Introducing myself and my doubts

Driven my Gen II Prius on 2 journeys in excess of 3,000km each way with no problem.
Both trips I covered 1 way in under 36 hours including sleep and night driving at 80km/h. I didn't want to hit a kangaroo.

Yes a Prius will do 140km/h all day, even in 48 degrees celsius.
As long as the size is right for you the Prius sounds like a great car for your use.

 

HTTP 404 Not Found

 

A Prius shouold perform very well for you, especially if you drive amix of hilly and flat roads. Under normal driving conditions, Prius suspension will perform very good and the fuel/emissions results are excellent. The only other issue is to decide whether the interior seating and cargo room is adequate, but I'm certain it is based on what you've said.

Happy Motoring,

Tom

 

A Prius should be great for you in Spain as they operate better in warmer climates.

I am a UK taxi driver that has changed from a Peugeot 406 diesel to the 2009 Prius 1.8 and I would never go back!

The fuel economy average for my last 12 months is 49 uk mpg or 5.8litres /100 km. Not bad considering I sit in traffic a lot of the time. I have had runs where I have got up well over 70 mpg UK.

The car is performing well and has now reached 37,000 miles or 60,000 km in just over a year.

See if you can arrange an extended test drive from your local dealers to see if you like the car. It's a smooth, quiet, relaxing drive, rather than an 'enthusiastic' drive.

 

Hola, Jlanrod

That is the profile I have, with autopista on weekend and urban driving during week here in Portugal. Prius is proving very adequate! Average 4,9 l/100 in 16500km driven. At 140km/h you should expect 6l/100, but urban can give you 4,5l.
The 130cv are there for use! And they show themselves without changing gear, you only have to floor the accelerator pedal.
I only regret 17" wheels, which are not so comfortable.
As Grumpy said, no way a turbodiesel can give you a more relax drive than Prius.

 

IMO, southern europe drivers like Spanish and Portuguese, are addicted to change gears, and generally do not like the idea of owning a AT car. Well, the E-CVT (the pearl of the HSD) performs way better than any AT, and is much practical than the "must-change" Manual transmission, and does not have a clutch.
It will take some time, but Spain is ahead of Portugal, because here even taxis are diesel, Mercedes, up to 90%. Not easy to find a Prius taxi.

 

Get a red prius so you can go driving with the bulls.

 

Oh yeah, it's Barcelona red. That's right up your alley!

 

I was looking at vacationing on Corsica this summer and was disappointed to find that the rental car company (Europcar) doesn't offer the Prius as an option.

Edit: At work so people are needing me for issues.

I drive mine about 5km to work and most of my trips are under 3 Km to 4 Km during the day and I can safely say that I'm getting around 4.9L/100Km. On longer trips highway trips of more than say 30Km running at 88.5 Kph I'm getting around 3.9L/100 Km or a little less.

 

As much as I like my Prius, I'm not so sure that I would have purchased one if I had to put 2 little kids in the rear seat. If they are real small, not so much of a problem. But anything around 8 - 10 year olds, can start to be a problem. I understand why families have those SUVs. I guess you'll have to decide whether that's enough room in the back seat for your 2 kids.

Mike

 

It all depends on 2 questions:

How much is gas going for in Spain?
Is the answer to the previous question important to you?

I know that in some countries diesel is much less expensive than gasoline, so that may skew the math a little in favor of the small diesel cars there on the continent, but here in the US, gas about the same as diesel---and both cost less than 1 EUR/Liter---and it makes good sense to buy a Prius here
In Spain I think it would make even better sense---IF gas and diesel are within about a euro of each other. The Prius is fairly dependable, it's very easy to park (Even for us Americans!) and it does have room for 4 and a little luggage.
It's not quite the car I would pick for a car enthusiast, or someone with security issues---but the fact that you're asking the question leads me to believe that you're already interested in the car.

I would lease one for at least a day before plunking down 20,000+ Euros though---just to be sure.

Good Luck!

 

Not sure that I understand this.
My 6'3" (191cm) and 6'4" (193cm) sons fit in the backseat just fine with lots of space between them.
If the concern is separation between 8-10 year olds, cars any wider than the Prius are not a practical option in much of Europe.

 

Just my opinion. There's driving and there's driving.
I like heel-toe shifting, a real throttle, and transportation with a thrust to weight ratio that's a little bit better than an ox-cart.
Like I said earlier....lease (rent) one for a week-end. Get to know each other a little bit before you commit to a long relationship.
For some folks (Prius fanatics) it is love at first sight. For others (like me) it's more like an arranged marriage.
I'll let you figure out the 'security issues' comment on your own.

Speaking of security issues....
Listen to me on this.
Like I always tell people.....I don't own 'my' Prius. It's a company car, so I don't have a $30,000 reason to like or dislike the car.

Electromagnetism in the rear seat is a non-issue. It's bunk, Don't worry about it....especially if you use a cell phone or listen to audio with headphones.
If you're worried about things like this, then you need to move into the country, grow your own food, live without electricity, and NEVER drive anything.
But really....it's a non-issue for the Prius!

 

Mike, my kids are 10 & 16 and say they have plenty of room in the back seat. I find the leg room back there to be very good. My 10 year old sat in the back seat of a Volt and commented on how little leg room there was compared to our Prius.

 

The Prius is more like a driving appliance than it is a road car IMHO. There is nothing really at all that is sporting or engaging about how a Prius drives, other than trying to obtain the best fuel mileage.

It will certainly do 140 KPH...but mileage will suffer...and if I were going to be in a scenario where I was navigating curves there are other cars I'd rather be in.

I have a buddy who has one (my wife primarily drives ours) and he puts it best...its kind of like driving a refrigerator.

Thats not to say it isn't the right car for you, in your typical city routine it'll be great, especially the Gen III since its so much more comfortable to sit in than the Gen II. But on that high speed trip, it'll be safe...but it won't be engaging or particularly enjoyable to drive.

 

I'll put it in a European way - The Prius rear leg room is MUCH larger than other cars in its class. The very latest Mondeo is about the same and the Skoda Superb has more, but most other cars have less, much less.

The Prius is deceiving in that it looks smaller than it actually is. It looks similar to a Ford Focus size wise but is equal to an Avensis.

Go test drive a Prius and take your kids along - they'll love it and appreciate the technology.

 

Yeah, my issue is when putting a couple of 8-10 year olds in the back of a car, it seems like they never have enough space between them. The OP made a reference to it, and it looked like everybody bypassed the issue. I've put tall/big people in my Prius, no problem. Except, ever put 2 adults who hate each other in the back of a car? Again, not enough room.

But if there is no other practical option in Europe, then there is no other practical option. My only point was that if the OP thought he needed more space in the back for the kids, he might look elsewhere (if he could find such a car).

Mike