i wouldn't exactly call it pretty. lose the maw and a few other things, and someone (honda) could probably make pretty. why it is worse: no hatch
No, Honda , at least around here, seems to attract more people that will install such after market pieces.
The Prius hatch is great! My friends have been amazed at what I've fit inside that they were unable to transport. Yes, the Prius is a bit ugly, but I love mine.
I've always loved the look of the Prius. To me I like to be different. It seems most all cars look about the same these days. And on top of that everyone seems to want a black, grey or white vehicle. And because of that, I don't like the looks of modern sedans, SUVs, CUVs, pickups, etc. I'd rather have something that's a bit more futuristic, like a Prius, than your usual road-going marshmallow. But that's a personal opinion. And although I do have an opinion on looks, I also hate it when people put looks over practicality. It's like people would pay tens of thousands of dollars for a piece of art that looks like marshmallow with wheels just because they like the looks regardless if it meets their needs or is blatant overkill. I'd rather have a vehicle that works well for me even if others consider it ugly. I also feel that looks hinder development of more aerodynamic vehicles (like the Aptera). If looks weren't as important to people as they are, we could have some vehicles designed to do some incredible stuff instead of most of the design being about looks. The only thing that might be better about the Corolla is the compartmentalized trunk. I was taught to keep stuff securely strapped down if the cargo area shares space with the passenger area. I had a neighbor who's sister was killed by having stuff in the back of her hatchback that bounced up and whacked her in the back of the head in a 25mph accident. A hatchback, at least without a well designed cargo net, isn't going to protect you as well as a sedan will from the stuff in the trunk/cargo area unless you have the habit of strapping down your groceries.
@Tideland This kinda locks up the entire article for me. If a drivier wants decent mpg at a decent price and doesn't want to stand out, on the highway or any other road, as driving a hybrid, Corolla is a good choice. All the other hybrid choices available now, must be the reason Prius hardly sells anywhere near the numbers it used to. Duh .... At least them mentioned although I think they forgot to mention SUV's and Trucks, even if those don't fit the article as well....
It's funny how your sense of fashion changes over time. When I first saw the 2000 Prius by wife objected to the possible purchase because it looked funny. Two years later she saw the 2002 in 'Blue Moon Pearl" and decided that it did not look bad in that color. I decided that I agreed and bought it that week. By the time I sold it I could not remember what was odd about it. It's nice that they have a hybrid Corolla that is adjusted for fuel economy and low emissions. So many of the recent hybrids are concentrating on 0-60 instead of emissions that it's hard to find any new tech in the low emissions / high MPG field.
