Michelin makes amazingly innovative tires w/ high performance thresholds.  Expensive though and maybe questionable performance over time w/ their compounds.  I avoid them because they intentionally and consistently put race car driver lives at risk to get a competitive edge.  That's an unacceptable threshold to cross for my tastes.  I think it is the wrong type of corporate philosophy putting winning over safety.  Bridgestone never went that far and played within the limits of tire design even when they lost a few tenths all for safety.  Then you had the Michelins on the Concorde that blew up, not a direct result but not encouraging either.  I just wouldn't wouldn't trust Michelin w/ my life personally.  Firestone had their issues but that's really a separate red-neck yahoo company run in the states that Bridgestone had the misfortune to acquire at the wrong time.  Firestone used to have one dude at the end of a conveyer belt visually inspect tires for roundness.  Talk about subjective measurements...    Bridgestone uses lasers to ensure proper geometry. 

At a Toyota dealer looking at the Prius and Prius C. The C is too small in the back so it is off the list. The regular is surprisingly good. Not a fan of the giant console, but the rest is ok. Drove it, it's a little slow, but power mode is quick enough to get on the highway confidently. Ride quality is the best yet and it is also the quietest save the leaf. It does have less wind noise than the leaf though. The stock wheels are ugly. The persona series wheels are much nicer, but that model starts too high.

I need to run some numbers but so far so good on the Prius. There is a good lease offer on it right now, making it cost around $3000 per year, but purchase might work too since these hold value so well. I could buy one for $22k and sell it 6 years later for 50% or so with my limited mileage. The residual on the lease is 65% which is not bad but purchase will probably better.

They have a 2012 three model left in a color I like so there is potential for a deal there.

True enough.  I have the fortunate position of not worrying much about 'S' here.  Though I'm more inclined to just have a set or snow rims and tires for the occasion or a dedicated vehicle.  I know most people just want one car that does it all so that's not always possible.

I have to say too, the new BMW M5 is right in my design wheelhouse.  Pretty sharp looking.  Clean and Mean, no nonsense : http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2014-bmw-m5-debuts-with-new-575-hp-competition-package.html



Btw Max, you picked a hell of a day to go for a test drive in Oklahoma!!