No Prius yet; doing the research

Here is a good very good video on the HSD

Gen 3 is a good bit more complex than many here would like to believe. The simple HSD simulations that are posted here from time to time are unrealistic.

 

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I am a Prius fan, driving a 2010 Prius V with everything you could possible add to a Prius already on it. Before this I owned a 2007 Touring Edition. My employer leases my cars, the last 2010 payment was yesterday, I will buy out the lease before a month passes and I would have to turn in the Prius. I did the same with the 2007, and sold it to my sister. If the car was not exceptional, I would have just returned each back to Toyota. I have been posting for years on the Prius Chat but not for awhile, and they changed the format, and dumped my previous log in.

In snow the Prius needs serious winter tires, I installed Michelin Primacy PA 3 which I will remove April 1st and reinstall December 1st. Living in Illinois, you need to know that. I also do not commute, I do a lot of long disatance driving NYC to Washington, DC; NYC to Atlanta, GA; NYC to Toronto Ontario, Canada and i live 70 miles east of NYC. I am 5 10, 250 and fit the car just fine, I have their best seat which has adjustable lumbar you could add a memory foam lumbar pillow if you buy a model with lesser seats, and they'd do as well. I have the Dynamic Cruise, but in winter the snow can accumulate on the nose and prevent it from working. The Infrared Sensor is a box right in back of the Toyota Emblem about 4 inches by 6 inches. It has its uses, but I'm not sure I'd choose to own another. A standard cruise control has its own advantages. Lane keep assist is good if you tend to get drowzy while driving, otherwise I don't see the need for it. Self parking is built in, and in 3 years I have never even tried to use it one time. I park pretty well, a skillset one living in a city usually acquires early on, and I grew up in New York City.

The max load is about 850 pounds, passengers and cargo. I have driven 70 - 80- mph with that load, mileage drops to 42 to 44 averaged over 1000 miles up and down mountain roads in Virginia included. The car never breaks down, I use only 100% 0W-20 Synthetic oil, and the TRD oil filters very 5 to 7 k.

The Prius resells for big numbers, it saves big on gas, compromises nothing in comfort and safety, and makes anyone driving it look like a genius everytime the Big Oil Boys gouge us at the pump. The amenities are excellent but the GPS programming crew should be fired, so if you opt for the Nav system, pre-check the route with a map. I assume all Toyota-Lexus cars have the same lousy Nav programming, and yes I spend the two hundred bucks to get updated maps that are then only two years outdated.

People will speed up when you are passing them, evidently a Prius passing them is considered some sort of humiliation. If you question your masculinity, driving a Prius won't Help.

Accessories I added to mine: 3M paint Protection and Headlight Protection film custom installed on the nose of the car $ 700.00 bucks three years ago, keeps dings, bugs, roadsalt etc from damaging the front end, plastic weatherproof floor mats, the OEM mats were carpet Black, and carpet in the car isn't and the car, in my case, is Blizzard Peark WHITE, so someone at Toyota is clearly color blind; a sunshade for parking in the sun; a shield to make the dash display visible on a bright sunny day; LED bulbs in reverse lamps, license plate lights and Fog Lights. Trunk light is woefully inadequate, still seeking a solution to that.

Any Questions, feel free to ask. I hope this has proved useful to you.

 

I thought Illinois driving resembled Minnesota most of the time. Apparently not, since winter tires aren't a necessity here. The all-season tires work fine. What is the extra traction needed for? What kind of snow do you get? Are roads not plowed right away? Sanding & Salting?

 

After 6 years and five and a half winters I can testify that the Prius is far more surefooted with performance winter tires on snow, slush, and ice than the stock Michelin all season tires. Road maintenance during and after storms is highly dependent upon the place and road you happen to be driving on, some places do this well, other places, not so much. I drive all winter, long distance, so I get to experience them all. My winter tires: Michelin Primacy Alpin PA 3 - P215/45 R17, they make a serious difference over the stock tires.

 

No disagreement with the improvement. 12 winters with 3 different Prius for me here. I wondered why "needs" was stated. Having winter tires is a nice benefit. There are not required.

 

What is the purchase criteria?

 

Normally I would say, hey check out the Ford hybrid, but guess what, not this time. Go with the Prius. At least when they say it gets this much in MPG its believable. I havent driven the newest version, but the GenII I had did get superb MPG, it just had quirks that I didnt care for, and most of them I heard have been worked out of the GenIII.

 

This video is for the Lexus CT200h, but it is the same drivetrain used by the Prius GenIII and shows what is going on under the hood.

 

Well said.

 

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The Prius FIVE model has quicker steering than the other models, and a tighter suspension. If handling is that important you should probably limit yourself to the FIVE version of the car. I was told Toyota did this as part of the Self-parking option install, so the 5 is a kinda Sport Version of the Prius.

 

Prius and Sport in the same sentence has me ROTFLMAO! I needed a good laugh!

 

How can the original poster be put off by Hybrid technology? Can you be specific?

 

In my experience, the Prius requires winter tires when driven on snow and ice. The car is light, slides easily and the grip of all season tires often leaves you on a dark, snowy night with a very dicey situation. If you can improve the odds of avoiding an accident- getting injured, or worse, the cost and extra effort to swap out the winter tires becomes insignificant.

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hah, hah, hah, You're Right ! The Only Thing More Ridiculous would be a Ford Fusion Mid Size Four Door Sedan being called 'SPORT".

 

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see: Car & Driver review of 2010 Prius, where after explaing the quicker steering, also called the 5 model a Prius 'Sport'.

 

What are you comparing Prius to? Where are the roads being considered?

I just plain don't see that as a requirement, nor have I heard it from other Prius drivers around here. There's an obvious benefit, but it's not a necessity.

Drive around my mom's Corolla here. You'd quickly discover how much better Prius handles those same conditions. Maybe you wouldn't. Growing up in Minnesota, the skill on ice & snow is naturally higher. We get a heck of a lot more firsthand experience than other areas of the country. We have no choice. We still live our lives and go out when others wouldn't. Winter is long & brutal at times. We just adapt, as does our skill behind the wheel.

Think about how sales in the northern states compare to those in the south. If winter driving was a serious shortcoming for those who have to deal with 5-6 months of snow & ice every year, you'd see numbers much smaller.

 

Having snow tires is recommended for most all cars in Il?

What's the big deal you just have the tire store mount the snow tires.

Perhaps Prius is not for every one.

Is the Volvo he drove around that much better than a Prius in snow?

Maybe one of those 4 wheel drive cars or trucks is best.

 

The OEM tires were crap on the 2007 Pri I had, slippery little devils, but the Michelins on my 2010 FFH, I think MXV4 is what it came with, have decent snow traction. Any good all season will handle snow, it all depends on how you drive it. The one Caveat of the Prius is the sensitive traction control. I dont know if it got any better in GenIII but GenII was so very touchy that on a slight incline, if you cant get a grip, you go nowhere. Happened to me once, took 20 minutes to get up that hill. I just held the pedal down and jerked my way up until I got enough traction to get rolling.