Is Prius good for long drives? VD12345

38k miles a year with at least one 2000 mile trip to FL and back. Comfortable in these seats but your bottom can get a bit numb without a pit stop. Sound system in my model was a worthy upgrade and I think the speakers offer high quality reproduction. One gripe is with the bluetooth phone having independent volume control instead of going through the stereo. On noisy roads, it can be hard to hear your caller. And the microphone for the phone is not good either. Many I speak to say i'm calling from a tunnel. Avoiding the hills, this car is quiet but my G2 is a bit noisy on the mountainous climbs. With stock tires, winter stinks! The traction control overrides my attempts to pull out on upslopes when the roads get snow slick. From our WI contributors, looks like snow tires are a necessity.

 

So how did you like your racing bicycle?

 

Guess I should say that the next time we did that my husband drove it up to Ohio and he flew home 2 weeks later. I drove it all the way home straight so I did get to experience both passenger and driver seats in equal duration. Driving it is obviously more fun.

 

My prior car was a 1994 Ford Explorer and I will say that was a better car for long distances. First because I sat up higher so that I could see better plus it was a real comfortable car just to sit in (all electric adustments) and obviously was roomier. However, paying MUCH less to drive the same distance in my Prius sure makes my current ride very comfortable, too, but I guess in a different way. But, in my commute to work, driving my Prius might be more comfortable than the Explorer for the 12 mile drive, because my Prius handles much better.

Dumb Mike

 

I've done a couple 400+ mile trips with my III since I got it and I find the lack of thigh adjustments a bit annoying. The seats for me get a bit uncomfortable after driving for 400 miles straight. I'm used to being held in my seats though from my Bride buckets on my last car so I could be a bit spoiled there. If you opt for the IV or V with leather and lumbar though, I'm sure the seats would be much more comfy.

 

Re: Your Profile Pic

Tony, I love the pic of that Pontiac GTO. I believe it's a '67. I bought a new '67 Pontiac LeMans, because I couldn't afford the '67 GTO. Price of the LeMans: $3,200. Price of the GTO: $3,600.

To the OP: I apologize for changing the subject, but the older cars still reach out and touch me.

 

Great car for 50 mile each way commutes--I do 35, and the longer you go, the higher MPGs get overall (i.e., warmup becomes a smaller percentage of the ride). However, I don't expect to pay back the "hybrid premium" for about 10 years, unless gas goes up (a good chance). You may do better, since your commute is even longer than mine.

As for snow--you can see the many testimonials to how well the Generation III traction control works. But if you regularly get DEEP snow or drive much on snowy unpaved roads, just remember that Prius is a low-clearance vehicle. Having a higher clearence emergency backup vehicle somewhere in your family might not be a bad idea.

On the seats, do a test drive or test rental. I like the seats (I'm 6'2", 205 or so), as do a lot of the folks who have given you feedback. But there are a few who find the lumbar support poor, and if you turn out to be one of them . . . well it could be an expensive mistake.