If I Drive a Prius, Will I need to be a more patient person?

you will just need to mash the pedal a bit more and anticipate the flow of traffic.

 

You can drive hard and still save gas compared to other vehicles.

 

Take one for a test drive!
I feel the Prius pretty much drives/accelerates like any other mid-level vehicle.
It's not a sports car. It's not a Yugo.
There's not 300 horses under the hood, nor 300 hamsters.
It's somewhere in between.

 

I recommend you do the math on your commute and figure out exactly how much time you save by driving the way you do versus driving the speed limit.

I'm going to put together an "example" commute of your busy life.

Drive to work - 20 miles.
Driving at 75 mph = 16 minutes.
Driving at 60 mph - 20 minutes.
Savings time = 4 minutes, right? Wrong!

Drive out of neighborhood to freeway, 25 - 35 mph speed limit with traffic lights. 2 miles. Net difference = 0.

Get onto freeway, drive 10 miles until you hit a bottle neck. 3 miles of slow and go. 3 more miles of heavy traffic where you can't go 75 mph because everyone is driving 60 mph in all lanes.
Time - 75 mph for 10 miles = 8 minutes.
Time - 60 mph for 10 miles = 10 minutes.
6 miles of slow and go and heavy traffic = 0 net gain.
Net gain = 2 minutes.

Final 2 miles getting off highway, driving through city streets to get to work. Net difference = 0 minutes.

Thus, your commute may be 20 miles, 16 of it freeway, but likely only 10 miles of free flowing traffic where you can drive 75 mph unimpeded.

Net difference from doing that vs 60 mph top speed is 2 minutes.

Do the math for your commute and try to figure out the time where you can actually get up to 75 mph (and I don't mean by slaloming between cars like an olympic skiier).

I know if FEELS like more than 2 minutes......but it isn't. All the city traffic, stop lights/signs, heavy traffic, and slow and go traffic all conspire against your desire to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

I'd recommend leaving for your destination 5 minutes sooner and slowing down the the speed limit, you'll be surprised how relaxing it is not to have to check your rear view mirror every 10 seconds for the Highway Patrol.

 

Yep. Just don't expect EPA estimates.

Acceleration of a Prius is comparable to econoboxes. If one wants more power/acceleration, go w/something w/better 0-60 times at Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance. Unfortunately, the NAH is only available in CARB states and dead for model year 2012. The '12 Camry Hybrid (not tested yet) has 2 hp more than the NAH and 13 more than the '11 HyCam.

 

I disagree wholeheartedly with you, green4u. The OP did not state that he was cutting people off or speeding excessively. He's just stating his unhappiness with people who decide to drive 5-10 MPH SLOWER than the posted speed limit.

Also note how he's voicing his unappreciation for those who are actually driving recklessly because they are chatting or texting on their smart phones. People who drive 5-10 under speed limit on the highway, for me, presents a dangerous obstacle when I have to make my way around them and other drivers are zooming past very fast.

I think you jumped to conclusions way too quickly and did not give the OP the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, I'm disappointed to see this kind of attitude, and it typically perpetrates the "smug" label the public gives to Prius owners.

Edit: Also, I noticed you labeled BMW and Audi owners in one of your replies as assholes. Thanks for calling my mother and my father assholes. I seriously dislike it when people use blanket statements and these sort of assumptions.

 

You and your friend should be driving in the left-hand lane then. And if you say there's a slow person in the left hand lane going 5-10mph under speed limit, then you should still be able to anticipate that. But really, how often do you see a person going that slow in the fast lane (as the OP implies that he always encounters)?

The point of driving is to get from point A to B safely. It is your responsibility to ensure the road around you is safe, even if people are not following the law, talking on their cell phone, etc. Tailgating them and then making a sudden lane change to show your disappreciation doesn't help. (I must assume this is what the OP is doing based on the Prius' "power" he's asking about.) If he wasn't, he'd be able to anticipate a slow driver ahead and change lanes earlier in a controlled manner. With the exception of maneuvering to avoid accidents, the types of sudden moves the OP describes are almost always unnecessary if you pay attention and drive with the flow of traffic.

And by the way, if you think I'm the one being rash, listen to the OP again:

Not a good way to start a post. So what's he talking about, like 60mph on a 65mph lane? If it's happening in the right hand lane then they have every right to be going 60mph and the OP shouldn't be in that lane in the first place. If it's happening in the fast lane - well, like I said, I doubt it really happens that often. And calling these people "obstacles?" Does the OP drive an ambulance or something? Sheesh.

 

yyyiiikes,

My 400 hp car and my Prius weigh about the same. I have no problem going back and forth between the two cars. The Prius requires more planning and restraint when it comes to passing but you can still make your way quickly through traffic. Handling is a couple of notches below a BMW or other drivers car but is still decent and shouldn't be a problem for you in slightly aggressive freeway driving.

In the end though, no one can tell you how a Prius is going to feel to you. You should get a hold of one for a couple of days and do your commute in it.

I find low powered cars entertaining. They make ordinary driving more of a driving experience and less of a just aim it operation.

 

The Prius has enough power to spare, all the way up to and more than likely beyond 80. I had no trouble getting through west Texas at their higher posted speeds. Though I'll say the cruise control starts to drift a bit when you get up there.

Anyway, it's not about being patient really. In a Prius you'll want to learn how not to lose speed, rather than how to gain it quickly. It becomes sort of a game trying to figure out where you can keep from losing too much speed at lights or from slower drivers not keeping right when they're not even meeting speed limits. I'm not talking about cutting people off and being aggressive, but more watching the flow of the road as a whole. It's different and fun to drive.

Anyway, I'm not going to bust your chops too much, I'm from out west where we almost all speed a little bit. Just keep it safe and remember time is money, and getting pulled over robs you of both.

 

Agree with xs650's above comments.

When I still had my 287 hp 350Z (sold it in July 2011 ), I could go back and forth between the cars fine. (My Z weighed ~320 lbs more than the Prius though but was far faster and handled a lot better.) Agree about more planning and in some cases, w/my Prius, I don't bother w/certain things that my Z could do w/o issue.

But in city driving, the Prius is more then adequate. On the highway, it's just adequate.

 

The Priuses power is adequate it can keep up with traffic and pass at will. You can drive it as hard as you want but your MPG will suffer. If you mostly drive it conservatively you will pleasantly surprised when you do want to or have to put your foot into it.:rockon:

 

Yes, but...

"If I Drive a Prius, Will I need to be a more patient person?"

yyyiiikes,

I would say that you will have to become a more understanding person
on many levels.

The first understanding would be that driving fast and aggressively is a
coverup for your not properly evaluating a upcoming drive and leaving
early, not late, because who knows what delays may occur.

The second understanding would be a consciousness that driving on
public roads is not a game.

Interestingly, you've not said anything to suggest that you have the
slightest concern about fuel economy, FE. For this reason, the Prius is
probably not the car for you. But perhaps that was just an oversight on
your part.

However, if you do want to get better FE and reduce your fuel costs, to
effectively use the Prius, you will of necessity have to develop a good
understanding of how to use various operating options in response to
weather, topography, traffic volume and speed, traffic control devices,
HV battery level, etc.

With these understandings does come a certain amount of patience.

Only you can say if this is what you want.

 

Great question, I bet a prius will be faster around town and on the highway then the Isuzu you're in now
I feel exactly the same way when I'm following someone on the phone not paying attention to their surroundings, they are a threat to me and others around them IMHO.
The prius is a little beastie, it's plenty peppy to keep up with any traffic and it has excellent visual egress, spotting absurd drivers and avoiding them is easy.

 

First I want to point out who should NOT buy a Prius, now is the time to know:
http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/94450-considering-prius.html#post1334003

As you drive a Prius, you quickly realize you have been braking 'wrong' for a car with Regenerative brakes, expect more MPG change in tuning your braking habits than your accelerating habits. (as a first cut, try to drive as if you had no brakes, then refine from there)

 

One of the biggest problems with cars today is that there are, typically, 2 measuring displays in the car. The speedometer and the clock (I will leave the tachometer out of the equation because it can be made "equivalent" to the speedometer).

Thus, for conventional cars, the only things that matter are what time it is and how fast you are going.

The Prius adds a third measuring tool, Miles Per Gallon (in the form of instant, 1 min, 5 min, and trip. Now you can add fuel efficiency to your speed and time concerns.

The Prius also allows you to build up a tolerance for traffic that would otherwise irritate the living hell out of you, such as slow and go traffic. Because you have a fuel mileage measuring device, you'll see that you can pulse and glide in traffic like that and get 60+ miles per gallon, while everyone else is getting 15 mpg or less. When traffic opens up again, you can get back up to speed and drive where you feel comfortable.

I just let my brother drive my car the other day. We left Foster City, merged onto hwy 101 and immediately hit slow and go traffic for the next 3 miles. He was grumbling about it (Great....just when I want to get somewhere quickly). I pointed out that this was a great opportunity to get some high MPG's by pulsing and gliding. He just pissed and moaned. This is what a conventional car does for you.

In your first post, you did not state you drove above the speed limit. However, your complaints about other drivers (slow and distracted) and your statements ("When I drive on the road, it is ALL about getting from "A" to "B" quickly. With my work and life schedule, I have very little tolerance for pokey drivers going 5 or 10 MPH slower than the posted limit.") imply that you are an impatient driver who would prefer to drive faster than the posted speed limit.

I drive 5 - 10 mph below the posted speed limit on the freeways. I drive in the right lane, unless I know the right lane is going to turn into an exit only lane OR the right lanes will not take my bridge fast pass, and I have to venture over to a "faster lane". I don't drive in the passing lane.

If you don't have tolerance for my driving, get out of the "slow lane". Your frustration should be more focussed on the drivers (road boulders) who are clogging the #1 (passing) lane, that prevent you from passing cars in the #2 (#3, #4 etc) lane(s). I find it amazing when I go on a freeway (on ramp) and watch people merge right on over into the #1 lane. The #1 lane is moving the same speed as the #2 and #3 lanes (65 - 70 mph ish). You could actually go faster in the slow lane, because there are less cars in it (not wanting to deal with merging traffic). And people do this. Imagine their irritation when they come racing up on my 58 mph bumper and can't "understand" why I'm not hitting 75 mph to close up that 300 foot gap between me and the car in front of me. I get lights flashed at me, honked at, etc. I've got one thing to say....go around. I'm where I'm supposed to be....you are not.

I used to drive like you purport to drive. I drove 70-75 mph on the freeway, could slice and dice traffic without cutting people off (usually it involved "power accelerating" into their lane so they didn't have to hit the brakes). But I "grew up" in my driving style and slowed it down. I won't go back to that style of driving. I can drive in a relaxed fashion and save money at the same time. It took awhile to get used to driving slower, the psychological side of it was very hard to do (getting passed by everyone), but you learn to tolerate it and ignore it after awhile.

 

to OP; no of course not, but if you are FOLLOWING a Prius...

 

I agree that the speed limit should be driven. I'm embarrassed to see other hybrids driving sub limit. However, I get so unbelievable pissed when those self loathing suv and bmw drivers beeping and flipping me the bird when I dont go 0-60 mph in 3 seconds from a stop light. Im sorry but im not gonna stomp on my pedal. I will calmly accelerate to the posted speed and **** off if you dont like it! just pass me when you can if you dont like it.