Beloved Prius vs a 4WD

My first post here. I got rid of my gas sucking top of the line Xterra for a 2005 Prius. Tires can radically alter the driving experience of any vehicle. Period.

My Prius happens to handle the snow here in Colorado way better than my Xterra and it's highly rated winter/all conditions tire. Check out tirerack.com for winter tires. The Pirelli P4 or the Firestone Winterforce would be choice of tires.

The previous owner of my Prius bought the Nokian WRG2 tires through a local tire chain (Big O). All I can say is wow!!!

Granted I can't put my Prius into 4H but it's not necessary; and The low clearance is a bummer but out here in COlorado you're not going to find that an issue unless you're smack in the middle of a big dump and ahead of the plows.

 

Get a subaru Sti or a wrx. They have one of the best AWD systems. With a sti, simple bolt ons and you're looking at 300+awhp and over 350whtp and about 15mpg average.

 

Sounds like a winner. Not... lol

 

Well you're not gonna find a awd prius, closest you'll get is the highlander.

 

Considering that Toyota owns a chunk of Subaru, I should be able to keep my old AWD Legacy wagon until a new hybrid version comes out.

 

No but an Outback is a much more likely fit for a lot of Prius owners than a WRX fan-boy car. There is nothing wrong with them IMO other than I think they are ugly as sin but people interested in a Prius are not usually looking for a cramped car with very little utility, high HP and dismal MPG.

 

What I usually see during our 2 or 3 days a year that we get slick roads is the big 4wd's racing along because "I have a 4WD!" not realizing that 4wd does NOT stop or corner any better than 2wd. When they slide to the edge of the roadway as often happens, that high center of gravity combined with the wide tires gripping the ground and over they roll.

 

Funny you mention this because a friend rented a 2009 Dodge fullsize 4x4 this New Years so we could make the trip to Tahoe for a party. There was a high probability for a snow storm so we didn't want to chance the Prius or his Corolla. We joked about his driving during the trip because we were flying along at 80mph average through wet twisty roads (hwy 50) but he is an excellent driver with race training so I just sat back and make squeaking noises which they started calling the "Justin Collision Detection System"...

Well at one point we laughed about how people think 4wd will allow you to stop faster in icy conditions and sure enough, leaving one of the Tahoe casinos we were on a slight decline approaching a stop sign and the truck wouldn't stop. We were not driving fast as this is a dimly lit residential area. We just slid down the hill and had to yell at a group of about 10 people, who were trying to cross the street, to stop because we couldn't. We ended up in the middle to the T-intersection and an oncoming vehicle just barely stopped instead of t-boning us.

 

Actually, as an owner of both - a WRX wagon and Prius, the WRX with it's roof rails can carry a lot more stuff when needed. The hatch area is also slightly larger, thought the Prius is slightly roomier for passengers.

Fuel economy does suck, though. Don't put many miles on it any more and will be getting something that plugs in to replace it (unless I find a good deal on a used hybrid before those are readily available).

 

Wagon wouldn't be bad, fro space anyway. I probably wrongly assumed he was speaking of the sedan which is what 98% of the kids around here drive and mod up.

 

What year? How many miles? MT or AT? How much do you want?

Still nothing like handing someone their nice person at the track in a station wagon.

 

The Car of the Future DVD (NOVA) features a Toyota Highlander (4WD) at UC-Davis that is a PHEV, attains highway speeds and is performing well over the long haul. Many of us long for a PHEV 4WD pickup or Highlander. I understand Toyota's reluctance to prematurely bring a vehicle to market, but the market is primed for PHEV vehicles. I suspect several models will suddenly appear as if by surprise. I would like to be first in line.

 

Except handing them their asses in a 4x4 fullsize truck with dirt bikes loaded in the bed. lol

 

If I buy a car with 4-doors, it better have enough head room in the rear for me to sit up straight without hitting my head on the roof. The sedan didn't meet those criteria when I bought the car, so I got the wagon instead.

2003, has 95k miles, MT, want to trade for another Prius or something else that uses half the fuel it does with 4 wheels.

Never did take it racing, should at least get it to an Auto-X before I replace it.

 

Do not underestimate the joy of passing someone who's all like "look at me! I have a Porsche/BMW/Whatever!" but never learned to follow a good racing line around corners.