
What's wrong with a Chinese made dress shirt?! Chinese clothing manufacturers are actually good at dress shirt manufacturing, having been driven out of most cheaper clothing by lower cost manufacturers in places like Bangladesh/Vietnam/Thailand. There are also a lot of very skilled tailors in cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong who make truly top notch dress shirts using top notch fabrics. I own plenty of Italian made dress shirts but I actually prefer to wear the Chinese stuff because while the Italian stuff is usually made with slightly better fabrics the actual manufacturing quality on the Chinese shirts is top notch and if you're looking for a basic noniron work shirt the Chinese have managed to get it down now to where non-iron fabrics actually feel like good quality fabric. My family used to be in the clothing manufacturing business ourselves so we know clothing quality quite well.
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HigheriqMay 5th, 2015 at 2:47 pm
I saw the words "Prius track tested" and stopped – the article would have been a letdown after that joke.
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Master BaiterMay 5th, 2015 at 3:07 pm
I'll take my 8000 RPM tach in front of me over the blank piece of plastic, thank you very much.
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Domestic HearseMay 5th, 2015 at 5:03 pm
"…so instead of telling you a sordid tale about a bottle-blonde working girl named Natalya who stood next to me and told her date, "I'm worth the money" as I watched Mike Stern, Anthony Jackson, and Lionel Cordrew just kill it at 55 Bar in the Village last Wednesday night, we're going to have a listicle."
Jack, I expect a full review of the jam at 55 Bar. A little more detail on Natalya as well- this can also be a listicle.
Same cats, same place, 2009 (as a comparison-contrast):
I'll be checking in for this at Have You Heard as I expect this to be delightfully NSFW. And NSFTTAC.
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ihatetreesMay 5th, 2015 at 8:56 pm
I like the Prius, there's not a better urban scooter.
That said, the seats are an issue. And they're not good in snow for a front driver – there are better buys for harsh winter climes.
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EMedPAMay 5th, 2015 at 10:26 pm
They're horrible in the snow. One of the two main reasons I didn't buy one.
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RideHeightMay 6th, 2015 at 4:41 am
Just curious… did either of you try snow tires? Where I live the abysmal lack of ground clearance would rule it out a lot of days, particularly after the bro-dozers rutted the snow and before the plows came.
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W.MinterMay 6th, 2015 at 7:58 am
@RideHeight: Driving in snow with snow tires works great. You can safely drive faster than (and pass) RWD sedan drivers, the ride is quite neutral. Sure, you will always know that you're driving on snow; a feeling you don't have while driving a good AWD car.
But accelerating from a standstill on an icy road works truly bad with Gen II. It's even worse when there's some incline, because the always-on traction control won't allow any wheelspin. That's what makes the Prius Gen II one of the least capable winter cars around.
Ground clearance (6 – 5 1/2 in) seems to be an interwebz-only problem. It's comparable to a 328i (5 1/2 in) or a Civic Sedan (6 in).
But with Gen III, Toyota has improved winter driving behavior a lot, owners say.
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EMedPAMay 6th, 2015 at 8:19 am
Short answer is yes: I had my mother put a set of Michelin XIce 2's on her Prius. The biggest problem in the Gen II Priuses is that the traction control is way too aggressive. On an icy grade, it will completely shut down any forward momentum.
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RideHeightMay 6th, 2015 at 9:26 am
Thanks, both of you, for your replies. I'll scan the forums about that because I really admire the Prius V.
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hgruntMay 6th, 2015 at 8:10 pm
Whenever I drive a Prius, I pretend I'm flying a Jetsons car.
It's hard to pass up something this practical, something that gets 45+ mpg no matter how it's driven and has a very agreeable cost.
Hybrids often do suck, except for this car…much like how every 3D movie sucked as a 3D movie except for Avatar.
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JimC2May 6th, 2015 at 8:12 pm
Tatanka? Tatanka!
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NoGoYoMay 6th, 2015 at 8:20 pm
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suspektMay 6th, 2015 at 9:04 pm
I just sold my Prius after 50,000 wonderful miles. I would happily buy another. It is just a great car.
It is quite often the #1 car I recommend to people of all backgrounds.
Biggest virtues:
– smooth out on the highway
– quiet
– spacious
– amazing fuel efficiency
– very reliable
– low key so blends in to the sea of cars well
– people tend to look down at you which is deeply amusing to me.
– did I mention the fuel efficiency? It's like not having a fuel bill. $20 goes and goes goes
Great car people. Jack is spot on here.
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suspektMay 6th, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Did I mention I also had a H2 Hummer at the same time as the Prius?
Just think about it. Whatever car I picked in the morning, I would be judged instantaneously by other drivers.
– tree hugging eco weenie OR
– fossil fuel wasting douche
Brought me such joy I must say.
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28-Cars-LaterMay 6th, 2015 at 9:13 pm
Sounds like one subsidized the other's fuel bill.
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suspektMay 6th, 2015 at 9:22 pm
The Prius did a majority of the miles.
The H2 was with me briefly and I sold it for a nominal profit after less than 10,000 miles of use.
The H2 ought to have been sold with a Duramax. I think given its MSRP and weight, it's insane GM didn't sell it as a diesel.
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jrmasonMay 6th, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Gm would have had to build a small diesel to power it, the current DMax is too big and heavy to even think about dropping in a light duty vehicle like an H2/H3.
Japanese BuickMay 9th, 2015 at 1:38 pm
I am currently driving a '12 Prius Four that was handed down from my wife. Some impressions to share:
1. there is more room in the cockpit than in my 1998 LS400. I was shocked at how tight the LS400 feels after a week in the Prius (for now the LS400 is relegated to Sunday cruiser duty). Despite myself I found myself driving the Prius more and and more and the LS400 less and less.
2. The dorkiest thing about the Prius is the wheelcovers. Just take them off and throw them away. What's under them is surprisingly attractive black alloys. I don't understand why Toyota did that, maybe they feel like the dorky look is part of the appeal to the hard core green audience.
3. The seat in my Prius Four is very comfortable. The Prius One is the stripper penalty box model. Yeah the interior plastics are still TEH CHEEP but the Four is quite comfy. It';s also very easy to get into and out of, with a low floor and wide door. We initially got it help my wife's bad knees, after she got her knees fixed she went back to an SUV so now I'm driving it.
4. I've found that the biggest influences on the MPG I get on a specific drive are not how I drive or even the type of road and traffic. They are: Weather, warmer is better (I guess the gas engine has to run less to maintain operating temp?), and net elevation change of the trip. Only 150 feet over 30 miles makes as much as 3-5 mpg difference. Btw the car's trip computer is about 2.5 – 3.5 mpg optimistic when compared to my fuel pump calculations.
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nickooMay 9th, 2015 at 6:47 pm
The Ford C-max just seems like a huge improvement over this vehicle in nearly every way. Although if I were going for fuel efficiency I would jump all over a new golf TDI wagen. What these are missing (along with nearly every hybrid with a small battery) is a super-capacitor for rapid charge/discharge for when that extra oomph! is needed. It will also help to better capture more of the braking energy as smaller batteries can only take so much instantaneous charge.
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text:
Chalk Art 2013
Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:31:50 GMT —
What child doesn't have a good time drawing creative scenes with chalk?
This weekend, they can experience their creative side at the Brownsville Children's Museum!
On Wednesday morning, Felipe Pea and Aracely Araiza explained more about this on Action 4 Sunrise.
Chalk Art 2013 will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Dean Porter Park in Brownsville.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. and families can begin chalking at 10 a.m. There will be cash prizes, music, games in both adult and youth categories.
Reserve your square today at only $10 per child and $15 for youth and adults.
Pre-registration is already underway online at www.cmofbrownsville.com. For more information call (956) 548-9300.

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Big Love
The first thing I see, on the hotel-room floor by a little table, is a pair of Nikes, each one as big as a birch-bark canoe. Nobodys come out of the bedroom yet, so, what the hell, I peek inside a shoe. Size 18.
Then arrives the footgears owner. Still hovering well, maybe hovering is not the word around his fighting weight of 600 pounds, Konishiki (ko-NEESH-kee), the most controversial sumo wrestler of all time, now turned professional musician, walks gracefully into the room, shakes hands and sits down. With crystal foresight, I have left the couch vacant.
Konishiki is wearing a floral-patterned midriff wrap, kind of like shorts, in the mode of his native Hawaii. Hes not wearing anything else. His head and chest are damp from the shower. His right knee bears a nasty surgical scar from an injury that contributed to ending his career in sumo, from which he retired in 1997 at the age of 33 after dominating the sport for much of the previous 12 years. His bare feet are archless, as flat as anvils.
I hope Konishiki doesnt mind my dwelling here on his physical presence after all, you dont deliberately get that big without inviting comment. And he definitely knows its a hook. Now that hes stepping up with his debut as a singer-rapper, KMS (Konishiki Master Sumo) on 125th Street Records, hes throwing all his weight behind the music, the same way he overcame all obstacles to attain the pinnacle of sumo fame in Japan.
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KMS is no jock one-off. Konishiki began singing in church at the age of 3, and music has always been an obsession with him hes played sax, trombone, trumpet and other instruments, he formed a harmony singing group among his football pals in high school, and he showed enough promise that he was offered music scholarships to Syracuse U. and the University of Puget Sound. He declined the offers because he didnt feel his parents could afford the peripheral expenses hes one of nine children. So when a Japanese sumo coach discovered the young Salevaa Atisanoe in Honolulu and asked him if hed like to take an all-expense-paid shot at the tradition-bound foreign sport, he packed his Bible and jammed.
Devotion to sumo meant Konishiki pretty much had to lay aside his sheet music along with his birth name. But now that hes returned to his art (if not his patronymic), you can feel a glow of satisfaction emanating from both the man and his groove. Polished by a team of five producers (Darren Vegas, Homicide, J. Varner, A.K. Campbell and Shitamachi-Kyoudai), with lyrics fleshed out from Konishikis ideas by a staff of ace wordsmiths, KMS synthesizes funk, soul and hip-hop into a cohesive blend that sways to relaxed beats and sensual arrangements. Over it all, Konishiki brags, romances, and croons the praises of Hawaiian days and nights, his versatile voice dripping with high Philly-soul honey (Under the Moonlight) or echoing the deep seductiveness of another overweight lover, Barry White (Sumo Funk, Big Big Love). The tune selected for Konishikis slick, color-saturated video, featuring the Big Lover frolicking with island cuties, is the catchily moderne rap number Livin Like Kings. Fail to dig it and be lame.
I wanted a sound where you didnt have that dat-dat-dat its not so aggressive, says Konishiki, exhaling his words in a string of short off-the-cuff phrases. Its easy for anybody to relate to.
Yet he wasnt always so willing to please. When Konishiki hit sumos top ranks in the 80s, he stirred hysteria in the fans who wished to defend the purity of Japans national sport. These sticklers insisted that importing fat gaijin to push around more sophisticated native athletes took the finesse out of the competition.
To some extent, they were correct. But the slow trickle of big Hawaiians, Samoans, and even guys from the mainland USA and Argentina injected fresh vitamins into the bloodstream of a sport whose vigor had ebbed in Japans postwar internationalized, multimedia culture. This was little comfort to the traditionalists, who were shocked to behold their great yokozuna (grand champion) Chiyonofuji falling before Konishikis unprecedented combination of bulk and skill.
Im one of the guys who really put Chiyonofuji on his butt, man, says the Sumo Gangsta. Not too many people did that.
In 1992, the time came when Konishiki had piled up tournament performances that qualified him, many felt, for the rank of yokozuna himself. When the honor was denied him, he was not shy about raising accusations of racism.
So after physical afflictions had reduced his ring maneuverability to near zero and he was forced to retire, Konishiki faced an iffy future Japans Sumo Association at first wouldnt even let him use the ring name (meaning, uh, small brocade) with which his fame was associated. But he got his own talk show. He clowned on TV commercials, cannonballing down a mountain, perching in a tree or donning a bunny suit. And the people couldnt get enough of him. Today hes considered one of Japans most popular entertainers.
Now that Konishiki has a new CD and has ventured out for some gigs, his enthusiasm is almost a drawback. I really get into it, he says. But Im big. Id be giving all my everything, dancing my head off at the first song. Then Id be all, like, tired. Ive slowly learned how to control myself.
The messages Konishiki wants to communicate include personal pride, determination, and encouragement to island-bound Hawaiian musicians but especially the value of family. The last reads a little strange, considering the way he describes his upbringing: poverty and rigidity, with parents whod thrash him and his brothers with a belt when the boys would get caught up watching football and arrive late for church. They used to beat the shit out of us, he says. But hes grateful for the discipline. When he goes home, he still attends church with his dad.
Does he want kids of his own? On behalf of himself and his wife, former fashion model Sumika Shioda, he says, yeah, at least three, but not yet. In this business, its gonna kill me, man.
Konishiki may find that the music business is an even more cutthroat game than sumo. But hes prepared, because he feels he was in the sport when it was at its toughest.
The sumotori now try to find a way to win easy. I dont see that full contact, boom-boom, yknow? The killer instinct is just slowly getting away from the younger guys. In my time, everybody was out there to kill you.
Konishiki denies that the covert give-and-take practice of fixing individual bouts, which a former wrestler has recently claimed to be pandemic in recent years, prevailed in his time.
That wasnt even part of sumo, he says flatly. Everything was intense.
With foreign-born wrestlers Akebono and Musashimaru having attained the rank of yokozuna in the 90s, it seems that the xenophobic battles of Konishikis day are over. But the taunts, insults and hazings he endured have hardened his resolve for the Lost Highway ahead.
Hes tough, but even tough guys take a break now and then. The few days hes in L.A., between interviews and filming TV clips for CNN and National Enquirer TV, Konishiki gets to kick back occasionally, hanging out or singing karaoke at a local nightspot. When I ask if he plans to hit the sand at all, I discover theres one specter capable of flooding this warrior-poets heart with dread.
Im afraid, says the 600-pound slammer, of California beaches.
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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
First it started with my daughter a pimple like dot rash on her butt back and some on her legs. Then my Fiance got it all over started on his inner thighs and spread all over his body except his face now im starting to get it. a few on my back arms chest stomach and legs and feet my daughters started to clear up and now is all over her except for face. We haven`t changed anything in detergents or soaps or any kind of chemical i can think of. What could it be?
The fact that the rashes seem to be spreading to different people suggests that it is contagious. Scabies or staph infections could be responsible. You should consult your doctor at this point.
I Leonard Bernstein, MD
Clinical Professor Emeritus
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University of Cincinnati


text:
Back in the 7th grade, our science teacher Mr. Dabney made a bet with us the first day of school. There were about 35 students in the class, and he wagered 35 boxes of donuts there were at least 2 of us that shared the same birthday (he promised he didn't know this information beforehand).
We took him up on the bet, confident he was making a foolish mistake, but as Mr. Dabney made his way around the room asking our birthdays, a match popped up just as he got to the last couple of students.
So the question is: How many people do you need to have in a room so that there is a greater than 50% chance that 2 of them will share the same birthday?
How many people do you need to have a 97% chance that 2 will share the same birthday?
Not entirely sure, but I think it's 14 an 19, respectively.
this reminds me of something interesting that happened to me last month…. i work in a restaurant, and therefore often check IDs when young people order alcohol. i checked the ID of a young lady and said 'hm, you have the same birthday as my mom'–then i checked the guys ID and was suprised to see he shared the same birthday as my sister! i figured the odds of one birthday being shared were 1 in 365, (365.25 if you want to be really accurate) and the odds of 2 birthdays matching would be 365.25X365.25 or 1 in 133,407. kinda random. i guess this would be the same odds as 3 strangers sharing a single birthday….
as for the problem at hand, im not sure. im not quite sure how to set up such an equation. it seems to me that to ensure that there is a 50-50 chance of 2 people sharing a birthday, at least half the days would have to be accounted for, but if you had 182 people, it seems better than a long shot that 2 would match….and jr. high teachers wouldnt be placing such wagers. ill have to think about this. way to make me lose sleep dr. kaplan!!
great question.
X=average number of days in a month
you would have to have at least x amount of people in a room to have atleast a 50% chance. so the equation would be 2 out of X. or 1 out of X divided by two. to have atleast a 97% chance, you would have to have twice as many kids as X. so this equation would be 2 out of two times X, or 1 out of X.
^thats just what i think.
Well its a matter of statistics. since the first birthday doesnt matter, we can use 1/1 as the fraction for that, and 1/365 since it has to be on the same day as the first for the second.
so 365/2 is the number of people in the same room youd need to have to have a 50% chance.
and .97 times 365 for a 97% chance.
^^sorry dad, but the 35 kids in that room is much less than 365/2
The chance that someone is born on any day in a year is: 1/365
Since the birthday event is independent of any other b-day event…the chance that any 2 people have the chance of being born the same day is:
(1/365)*(1/365)….and yet again one has to consider the chance that this happens on any one day choosing 1 day out of 365 = 365 possible dates and in this class there are 35 potential candidates meaning that there are 2 out of 35 possible combinations….
the solution to the possibility of 2 people sharing the same B-day should thus be:365* 1190*(1/365)*(1/365)
365= results from 365 chose 1 day
1190= results from 35 chose 2 candidates
bigger 50% –> 15 candidates
bigger 97%–> 20 candidates
[…] If I were a teacher, I'd offer my class a morning of free donuts if anyone in the class figured this puzzle out : ) […]
The chance of at least 2 people in a given group having the same birthday is over 50% at 23 people in the group and at 50 people it reaches 97%. For 35 people it will be about 80% so that's quite a good bet.
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California Genealogy and History Archives
Sonoma County
|Thomas Edgar Barlow
The records of the Barlow family show that it is of English origin, and the first member of whom we have any knowledge in this country is Warren Barlow, whose early years were associated with the colonial history of Connecticut. From that state he subsequently removed to Sullivan county, N. Y., and there his son Thomas Barlow was born June 25, 1809, his grandson, Solomon Q. Barlow, also being a native of the same county, born May 20, 1837. The latter was given such education as the times afforded, and in addition to attending the schools in the vicinity of his home, also attended Ellenville high school, from which he graduated. Subsequently he engaged in farming and lumbering on the homestead farm, continuing this until 1862, when he removed to Pompton, N. J.,, where he was agent for James Horner & Co. for two years. At the expiration of this time, in 1861, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, he came to California, locating in Two Rock valley, Sonoma county, and on April 21, 1864, he located upon the ranch which was the home of the family for the following eight years. In 1872 he purchased a ranch of two hundred and twenty acres in the same valley, six miles from Petaluma, and here he carried on stock-raising and horticulture until his death. In New York state, before coming to the west, he was married to Elizabeth J. Denman, who was born in that state, in Sullivan county, March 14, 1837, the daughter of William Denman, who died December 3, 1875. Six children comprised the family of Mr. and Mrs. Barlow, as follows: Eva R., Mrs. Thomas Mordecai, of Petaluma; William D., who died in infancy; Fannie D., Mrs. W. H. Darden, of Corning, Cal.; Anna D., who died in Petaluma; Thomas E., of this review; and Elizabeth L., Mrs. J. W. McNeil, of Honolulu, a teacher in Oahu College.
Next to the youngest in the parental family, Thomas E. Barlow was born in Two Rock valley, Sonoma county, February 2, 1867. He attended the public schools of this locality and graduated from Petaluma high school in 1884. The death of the father in the meantime had left the care of the ranch to the mother, and in 18985 Thomas E. assumed the responsibilities, continuing farming and horticulture there for about seven years. In 1892 he purchased the nucleus of the ranch which was his home throughout the remainder of his life, which consisted of thirty-five acres of land in Green valley, which he set out to fruit. For a time after purchasing this property he continued his residence on the home ranch, in conjunction with its management also dealing in farm products and fruits. Later he removed to his own ranch and thereafter gave his attention to its cultivation, adding to his original purchase as he was able, until he had one hundred and sixty-four acres of fine land, all in fruit with the exception of thirty-five acres. He was one of the pioneer fruit raisers of this locality, and at one time produced more blackberries than any individual on the coast, having ninety acres in this fruit, which was readily disposed of in San Francisco and also in northern markets. He was instrumental in getting boys from the Boys and Girls Aid Society in San Francisco to pick berries during vacations, which gave them a pleasant outing in the country as well as an opportunity to earn money. With the idea of making a pleasant camping place for his young helpers Mr. Barlow set out a eucalyptus grove, and the camp is now a well-established institution. The boys are still employed here each summer, being in charge of a superintendent and matron, and they and their helpers take away at the end of each season between $4,000 and $5,000. After the death of Mr. Barlow in 1904 Mrs. Barlow continued his policy in conducting the ranch and her thorough capability for discharging the duties which the death of her husband imposed upon her has been amply demonstrated. The camp has been suitable equipped with every convenience, and in 1911 a large drier with all modern improvements was installed upon the ranch, its capacity being seven hundred tons of green fruit annually. Commodious warehouses and packing houses as well as a fine residence have also been built on the ranch. Besides the raising of berries a specialty is made of raising apples, Gravensteins, Baldwins and Wagners predominating. Eight hands are employed throughout the year on the ranch, but during the busy season two hundred hands are given employment. Mr. Barlow gave the right of way for the Petaluma and Santa Rosa electric road across his ranch and Barlow station was so named in his honor. He was active in the organization of the Green Valley Congregational Church, which he assisted in building, and was also a trustee of the organization. Politically he was a Republican.
In Santa Rosa, February 18, 1891, Mr. Barlow weas united in marriage with Miss Laura Ellen Miller, who was born near Healdsburg, the daughter of Thomas B. Miller. He was born in Rhea county, Tenn., December 31, 1826, the son of James P. and Charlotte (Bell) Miller, the former born in Virginia and the latter in Tennessee. In 1830 the family removed to Alabama and in 1835 to Arkansas, five years later locating in Newton county Mo, and in 1842 in Benton county, Ark. In 1846 James P. Miller enlisted in the Twelfth Regular United States Infantry, and served as first lieutenant in the Mexican war. In 1849 he accompanied his sons, Thomas B. and Gideon T., overland to California and at Millerstown, near Auburn, they opened a store, and subsequently were similarly engaged in Washington on the Yuba river, until 1850, when the father returned east. After coming to California Thomas B. Miller engaged in mining in Placer county until 1850, when he went to Nevada City, Cal., where he made a strike and was very successful afterwards in mining on the Yuba river. In the fall of 1852 he came to Sonoma county, farming in various localities until 1855, when he took up his residence on one hundred and sixty acres of land near Healdsburg, upon which he remained until 1874, when he sold the property and purchased three hundred and twenty acres five miles west of Santa Rosa. Here he engaged in fruit and hop raising, besides which he raised fine horses and cattle. His marriage, April 17, 1853, united him with Mary Ann King, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Horn) King, both of whom were natives of Virginia and came to California from Missouri in 1850. In the family of Thomas B. Miller and his wife were the following children: James P., a hop-raiser near Healdsburg; Charlotte E., Mrs. E. H. Parnell, of Green Valley; Thomas B., a hop-grower of Santa Rosa; Louisa H., Mrs. S. W. Purrington of Mount Olivet; Mary Alice, Mrs. Alexander Ragle, of Eldorado county, Cal.; Irene B., Mrs. S. E. Ballard, of San Jose; Josephine, Mrs. Spencer Grogan, of Santa Rosa; Laura Ellen, Mrs. Barlow; Henrietta, Mrs. F. B. Chenoweth, of San Francisco; and Robert L., who died in Santa Rosa. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Barlow, as follows: Mary Elizabeth, who is a graduate of Mills Seminary; Anna Maude; Warren Leland; Laura Louise; Thomas Denman; and Wilbur James, all at home.
In the passing of Thomas E. Barlow Sonoma county
lost one of its most enterprising citizens, one whose enthusiasm and
determined efforts did much to advance the agricultural standard of the
county and state. He was an enthusiastic advocate of good roads and
worked indefatigably for the cause, believing that good highways are
among the prime essentials to agricultural progress. A charter member of
the Sebastopol Berry Growers Association, Mrs. Barlow is no less
enterprising than her worthy husband. In order to get the Berry Growers
Association established on a firm footing she built a large warehouse at
Sebastopol on the steam road, and from this has developed the large and
flourishing organization which it is today.
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper 2011


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