Perhaps TTAC needs a new category, say "Stupid Car Tricks," where along with Jonny Lieberman's "Man Drives Stolen Car to a Police Station," we could add this: A Korean tourist was robbed at the Days Inn hotel on International Drive in Orlando early Monday morning- because the perps needed money to fill their SUV's gas tank. And according to WFTV, they might have gotten away with it, but they… wait for it… ran out of gas less than a quarter-mile from the crime scene. Police said two men and two women were caught in their "getaway car." Oh and while the police were on their trail, the suspects tried to toss everything they'd stolen out of the window, including the gun they used during the holdup (for better mpg?). With rising gas prices, perhaps the Prius will become the car of choice for criminals seeking that perfect getaway car.
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I wonder – how much extra gas would be used overall if a thief used a Prius but was chased by the cops? If you want to make an impact on global warming, don’t do something that will require the police to quickly accelerate in a V8 powered full-size sedan. Nothing says environmentalism like being chased by a couple Crown Vics going 140km/h getting about 10mpg.
I’m thinking Chevy Volt, hypothetically, of course.
Yea that prius would be a perfect get away car. What with 75hp roughly, and a 0-60 time of 14.5sec(on a warm day with slicks) Don’t think the bicycle cops would catch them, might have to call in the horse backs.
It seems like Toyota is already way ahead of us on this…
Edward Niedermeyer:
It seems like Toyota is already way ahead of us on this…
Nice find, Edward!
jmack,
I don’t know waht the Prius’s accel stats are, but one congressman I interviewed who has one says it “goes like a banshee,” and of course, we all know about Al Gore’s kid getting pulled over for exceeding the C. In any case, you gotta factor in the electric power along with the gasoline.
I am thinking the cops would race right past a Prius on the assumption the bad guys wouldn’t drive one.
One test I read had the Prius 0-60 time at ~10 seconds. That’s really not too bad for a vehicle not intended as a performance machine.
How does a banshee go? And I guess if you’re comparing it against a 1982 Lincoln Land Yacht, then yes, it is fast.
Can you fit two or three bodies in the back of a prius? Maybe Tony Soprano has a new car…crime doesn’t pay like it used to.
On a different note, I am getting truly annoyed with stupid people who can’t afford the cars that they drive. I was recently talking to a guy I know, who is 22, that got into a fender bender with his 350z. He can’t afoord to fix it and if he reports it, he won’t be able to afford the insurance. Oh well, It’ll look good in his driveway as long as you can’t see the front.