I was on the fence between the Mini Cooper and the Prius... Shopped for a Mini and received a quote. Then shopped for a Prius and found a 2011 priced ~1k more than the Mini I wanted!! At that moment at the dealership, I said I'll take it without hesitating!! Winter gray metallic.. Tinted windows.. What a beauty! A few days after, I couldn't be happier!!! It drives so smoothly! Its so comfortable inside! Love the look, the shape! Its sooo spacious inside. And its FUN to drive! As I drive through the streets of LA, I see so many Minis... And I say, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!!" Never looked back!! Go Prius!!
You've made the right decision. Congrads. You will have no regret especially the gas price is rocket high these days.. Enjoy the super good ride and technology.
thanks!! i'm amazed by the car! i'm always finding new perks whenever i drive! a few questions.. i've been searching this forum, but wanted to confirm.. 1. are 42/40 psi recommended for tires? especially for a place like LA, where its sunny and warm! 2. do mpg really fluctuate between ECO and PWR mode? i love using the pwr mode while driving in congested traffic, but i've read that its better on the highway? i'm getting about 50.1 mpg (on screen) using PWR driving in the city. optimal tire pressure and driving techniques will increase mpg? this is what makes the prius so fun to drive!! thanks!!
Congrats! Until I bought mine, I would never believe it if someone told me driving slow and anticipating traffic lights was actually fun. Also, I never look for cops anymore because I don't speed. I started out using PWR mode because it resembles most other cars. Later, you'll find you can pulse and glide easier if the throttle wasn't so touchy, so you'll likely learn to use normal or ECO. Just get used to stepping on it little more to get going.
:welcome: and congrats on the new ride! I'm finally back to getting 51mpg's again thanks to the Spring weather. Regarding PWR mode, I used to use it all the time but now find myself not using it as much even when merging onto the freeway, but the main key is to just drive normal and don't gun it or brake unnecessarily, and anticipate stops & stoplights. I too don't worry about cops anymore like I used to when I was driving my Acura, I think I've only seen one Prius get pulled over by the CHP EVER.
I use 39-40 PSI and I get arround 57 MPG I never used the power mode on my Prius but I would use it on a Lamborghini
I had a 2008 MINI Cooper S. Fun car but seats suck/uncomfortable and engine made funny noises. After 18k miles, I sold it. Now I have 2011 Pck 2 Prius. As a commuter car in socal, it's probably the most practical thing to have.
I went for a little drive yesterday (Easter Sunday) and after about 45 minutes I ended up back home with a 3.8km/100lt, or 74MPG on my display. I drove a lot of flat areas, not many hills, and not that fast. I was really impressed, on my regular route to work, the best I've seen was between 63-65MPG, so when I saw 74, I was really impressed, especially with gas now at $1.36 per litre here in NS. I'm really pleased with my little space shuttle they call a Prius, it's so much bigger on the inside than on the outside and rides so smooth, and it has me obeying the speed limits much more now.
Thanks for all the responses!! It's nice to hear the enthusiasm from Prius owners! Yes! I obey speed limits too! I'm still learning how to maximize the power of the Prius, aka mileage. I'll lay off the pwr mode and take advantage of the eco mode. I'll check out my tire pressure too. Thanks for the advice!
Congrats on your new Prius and welcome to PriusChat. I don't hear of many buyers choosing between a Mini or a Prius, but you'll definitely enjoy the high MPGs, technology and low-emissions of the Prius. Smart decision!
:welcome: Congrats and enjoy your new ride! I recently got my first close up view inside a Mini interior and was shocked how TINY it is!
:welcome: Congrats - and it will get even better over time. All other cars will start looking like dinosaurs...
just washed my prius today!! with my own hands! now its even more beautiful!!! its still so much fun to drive.. i'm getting a hang of the techniques now.. by the way, do i need to warm it up? i realize that every morning i press the start button after one minute, the engine starts.. then it stops and runs on electric. i find that if i drive immediately after pressing the start button, the MPG gauge hovers very low. and if let the engine run and wait then drive, the gauge is high (same speed). does it even matter? thanks!
Hello there. When you power up and says Ready, you can put it in gear right away. always good to drive it easy when first getting going which I'd imagine you do. No need to wait while engine is idling. The MPG bar gage will show itself low, down around the 25 ish range, but that's totaly normal as the gasoline engine is warming itself up. All gas engines do their worst fuel economy when cold.
My morning drive in a Prius would go like this - sit down, buckle up, power up, flip it in gear, back out of garage on battery power, ICE on when I get out to driveway. 3rd gen's engine (ice) is pretty good about shutting down faithfully when you stop. First 5 minutes driving, it get around 25 MPG. Next five minutes driving are higher. After 15 minutes driving it will show 50 or more MPG usually. Like this (in first 5 minutes in photo, car was already warmed up. Don't have photo from cold start) -
