Still not a Total Car

But shortest routes can also surprise you with some great views.

 

I agree. When I picked up my first car with a built in GPS for the 2500 miles long drive home, I soon discovered exactly that. Select shortest route and it will steer you through town if the bypass is a bit longer than the through town route. It will steer you through neighborhoods if the business route through town is a tad longer than cutting through neighborhoods. The biggest problem with computers is that they do what you tell them to do rather than what you want them to do. I saw some great sights and occasionally felt like I had driven into a casting call for Deliverance.

 

Ok, what is your askin' price?

Obviously the Prius and your expectations do not match. So how much are you askin' for what has turned out to be a bad car for you?

Bob Wilson

 

I borrowed a Ferrari for towing a horse box through town and city streets. It was no use whatsoever. The clutch was too sharp and it was impossible to set off smoothly at traffic lights. I even wanted to tow the horse box onto a smooth, grass field but the Ferrari kept wheel spining and sliding all over the place, prompting me to believe the car might be dangerous.

I was even disappointed with the fuel consumption. OK, I know a Ferrari isn't gonna be great in that department, but I wasn't driving it hard and I still only managed 14 mpg. Perhaps I'll post this in a Ferrari forum as the cars clearly appear defective in my eyes and feel a one off post in their forum will put this to rights.

Another day, another troll.

 

That's when you unbox the horse, and hitch it to and pull the prancing horse...

 

A long uphill at 70mph, of course the battery will get depleted if you demand more power at extended periods at that speed. You have to be smarter than your car actually is by knowing its limitations. The car doesn't know how long the uphill will go for so it will give all it's got when the foot demands it. The driver should plan ahead and know how to manage the climb with just the right amount of speed to at least make it at the top without draining the battery fully. At hills higher than the hills you tackled in PA, even a fully loaded gen2 can potentially get 57mpg roundtrip at 40F.

 

Driving from LA to Sacramento on I-5 at 75-80mph with 2 people, backseats flat and the back loaded to the roof with cargo I averaged 48mpg. Crosswinds kill MPG.

 

Okay....just so I understand what lure most of you are biting on...

The "Criticism" here....is that a family of 3 goes on a 2,600 mile road trip, over some mountainous terrain, and occasionally the vehicle's MPG drops all the way down to 38-40 mpg?

Uh....if that isn't a total car? I'll take partial anytime.

 

Yup. Methinks the OP just wanted to bait a bit....

 

The OP was a TOTAL overstatement.

 

So, what do you want to do with the car: sell or pawn it?

DBCassidy

 

Hmmm.

In October we drove our new Prius from Southern California to the southern coast of North Carolina and back. I drove from Denver over the Rockies to Utah and down the 15 through Las Vegas on the way back. We saw elevations west of Denver in excess of 11,000 feet and I drove it 80 miles an hour just about the whole trip. While I didn't get 50 miles per gallon every step of the way I never felt like it didn't have enough power even pulling the grade from Denver toward Vail. I actually backed off because most cars struggled with the lack of oxygen at the summit while the Prius power, which is supported by the electric motor requiring no oxygen, did very well.

We travelled with just the two of us with two very full suit cases that fit just fine in the back. I'd do it again.

 

I would like to make a recommendation based on the OP's criticism of the shortcomings of the Prius in the areas of power, fuel-economy, highway stability, and the navigation system.

Toyota makes a vehicle that meets all of the OP's expectations in a classy package: the Lexus LS 600h L

Trade-in the Prius, and it only costs $100k more after the trade-in credit.

Refinance your house, cash out that 401(k) and Roth IRA account, liquidate your stock portfolio. Do whatever it takes to get your dream car. YOLO

 

A lot less is needed than LS hybrid. Camry LE or XLE hybrid would be a better highway touring car than Prius, and if not enough, the Avalon hybrid should do. If one of those doesn't help the OP, I give up

 

I drove a '06 Jetta TDI. The Prius has more passing power. I've driven it to the mountains with no problem.

 

Because someone on a forum posts a negative impression or opinion of the subject of that forum is not an occasion to call them a troll. In my opinion, the OP has produced some interesting discussion concerning what one may reasonably expect a Prius to deliver, and that's why I'm here. This thread appears to support something I've been thinking for a while, which is that we should possibly be looking at larger hybrids incorporated into more conventional cars (Camry, Fusion, Accord), since a lot of our driving will be highway touring. We're in shopping mode, and, that being the case, "fanboyz" threads certainly don't help.

 

I disagree and the reason I posted about the op being a troll is that they posted ONE negative post and then disappeared.

If they'd have hung around and asked questions on the pro's and con's of the car then I'd have welcomed them and tried to assist or answer their questions and given some of my personal experiences of the car. But a one off negative post? Nah, they're a troll for sure.

 

Just want you to be aware the new 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid is averaging no where near 47 MPG, and this is backed up by Consumer Reports. Fuelly | Share and Compare Your MPG is showing about 37 mpg over something like 70k miles tracked from owners. Sad story.

Too bad Honda is so late joining the party with a full hybrid, but they will finally be here in the Fall. For now, Camry hybrid would be the best choice since it gets very close to 40 mpg as tracked on fuelly.

For more expensive hybrid sedans, you'd be looking at Avalon, Lexus ES, GS hybrids and theres a few more I'm not so familiar with.

As for the 3rd Gen Prius, the downsides to me (tall guy 6'2") are - slightly awkward driving position due to lack of power seats (although more steering wheel telescope would help), doesn't turn corners all that well, Needs more soft touch interior without the obstructive floating bridge console.

 

There just isn't any other vehicle sold in the USA that will compete with the Prius. The OP will be disappointed after the trade in.

 

The OP already vanished. Apparently he was only interested in making a negative statement about Prius and then disappearing.