Please reassure me that I'm going to love my new Prius...

Well, I'm definitely not a race car driver by nature, but sometimes it feels like a race course on my usual commutes, as it involves lots of interchanges from freeway to freeway with a fair amount of traffic of varying speeds, merging or passing on hills, lane changes, etc. I've driven a 2013 Mazda3 several times and was surprised how addicted I got to it, given I always thought I was the opposite of a driving enthusiast. But I think it's the specifics of my situation: The cornering, acceleration, and braking really seem to help with all the things that stress me out about driving here (as opposed to my previous city, the very calm LA... ) Plus, I so far haven't managed to adapt to the Prius brakes in stop and go city driving. I'd have picked up a 2013 Mazda3 at the closeout prices, but couldn't quite make peace with the extra firm seats it has. So I figured I'd go for the 2014, which has softer seats.

But now that 2013 Prius prices 2014 Mazda3 prices, it's a little hard to say no to the gas savings - even at my paltry 8000 miles per year - plus the reliability and extra cargo space of the Prius. So I'm planning to rent a Prius for a couple days when I can try it out on my routine driving and parking situations and see how it really feels. And I'll go for another test drive in the new Mazda3 to see if it really handles so much better that it's worth giving up all the plusses the Prius has going for it. Decisions!

 

I once read a mail order tea catalog. Someone wrote that people that drink bulk Assam Indian tea that comes in a box and are satisfied with it are Lucky because they will not have to choose between first growth, first harvest, only the smaller tippy leaves grown only the sunny side of the hill with only the morning mist and all the other BS involved. Let the Toyota engineers do all the thinking for you enjoy your Yellow Label Lipton Prius. .I do.

 

People here are so positive. I'll tell you the truth. I came from owning Civics and Corollas since i received my license. They are slow cars to begin with. So I am hardly used to performance. I got to drive my friend's 2005 Mazda 3 and absolutely loved it. Even with such low expectations, I was appalled at how lousy the Prius ride is. I absolutely hate this Prius. It is one of the slowest cars I've ever owned and the driving dynamics is utter trash. However....I would buy another Prius in a heartbeat.

I was dead set on a Mazda 3 hatchback with the Skyactiv engine with 40 mpg for my next car. Then this whole plug in thing happened with solo HOV access. It doesn't matter how fun my car is if I am in the slow lane. Now that I've owned the car for a year, even if they took away HOV access, I would still purchase this car. That's how thoroughly converted I am to the Prius hybrid culture. This is all despite hating the way the car drives because it has taken a backseat to fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs. I've only paid $70 maintenance for the 30,000 miles on my car.

 

I'm a week into owning a 2013 Prius IV. There's definitely an adjustment period, but I'm starting to get more comfortable with it. Like the OP, I like the tech goodies. It's wonderful to be able to listen to an audiobook on my iPhone thru Bluetooth and not even have to take it out of my pocket. We're having fun with the XM radio channels, though not sure if we'll continue it after the trial period. Some of the display stuff is interesting, if a little silly and distracting. I like the storage capacity of the car, and have always liked liftbacks. We drive a Miata in the warm months, which is very different, but for our mostly city driving the Prius seems to handle OK. Cornering is fine, but the slight delay off of a stop takes a little getting used to. On the other hand, our previous car, a Subaru Outback (which got 17 MPG in city driving) had annoying jackrabbit starts, so I'm appreciating the smooth, if slightly delayed, starting on the Prius. The roads around us are terrible but the car softens the bumps much better than the Outback did. Like the Outback, the heat's slow to come on but the heated seats will roast you within a couple of minutes, so that makes up for a lot. I find the adjustable seats very comfortable so far.

It's too early to pronounce that we made a wonderful decision with this car, but so far so good.

 

I specifically chose the Prius because it's totally different from anything I've ever owned. If by chance I realized I hated the car, it would still serve my transportation needs. Ten months later, I'm still happy with my choice.

 

Do you have it in ECO, PWR, or normal (neither of the others) mode? It mainly just changes the throttle response, you can get the same mileage and same peak power in any of them. Normal or PWR might suit you better if you're using ECO as it will give you more of a kick with the same amount of throttle. I believe the one advantage ECO has is that it makes the AC compressor run more efficiently, other than that, it just makes it easier to have a light foot.

 

Welcome to PriusChat and being a new Prius owner:

I'm sure you will love spending less money for gas and driving long distances, without filling up!!
Give your-self several months learning how to drive different methods of driving a Prius, to increase your MPG.
I think you will fall in love with your Prius ...... I love mine!!

 

If you get a Prius and do not love the way that it handles, don't worry, it will definitely grow on you. Especially when you're stuck in traffic or at long stoplights, when you look around and realize that everyone with a non-hybrid is burning $gas... while you aren't.

 

Ok, I'll try my luck at this.

I am here to reassure you that you're going to love your new Prius. In 2 months (or less) you will forget all about your Mazda. Trust me.

 

Most of us have owned our Prius for awhile, too. That's why we're so positive about them. Sure, the handling could still be improved, but we've matured, and realised that's not the most important feature.

 

I know. My one year experience hardly qualifies me as a mature Prius owner. It just struck a cord with me that OP speaks of liking the driving experience. If that is a major factor then chances of loving her Prius is slim to none. Glossing over that as not important is like sticking your head in the sand. I still hate my Prius with a passion. I don't ever see myself accepting it, let alone like it. I tolerate its performance for its other virtues.

 

I was trying to focus on the positive, not stick my head in the sand. I didn't say handling wasn't important, but I did say it's not THE most important factor, and that it fades over time as you come to appreciate the good, unique things about a Prius.

And, there are handling upgrades available. If you're only 'tolerating' your car, rather than truly enjoying it, then perhaps you'd benefit from looking into the options.

 

I just cannot imagine hating this car in any way, shape or form. I guess that whether you love or hate the Prius is purely subjective though. What I hate is spending time in repair shops and having to stop for gas twice as often. When my research showed Prius to be among the top in reliability AND at the top for MPG, it got my attention. On a test drive, I expected it to have excruciatingly slow acceleration, and was very surprised that it does not. Although the seats could be cushier and the ride and handling more refined, those other factors, combined with the feeling of driving what is essentially a car of the future, more than made up for its shortcomings.

On a side note, while on a trip I rented a Mazda 2 (I know, not the same category) and though it seemed like a decent little city car, it accelerated slower and the engine sounded to strain a whole lot more at freeway speeds than that of the Prius. Just my 2 cents.

 

I own both a Protégé 2.0 and a new Prius Four...and I enjoy driving them both. I like to alternate between both cars. The Prius is more comfortable and gets way better mpg, and feels more solid, while the protégé is much more sporty and agile. I feel the protégé has quicker acceleration, but overall I really like the Prius alot.

SAMSUNG-SM-N900A ?

 

I'm now in the midst of a two day "try before you buy" Prius rental. My shorter stints driving Prii after test driving a Mazda 3 or even my old Corolla always left me thinking "This thing is nice but I wish it would just drive like a car!" But now that I've driven it for a day, I'm starting to get used to the feel of it and enjoying driving it a lot more. I am surprised though how much noise it makes going uphill - sounds like it's really struggling - is this normal? Tried it in both Power mode and normal, and the only difference seemed to be how far I had to push the pedal.

Also finding it tricky to reverse e.g. in busy parking lots where pedestrians and cars sneak in from the sides faster than you can whip your head from side to side. In my Corolla it's much easier to see the sides while looking straight back. Does getting it with a backup camera help with that problem? Or is the camera mainly for helping you spot obstacles below the window before you start to reverse? Sorry for naive question - I'm a backup camera newbie so still having a hard time envisioning reversing a car while looking forward!

 

It's normal - unlike in a regular car, the engine speed in the Prius has no direct relationship to the road speed - in conjunction with the electric drive, the gas engine puts out whatever power is needed and runs at the appropriate RPM. Going uphill takes more power, so the engine runs at higher RPM, but it's not struggling.

 

It does take a bit of time to get used to using the back-up cam, but I have found it to be quite useful and have been using it much more than when I first got the car. It gives you a pic of everything going on directly behind your vehicle. Old habits are hard to break though, and after a bit I still find myself looking behind me while backing out of a parking space, even though the cam and mirrors would probably suffice.

 

OK, just took Try-before-you-buy Prius out for an after-dark trip on the freeway and discovered something disconcerting: cars following close behind disappear in the rear view mirror, because their headlights are directly behind the horizontal bar. The cars themselves turn into shadows. Is there a workaround for this? Do I need to adjust my seat differently to get my head in a different position? It's scary changing lanes because between the over-the-shoulder blind spot and the rear mirror difficulty, I feel like the only trustworthy view is the side mirror, and obviously relying on that would leave a dangerous blind spot.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I was really thinking I was liking the Prius, but since I need to drive on busy freeways at night with lots of tailgaters, exit-lane passers, and other less than safe drivers, I'd better be sure I can navigate the unfriendly waters!

 

I've absolutely never experienced that before. Additionally you should never change lanes without doing a head check so that shouldn't be an issue.

SGH-T999 ?

 

You could try moving the rear view mirror up or down, that might change the angle enough to keep all but the worst tailgaters in view. I also suggest adding the stick-on convex blindspot mirrors to your side mirrors when you get your own Prius.