So Blick, you just down from the mountain checking out Summertime? Getting a taste, so to speak? It must feel like an Italian kitchen, compared to what you're used to! Well, at least the humidity is low, I'm guessing.
I know what you mean, Edouard. When I bought my Prius, I thought I was a trend setter. Not many people in Michigan were driving them. It was a weird looking little car to the people I worked with. One person even called it a spaceship looking car. LOL! I was giving one guy a ride to the credit union one day. We went out and hopped in the car. Before he got his seat belt fastened, I had pressed the start button, flipped it into reverse and we were backing up with no starter noise and no engine sound. He threw his hands up and shouted, "Whoah! Don't you have to start this thing? Where's the key?"
I'd probably still be driving it, if I hadn't had problems with a trapped nerve at the C7 vertebrae. I couldn't adjust the seat positions in it to relieve my stress. Went over 6 months unable to drive any further than to the grocery store, in pain the whole way. I finally decided that I had to have a car with more seat adjustments than slide forward and back and tilting the back cushion, if I was ever going to get any relief. I was having the same issue with my New Tacoma truck, too. Traded them both for the Venza, and have been cruising ever since.
I found out after buying the Prius that they had already been available in the US for 10 years. Most were sold in California. By the time I left Michigan in 2010, they were everywhere! Not a novelty anymore. But you know? The car did get incredible gas milage! I was averaging 48 mpg most of the time, except in extreme heat or cold, then it would drop to around 42 mpg. Still not bad.
Other than the adjustable seats, my favorite thing about the Venza is the all wheel drive with 24 mpg average. This past Winter, my neighbor's pickup couldn't even get out of the driveway after an all day sleet storm. I was going anywhere I wanted to go with full control. I was even going into his driveway to pick him up, and getting back on the road, up hill, without any noticeable slipping. Best car I've ever had, and I've had quite a few!
What can I say? It's a wagon!