unsure whether I should buy a Prius b/c I'm used to a trunk at ambient temp

There is a built in cover so the items aren't sitting there in direct sunlight. Probably would warm up a bit faster than a trunk but in the heat of summer even a normal trunk is not good for perishable items. If that's the only thing holding you back just put perishable items in a cooler or something... something you should do regardless of what car you have as your cars isn't a refrigerator .

As you mentioned the solar roof option is also available. That package comes with several other features (sunroof, heads up display) that you can still use year round.

 

Regardless of whether you have a trunk or hatchback, a sterile ice chest is the best way to store perishable food in your car.

 

I can relate because my other vehicle is a Honda Ridgeline with a trunk under the pickup bed. Today, like every Sunday, my girlfriend and I visit her mom at an assisted living center about a half hour away and bring her goodies. In 20 degree weather, the ice cream went in the trunk while the rest of the groceries went in the back seat.

As stated above, for longer trips I use a cooler. I visit family in Ohio, about 2 hours away, on most summer holidays. I take a cooler with ice packs for fruit and drinks on the way down and leftovers on the way back.

 

If you need a trunk, how about Honda Civic hybrid.

 

LOL... Talking about running out of excuses to not buy a Prius... If this is the best one you can come up with methinks you already decided to buy one.

 

The OP better not get a Prius with a sunroof. It could let the vultures in.

 

How far from the grocery stores do you live that you must leave food in your car a longtime?

 

I have a "Limo" tint on my hatch backlight and it keeps the temperature down significantly. I have left the under-window clear for rear visibility. It is always shaded by the spoiler, anyway. The tint I selected has a very high reflective UV rating and might be just what you need.

 

I have measured the temp of the exterior of different paint colors sitting on a Car Dealership this past Summer and it varies by 50 degress depending on the color (obviously white is the lowest temp and black is the hottest).

I have also measured the same color interior with different exteriors on the lot at the same time and despite the Toyota claim of only several degrees (as claimed by the Salesperson), the difference can run as much as 15 degrees.

Obviously, interior color also plays a role.

 

One time I was really hungry and it was hot out and I had to drive to the grocery store and....

 

This was one of my concerns before I purchased my Prius. The trunk of the Prius is part of the interior of the car. It will get noticeably warmer than a conventional trunk area. The best you can do is a Prius in white with the light beige interior and solar roof option. Otherwise move up to a Camry Hybrid for a conventional trunk albeit reduced by the battery.

 

You do know there is an easily accessible storage area -under- the hatch floor? It would be about equivalent to a trunk temp wise, though not quite as large. If you removed the plastic tray you could stash larger items in there, such as bags of groceries.

With a hatchback you trade the lockable trunk for more useable space.

 

Shop close to your home and get the car you like. If you have no choice but to travel long distances for food try and go at dusk or in the evening or early morning when it is cooler out.

 

We use insulated zip up shopping bags from Trader Joe's for things that are temperature sensitive and put them in the back with the roll out cover closed. Its worked well for us.

 

Get a heavy duty aluminum covered blanket...like a space blanket. When you get groceries cover/wrap with this...it will give you more time before they get hot. But you aren't going to keep frozen food or ice cream frozen.

Mike

 

It is a plastic bin that sits over the top of the spare tire. it is quite small; about 6" or 7" tall, 20" deep (front to back) and slightly less than the width of the rear hatch floor. In our So. California climate, it gets about as warm in the storage area as the floor of the back hatch. I don't think you could count on it to keep perishable food cool.

 

When I travel I bring my thermo-electric cooler. It keeps everything 40F degrees cooler than the air temp outside of the cooler. They make 'em from small to huge and all of them fit inside the Prius

Mike