2005 Toyota Prius from North America - Comments

I've had the 2005 Prius for 2 months now and have nothing negative to say. OK, for the money, the seats could have been a bit better and the various controls for the climate, audio, GPS can be easier to figure out.

Nothing negative until this last weekend. I was driving along a two lane road mostly on the motor as I was cruising at an easy 35 mph and the gas engine was off. Too late, I saw a male Cardinal in the middle of my lane and I could do nothing. The bird, apparently, didn't hear me coming and unfortunately, he took flight just in time to get hit by my bumper and flipped over the car.

I think this may be a downside to hybrid technology. Birds always fly out of the way when a car is coming because they can hear it well in advance.

The reviewer stated the only draw back to hybrid cars is this: they kill birds, because they are so quiet in electric mode. The question I propose is this: who cares? It is just cold hard fact that birds and animals get killed in collisions. It is just a part of life. Deal with it.

To relate a personal experience, I would like to tell you a story about killing birds. I love KFC, who does not? Well, our Vegan friends would not appreciate killing animals, but they are such a small subculture, people usually ignore them. Anyway, what I am about to say may shock you, so get ready… KFC buys dead bird parts from wholesalers. There, I said it; birds are killed so I can enjoy my 4 piece extra crispy chicken dinner. Do I feel bad about it? Not one bit.

Another story, I hit a deer with my Nissan Altima, which almost totaled it out. I was pretty upset. Did I care about the deer? NO, I was more worried about my car, and irked, because I had airbag dust all over everything (including my new leather coat). The officer who responded to the scene, shot the deer 3 times to put it out of its misery (it had 2 broken legs). To make me feel better, I took the deer carcass to a butcher and had venison steaks made. Hmm… Venison.

So, if you really are a bird lover / watcher, whatever I suggest buying a regular gasoline or diesel car. However, if you really want a hybrid, you could mount a speaker on the front and make “vroom” noises, or just use the horn like any normal person would.

Thank you for posting that about the birds. It will be a consideration for me. Shame on the previous poster for grand standing his bad attitude. I am interested in facts.