Opinions please, Hybrid vs Efficient ICE Car. Is it worth the investment?

The maximum speed of a Prius driver is capped at 65 mph. You go any faster than that, and you will be tossed out of the secret Prius "culture."

You better go with the non-hybrid vehicle.

 

80 mph is definitely out of prius territory; just to fast for best efficiency/
I drive 50 miles per day & set the cruise control to 70 - my average is around 52/53 mpg /

 

I set cruise to 82 every day. No problems.

 

How much more will the Prius cost, compared to the non-hybrid vehicle?

My Prius was $8000-$10,000 more than a nice new Corolla I was looking at. That 10K would sure buy a LOT of gas for that Corolla! About 15 years worth!

I take some nice long drives and trips, but I don't have a long daily commute like you. The Prius has been great and I like the technology, however if I had to do it over again, I may have just gone with the Corolla.

And in what state can you drive 80 mph? Legally. You will give all of us slow poke Prius drivers a bad rep.

 

The Gen 3 Prius is perfect for long commutes - mine is as long as yours. If you like it and it's comfortable for you, take the plunge.

40 MPG at 80 MPH is still awesome compared to any other car. Of course going slower equals better mileage, but there isn't a non-diesel car that will match it at 80. The 2010 Model V in your profile has the 16" tires, which handle better at the expense of slightly lower fuel economy.

 

yes, you will get low 40's in prius at that speed but not in non-hybrid cars, unless you buy turbo diesel. my experience in economy non-hybrid gas cars gives me about 30MPG at 80MPH (with AT, manual could be slightly higher). what's you current MPG in your daily driver?

 

110 times 240 is 26,400 miles a year just in commute. Other driving will add to this.
For a Prius the last full year got 52.66 MPG 2016 Toyota Prius MPG - Actual MPG from 216 2016 Toyota Prius owners
For a Corolla the same last year got 31.58 MPG 2016 Toyota Corolla MPG - Actual MPG from 139 2016 Toyota Corolla owners

Assuming $2 gas 26,400/52.66*2 = $1002.66 with the Prius and 26,400/31.58*2 = $1671.92 so you can only expect to save $670 on gas per year. I suspect maintenance will be a wash.

This graph is for a Gen 3 Prius, so the actual values will be wrong, but the aerodynamic effect will be similar, it takes a lot of work to move air out of the way.

 

I don't know of any modern non-hybrid gasoline-powered cars that can match a Prius for fuel economy, although older small cars could do it. When I consider vehicle cost, I'm looking at estimated total ownership cost. Prius is among the most reliable vehicles on the road, so repair costs are probably going to be lower or equal on the Prius compared to just about anything out there. Then it's up to you to determine if the extra space in a Prius is a benefit to you and how much you're likely to save on fuel costs.

 

Can you slow down your commute speed? Then you will save gas and money, regardless of what vehicle you drive. Why is everyone in such a big damn hurry!

 

As an owner of two hybrids, today with your driving I would go with a non-hybrid. Don't get me wrong, I love my hybrids, but $$$ wise I would choose the regular car(and slow down a little)

 

are those numbers for 80MPH and AT? hard to believe. here are my real life numbers for 80MPH:
saturn ion low 20's MPG (I know!)
subaru legacy 24MPG
toyota RAV4 24MPG
toyota corolla 30MPG
chevy cruze (gas) 30MPG
toyota yaris low 30's MPG
toyota prius low 40's MPG

 

I don't really believe all the excuses I read for people driving 80 and 90 mph. But I do admit it seems to get worse and worse every year. There is total disregard for the speed laws.

Throwing stuff? Running people off the road? Sounds like what they do to my Prius! LOL. If you think it's bad now, wait until you start driving a Prius. They will be on your nice person like bugs on a bumper!

 

Seems I go thru Nashville maybe 3-4 times a year, and you better get ready to GO or they will tailgate and give dirty looks if you are not going close to 10 mph over the limit.

 

ROI on a Corolla will be better unless gas prices go through the roof.

 

nothing new, 10 over limit is the norm everywhere, and no, i don't enjoy time spent driving anymore like i did when i was a teenager.

 

I haven't actually "done the math" but I seem to remember that most analyses say you don't save any real money buying a hybrid, but the main point is you're saving the planet by using less fossil fuel ... that's good enough for me.

 

Depends on how long you want to keep it. If over 150K, go with the non-hybrid. While you will save on fuel, hybrid batteries are not cheap.

 

We put over 20k miles per year on our 2010 Prius. But if I were making the decision today, I'd strongly consider a cheaper, conventional car because they are getting excellent real-world MPG now, much more so than they were 7 years ago.

My buddy has a new Civic hatch with the CVT and the 1.5T and he's averaging over 40 per tank. That's what I get in my Prius (my area is not ideal for hypermileing).

Even a 3 or 4 thousand dollar difference buys a LOT of gas.

I would miss some of the other Hybrid features though, like heat and AC with no gas idling, that's always nice when waiting to pick people up (you do that a lot when you have kids).

I'm driving our current Prius into the ground, 128k on it now, it's paid off, gives us ZERO trouble, and should last us a long time.