No worries Payne, my mom in law drives her 1998 4 Runner slower than I walk, its a dreadful vehicle anyway she holds onto for sentimental reasons (she has plenty of money, she could buy a much nicer more modern crossover for hauling lawn supplies) she is of the strange old school belief that cars should never be run over 3000 RPM or they "blow up"

As for the Prius you are not alone, in that regard. Toyota styling in general is anodyne to say the least (although the new Avalon is not bad looking) They have not done a really pretty car since the Celica from the late 1990s. In fact when the Japanese want to do an attractive car they usually turn to a European or American designer( Accord Coupe for example was actually done at an American studio)

My mom has 2007 Prius, I have driven it, once, thats all it took, it felt like driving a video game, with no sense of actual motion, not to mention it was slow, and felt tippy on the corners. I am all for saving gas, but this is like being punished for it, yipes. The Ford Fusion Hybrid on the other hand looks the business and drives quite nicely, while getting 40MPG, not bad.