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Well maybe on plowed roads in the city it's ok but on the roads up in my area even my Civic had to have the traction control off to make it up the hills here.
No question resale is very high but as far as real snow on real hills and back roads which are plowed poorly. Even with snow tires it's bad here, so it depends where you live. I use Nokian tires, snowflake rated, and that is bare minimum. We have a lot of accidents around here from snow and ice. This morning there was a pickup truck stuffed way up and onto a 6 foot snowbank, not just the front end but the entire truck!
In the city the Prius works well but on these roads it's inability to shut OFF the traction control makes it a poor choice for my area. The rest of the city is fairly flat and lots of Prius's on the road. But in the boonies, it won't make it up the hills, and that only because you need to shut the traction control off.
That's why this is Subaru country. AWD's are a must in the winter and yet I bought a civic. :confuse:
That error was fixed in the 2007 Prius.
Well the one I test drove couldn't make it to my house and the dealer really didn't want me driving in a snow storm. It was unplowed so with the traction control on it just couldn't make it up the hill. Thankfully we were able to turn around and get back.
Maybe full blown snow tires would have helped.
Finally got the car which was not the preference of my heart or my fun side, but my sober minded economical side. Buying American was also a factor. The Focus automatic (still on my first tank) exceeds my expectations on FE. Driving very carefully, I get in the low 40's on the interstate (55-60 mph) and 29-32 in pure town driving. These estimates are from the "Average mpg" read out on the message screen. The Focus is no where near as much fun as the Prius to drive. The only "wow that's neat" feature is the audio aux jack for my ipod.
Looking ahead to the lithium battery vehicles which will be introduced this year and, according to the WSJ, will revolutionize the automotive industry worldwide.
I don't own a Prius, so maybe someone else can confirm the following.
The original Gen 2 Prius could not turn off the traction control. When the car into snow environment, the owner could not "rock" the car to get unstuck. My understanding is that the traction control can be disabled on the current model.
The original design was meant to keep the electric motors from over heating, but it had the effect of keeping the car stuck...
Yep this is was/is/always be true. That differnce in price though has little to do with it being a hybrid or not. It's more what you want in a vehicle.$22-$23K gets a semi-midsized vehcle with all the safety equipment possible. $15K gets a Yaris or a strippie Corolla 5M with rollup windows. Both are perfectly viable options but the major difference in price is the size and the features. Actually the 'correct' comparo for a Prius is a new 09 Matrix with all the safety features. Both are the same size and both are 5 door hatches.
Also the battery in the prius doesn't like the cold weather. In fact no battery does that why so many cars need jump starts in the winter.
Sorry this is just not correct. Otherwise the Canadian owners would be giving them back enmasse. OK yes if you are talking about months at -20C.
There were several reasons I didn't buy a Prius, but I like the concept however I live in a hilly area and once the Prius traction control kicks in you aren't going anywhere in the snow.
This TC situation was solved beginning with the 2006 models. Non issue now or at least no more than any other Toyota with TC.
Beginning with the 2006 model the system now allows the wheels to slip and skid somewhat in order to allow for some 'plowing' and 'rocking' in deep snow. It was a programming issue.
You can buy a Honda Fit which has all the safety features and gets great economy for about $15.5K
The cheapest you'll get a Prius is $22K if you negotiate hard.
That still buys a lot of gas and after driving the Prius and driving it in snow and up hills etc...
It damn well ought to have a height adjustable seat and a few other things that you would normally get in a $22K car. My Civic Si cost me just under $22K and it has all that and more.
The Prius needs a few upscale touches to really boost it up a bit. The interior is low rent and just a few minor things would improve it so much.
My wife wants to drive one tomorrow so we'll be test driving cars I guess.
Gotta get a second car soon.
My neighbor has a Prius and she says the battery drains when it sits in the garage for more than a day. it charges right up again but the dealer told her that was normal due to the -5 to -10 fahrenheit weather we've had lately.
not the starting battery but the rechargeable one.
No idea about shutting off the traction control the dealer didn't know about an switch and many cars get stuck on these hills with traction control even my civic with snow tires. With traction control off it's not a problem.
There are very real reasons why the Prius sells in the numbers it does well into it's 5th year. Others like me just will not consider any vehicle as basic as a Corolla or Yaris or Fit. When I was looking back in 2005 all the vehicles of that size were immediately eliminated as being too basic and too small.
Your neighbor needs to find a good message board on the Prius and the HSD system in order to ask some questions. The battery always 'drains' overnight. It recharges immediately within 15 min of startup in the AM. This is normal in all weather. It has nothing to do with the outside temperature. The HSD system is designed to go to rest at about 35-40% of SOC at the min ( about 3 red bars ) then to charge up to about 90% of SOC ( 8 green bars ). It just cycles back and forth in this range. The only time it's ever a concern is when the vehicle sits for a month or more. At that point the 12v accessory battery may run down due to the SKS sensors but this is little or no effect on the traction battery.
While I somewhat agree with your statement, and the Yaris comparison is fair, it's not as different as you have it sound. I have a 2008 Prius, a few months old at this time.. love it - as most Prius owners do. After research, just bought my son a FIT.. it's a great little car, just like the Prius. Yep, there are some differences - perhaps the FIT has more room inside - at 20.9 cubic feet (if I recall correctly) - sure the Prius gets better mileage, but there is room in this world for both cars. The FIT was $17.7K out the door, the Prius was $27.6 (Package 5)... so for the $10K difference, the FIT is a great car. Seats are good (front) - it's roomy inside, the back seats fold up or down, nice design, and Honda is no 'run of the mill' car - it's proven reliable, just like the Prius.
sc
As I mentioned in the prior post when looking to replace my Camry back in 2005 I immediately eliminated all cars Corolla/Civic-sized and smaller. The new larger Corolla/Civic are just at the lower margin for my taste. But that's just a personal preference. However Toyota seems to have tapped into this vein of buyers looking for ultra-efficiency but not willing to settle for 'econo-box'.
Besides there's no way to fit a 43" flat screen TV, golf clubs, briefcase, two pizzas and two occupants in any Corolla or Civic or Mazda3 or Yaris....only the Matrix and the other 5 door hatches can do this.
Don't get me wrong, I like the Prius and might be buying one soon. But my Civic Si is far more comfortable than the Prius will ever be and the price on my Civic is less than a Pkg 2 Prius!
If fuel economy is an issue then the Fit compares well as it's very good on fuel, but down a bit on power and i have driven a 1.3L Jazz/Fit for 2 weeks and a few 1.5L Fits as well both auto and stick.
The Prius is a low budget car with high tech gadgets. Comfort wise it isn't up to the level of say an accord or a Camry even tho the cost is roughly the same.
So again there is no excuse for uncomfortable and non adjustable seats in a $22K+ car. not when many cheaper cars have those same and relatively inexpensive features.
Your neighbor needs to find a good message board on the Prius and the HSD system in order to ask some questions. The battery always 'drains' overnight. It recharges immediately within 15 min of startup in the AM.
Well he doesn't like it and not everyone is into using the Internet for their problem solving.
He's unhappy it discharges overnight and feels it shouldn't do that. The dealer says it's normal but most people don't trust the dealers about anything regarding service problems any more. If you doubt me I can post a lot of forums just from here in other groups about lots of owners not trusting the dealerships.
Again personal preferences but I drove 4 Camry's, among others, from 1989 to 2005. The unadjustable seat in the Prius ... for me ... fits much much more comfortable than any of the prior Camry's which were too soft generally. In addition it's much quicker than my 89, and only a little less quick than my 93, 97 and 2000 models. It has far more features and more room than any of those prior vehicles. Then there's the fuel economy.
OTOH it is in no way as comfortable as our Highlander or my wife's Solara V6. But those are another $6000+ more expensive.
many dealers lie like rugs, want examples? I will post a whole bunch if the moderator gives me permission. Toyota itself has had all sorts of problems they would prefer to ignore as well as many other brands.
This has nothing to do with the fact that I worked at a dealership many years ago and am fully aware of what really goes on in the service and parts dept.
I do agree with you about the seats in the camry however my wife can't drive the prius as she is short and no height adjustment is a killer. My back is in rough shape and needs supportive seats for long trips.
The Prius comment was made to a specific question and that is how I answered it and stand by what I said.
The Prius if it's just mileage you are after can easily be beaten by a Fit considering the price differential.
Someone else just posted that as well.
If you want a luxury car the Prius is out anyway. It's an econogadget car and gets great fuel economy. But it costs a lot more than many other cars that have similar or better features and those cars get very good fuel economy as well and the difference when computed out is trivial.
It's almost impossible to find a traded in Prius. People do love them. We've had less then 10 in 6 years.
For curiousity sake I recently did a 'what if' appraisal on a 4 y.o. Prius with no Navi and no leather but with 190000 miles on it based on recent auction values. Then I compared it to a similar vehicle a 4 y.o. Matrix XR with 190K on it. Ready
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/
/
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Prius $7000 ????????? HUH
Matrix $4000
Essentially the 'hybrid premium' is almost fully intact from the time it was originally purchased. Most of this I presume is due to the relative scarcity of Prius' for resale.
It's also the best fitting auto I've ever had.
No doubt that there are many factors when buying a car and the Prius is a good alternative and it certainly is a quality car. But the specific question was relating to fuel economy primarily. So the answer remains the same. A Fit which is also a quality car for the price differential makes more pure economic sense if that is your primary concern.
There are many other factors but gas has to go up pretty high to balance out a Corolla or a Fit versus a Prius as the price difference is huge.
But if you compared a $22K car like my Civic Si to a $23K Prius well of course the difference is huge but the gap narrows quite a lot when it's a cheap car ($15-16K )that gets 37mpg versus a $23k car that gets 48 city/ 45 highway.
Fuel economy was the only issue for me before I switched jobs since I drove so much. The Prius would have been a marvel except I had to often drive in bad weather so AWD was a must.
According to our buyer at auctions both vehicles get a 'double' hit for high miles...
Prius $4500-ish
Matrix $1500-ish
Lucky You! We have to endure with 10% ethanol all year round from now on or so i'm told.
BTW you can't beat the utility. There is no other vehicle on the road here with the combination of size, fuel economy and utility.
It's also one of the most reliable autos in the US now according to CR.
Still waiting for the plug-in.
It appears that there is going to be some major announcement next Jan at the Detroit Auto show. I'm guessing that the CEO of Toyota will introduce the new Prius for later in the year and give a solid timeline for the eventual addition of Li-ions and plugin capability. But as usual Toyota is zip-lipped about it.
sc
I'm new atposting but just wanted to give som einteresting fact. I drove a friend's Prius for the first time and averaged 75.4 mpg. Normally, I drive a Ford ranger truck which is advertised at 21 mpg in the city and I drive in a manner that I coast to lights and accellerate very slowly and get 27 mpg... well, driving the Prius in that manner for 1.5 miles in city driving I got 75.4 mpg. I am truly impressed!!!
Hope I didn't intrude to this post!
L
Sure glad you were impressed.
sc
Also, the book refers to "Type A" and "Type B". what is that?
Thanks again
The way to calculate your real mpg is to set the odometer to 0 when you refuel. Then, next time you go get more gas, divide the # of miles you've driven - say, 423.9 miles - by the # of gallons you've just purchased - say, 9.8 gallons. That would be 423.9 / 9.8 = 43.25 mpg.
As for consumption vs. the other screen (can't remember what it's called right now) - one screen shows you what you're getting at any particular moment, and yeah, it'll go way down when you're accelerating hard or going up a hill. The other screen shows you your average over the past x miles (you have to reset it yourself, and it'll tell you how many miles you've gone since the reset).
Hope that helps.
My advice to Prius drivers attempting to calculate FE: develop a system of filling the tank to the same exact level, and not relying on the elapsed FE gauge. This takes great patience and it is very slow, don't attempt it when the gas pump line is busy. If you live in NJ where there is no self-service, you're out of luck.
My elapsed gauge fluctuates a great deal. One fill up it will show 57MPG and manually it calculates to 50MPG, the next fill up it will be 50MPG both ways. It will take many fill ups to establish an accurate FE figure. Don't rely on two or three fill ups.
That said it is still a great car and I plan to purchase an '09. I just wish the bladder factor didn't make it so difficult filling the tank.
The difference I have between the computer mpg and my calculated mpg is that the cal. comes out about 10% less than the computer has. Still, 46-48 mpg cal. isn't bad.
I'm not concerned about the mileage for each tankful because I realize the bladder issue distorts the calculation. My main concern is knowing the same exact level for each fill up so that after l0,20 or more you can make an accurate calculation.
I'd rather take another 2-3 minutes flling the tank and having the extended driving range in addition to the "exact level" constant.
Of course, no offense is intended and none should be taken. This is just an advice.
Lately (over last 1500 KM ) my 2006 Prius has achieved 54.5 mpg with once weekly driving between collingwood and niagara (140 miles)
Breakdown:
60% country roads (50 mi/hr) 40% 6 lane highways (60 mi/hr)
Also suggest you might want to look at the folllowing guide to how to drive a Prius:
http://www.hybridcars.com/gas-saving-tips/maximizing-mileage-toyota-prius.html
Also, I've learned that if the tank is totally filled (careful as it can shoot out if you don't stop as soon as you begin to hear the "gurgling") I get 120 miles before the first indicator bar disappears.
Mike
Linda
First about filling the tank. Go to Priuschat.com and search for the sticky on 'topping off'. Don't. You risk a whole lot of trouble. Essentially when the pump shuts off just end it right there. Don't worry about individual tankfuls. It's of no issue.
I liken this to when I used to tell my wife that by the time the kids were ready for college none would suck their thumbs and they'd all be housebroken. It's fun to see how you're doing tank by tank but look at it in the long run. As one noted above, you will average 48 mpg for the life of your vehicle. There are tens of thousands of Prius drivers doing just that day after day after day.
Don't worry about the individual tank fillings. Just use a spreadsheet or use the database at GreenHybrid.com and enter your miles driven and gallons pumped and you'll have the best and most accurate summary. The MFD display is a good 'indicator' that;s all. In the end after owning the vehicle for 8 years and driving 135000 miles if you added up all the fuel you had used you'd come to this value......48 mpg!
There are two other 'break in' periods where you'll find that your engine is more efficient, one at 5K and another at 10K. Both are very small differences.
Don't worry about the FE. In the end it will be 48 mpg...with one caveat. If you only use the vehicle for short trips of 15 min or less then you will lose about 10% from the 'norm'. This is true for all vehicles on the road. It's just more obvious in a Prius.