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2014 Subaru WRX STi Purple
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By Peter Neilson Oct 6 2019 - 3:22pm

Gen 2 Toyota Prius Gives A Subaru WRX Some Competition

I am a Prius driver so I know they have some decent acceleration, this caught me totally by surprise when this guy sent me a video of the Prius behind him. What he said really surprised me.
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Before someone calls clickbait on this, hear me out. There is more to this story than you realize. I will reveal that as the story unfolds. Also to protect the person who sent me the video, there will be no references used to how this person knows me. I like a good controversy article just like the next person for sure, but I also want to lay down what actually happened.

I was minding my own business, when Facebook messenger popped up with a message from a friend of mine. He was driving and sounded panicked. My first impression is that he was asking for help especially when he said, "So, I am driving my sisters 2014 WRX and,"

The helpful person in me immediately thought about what I could do to help. Was this an emergency? Turns out he was not looking for help but he was having heart palpitations from the Prius that came up behind him hard. Here is what I have uncovered about what went down.

The Lead Car, The WRX
The lead car is a 2014 WRX STi with a base map flash. The car is slightly more than stock but even then it still has far more raw power than the Prius. At 305 HP stock, the WRX should annihilate the Prius no question. The thing is according to the driver he had a hard time pulling away.

Further investigation also gave me this bit of information. The WRX was loaded down with a dresser, couple of suitcases, and according to the driver is 300lb sister (his words not mine). So, weight was for sure a factor but it still does not completely rule out what happened. A Prius though, this is a game changer.

2014 Subaru WRX STi Purple loaded in the back

The driver of the car also states that " I was down shifting into 4th in 5 speed transmission, edging past a second generation Prius, going down a hill." Still the Prius stayed on him. watch the video here

The Toyota Prius Appears To Be Stock
While I do not know if the Prius had any modifications, chances are there were none. Also there is no evidence showing if the Prius had more or less load than the STi. Either way, the Prius does not pack much in the terms of horsepower. Coming in with electric assist, were are only seeing 110, far less than the Subaru.

2nd Generation Toyota Prius 2004 to 2009

Conclusion
While there were obviously some other factors here at play, Prius though, is for sure a force to be reckoned with. While I have no evidence of my own, I have taken on multiple larger higher horsepower vehicles and beat quite a few of them. I also have been beaten multiple times in many instances.

The Toyota Prius in stock form is for sure no race car, but it does have acceleration very similar to an all electric car. Hope you enjoy your weekend, and stay safe out there. You never know when a Prius may sneak up on you.

Check out my other story out about https://www.torquenews.com/8113/3-reasons-toyota-should-bring-back-prius-v-awd-e.

Also Watch New tech means more MPG from your Toyota Prius and Click to Subscribe to Torque News Youtube Channel for Daily Toyota Prius and Automotive News.

Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He is an automotive technology instructor at Columbia Basin College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Adjunct Instructor of automotive technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter.

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Comments

Shaler wrote on October 7, 2019 - 10:24am
They have torque, sure, but you just need to get to the point where those low rolling resistance tires give out. BTW, a huge diesel truck was able to beat me off the line in my WRX, but couldn't keep up past about 25mph. They had gobs of torque but too much resistance and not enough HP to keep the pace.
SCdave wrote on October 7, 2019 - 11:43am
... or don't roll with LRR tires on your Prius. I have Michelin Defender T+H on my Gen3. Great wet/dry and no problems in corners like OEM LRRs that did get toose in corners/on rainy days. Prius driver - 100% torque at zero rpms :) ... but HP challenged :(
Adam wrote on October 7, 2019 - 4:07pm
Tell him hi for me
Mockylock wrote on October 7, 2019 - 4:23pm
So is it a WRX or STI? You say 305hp, but you also state it's a 5 speed transmission. If it's a 5 speed WRX, it's 264hp, and far less than that to the wheel.
Tyler wrote on October 7, 2019 - 8:52pm
If this guy is driving his sister's car, especially with some aftermarket parts i can almost guarantee he does not know how to drive it to its potential. This is an obvious lack of knowledge of the clutch and drivetrain. 0 to 60 is 4.7 in the subie, 9.8 in the Prius. Not to mention all wheel drive in the wrx.
Merlin Valencia wrote on October 8, 2019 - 2:18am
Horsepower doesn't matter much on a downhill, the Prius is slow as balls on a hillclimb especially when it runs out of energy. I know I can outrun a Miata in my Prius though =P. People think they are slow cars but they have adequate power, when the battery is charged it's pretty fast off the line.
Bumpin wrote on October 8, 2019 - 6:47am
No. No your prius hasnt beaten anything. Reason being the other driver had NO idea you were racing. My girlfriend has a 2011 Prius like youve mentioned. It is an absolute SLUG. My golf cart gets to 20mph faster (literally - heavily modded cart - tops out at 40mph, 100% electric, and does wheelies.) Even my 150hp Kia Forte has NO problems leaving it in the dust off the line or up top. 0-60 in the kia is 8.9 to 9.1 pending the conditions. Prius is 9.8 to 10. So yeah, the other cars had no idea you were racing, which incidentally is the definition of a ricer; a person who races those that dont know they are in a race.
Adam wrote on October 8, 2019 - 10:20pm
Tell your sis her hybrid batteries are going out.
Adam wrote on October 8, 2019 - 10:23pm
Tell your girlfriend her hybrid batteries are going out.
Bumpin wrote on October 10, 2019 - 12:47pm
Actually Toyota dealership said they were perfectly fine when she brought it in for crappy gas mileage. I changed the spark plugs instead of letting the stealership charge 400 and there was improvement but prius' are still all slugs. And your friend in the WRX should have likely dropped to 2nd or 3rd instead of 4th. I have a GTO and have raced plenty of WRXs. They usually cant keep up but they do a hell of a lot better than the prius. The wrxs are usually within at least on 2 to 6 cars behind, the prius looks like it slammed the brakes and went in reverse....lol.