Honda CRV vs 2020 Prius Prime for trip to Rocky Mountains

I live in flatland but before the lockdown we took occasional trips to the nearby driftless area which has rolling hills. Personally even in those modest hills I feel the prime is underpowered going uphill. I felt the same with my gen 2 Prius.

 

I think it depends on how far off the beaten path you are going. For typical park goers, the Prime or any car should be fine.

 

I have a 2020 Prius Prime. The prime will handle anything you can throw at it without any issue'z in the mountains. I live in Grand Forks, B.C. and drove too Trail , B.C. today . Two mountian passes to travers. The car handles this with ease! 228 kilometers for the trip there and return at 3.1 liters per 100 kilometers , I think 78 US miles per gal. You will love the Rav. Prime. The only thing it may not appreciate is off road travel in rocks and mud.

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The Prius Prime will be good too take, enjoy and have a thrifty holiday!

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I've driven over the grapevine (6% max grade, 4k ft peak) a few times, 2 adults, back seats down and loaded with gear to the gills, and didn't notice anything. Last time my comma 2 was driving. If anything, since electric doesn't run out of steam at high altitude, it felt like it was a bit of an advantage.

Looking at the rockies, the grades seem similar, but the elevation is higher - Maximum Grades on Colorado Mountain Passes — Colorado Department of Transportation

What are you seeing, you put it on DRCC and then it starts losing speed uphill?

 

I probably should have mentioned I was in Hybrid Mode when it feels underpowered (high engine RPM) when going uphill.

 

If you like the Prime in the flatlands, you'll be head over heels in love with it in the Rockies. It's FANTASTIC!!! That big battery just soaks up the energy on the long downgrades and then you get to use it again going up.

 

IF.....your wife voted for the other option......this might be a BIG mistake.

How many times can you stand to hear "I TOLD you we should have taken the other car."


(Yes, been there and done that.)

 

I recommend that you bring the Prius Prime. Use the charge mode on descents, steep and shallow, drive in HV mode in the flats, and save the EV mode for climbing hills and passes. Using this technique, I was able to get ~66 mpg on a long mountain road trip. The 66 mpg does not include any grid charging as we did not even bring our charging cord. Here is the link to my trip report.
Mountain Driving Trip Report 66.8 mpg | PriusChat

 

I got anywhere from 57-75 MPG while driving in the NM and CO mountains. There are some Prime owners here who live in CO. I'd tag them if I could remember which ones they are.

 

I also recommend the Prime.

Not trying to sway your trip, but we usually make multiple trips to the Ouray area every year except this year. One caution, make sure to make direct contact ahead of time with the places you're going to stay, etc. Some businesses are gone due to COVID-19 lack of business even though they're still on Google Maps, websites, etc. Some of the resort areas have been hit harder than others. We we're considering going to Ouray this month until I started researching food options, etc. Virtually every place to eat in town is carryout only. Several of the restaurants are gone. Telluride was a bit different, so really dig in and research the places you're going so you won't be surprised by unexpected changes. Estes Park may have it's own set of rules, etc. Just don't "assume" and show up and be disappointed. Research and talk to a real person.

Depending on when you are there, if the Aspens are turning, County Road 12 between Crested Butte and Somerset is an easy (gravel) and gorgeous drive. It has one of the longest continuous Aspen groves I've ever found. Also the drive from Silverton to Durango has a ton of Aspens along the way. You can call one of the 4x4 rental companies and ask if the trees are turning before you.

Have a blast, enjoy!

 

I can't believe that either car would be a bad choice for the trip you're describing.

But honestly, if a few gallons of fuel made it that much better of an experience for my better half on a shared trip? That's an easy choice, especially if this is meant as a vacation.

 

Yea the ice gets loud quick, but it's mostly because of how cvt works and probably less sound deadening for weight savings. It maxes at 5200rpm though, which is pretty low for most cars, and what you're hearing is probably 4000rpm at most. I've seen this as a negative in reviews before buying so I expected it.

 

I was going to say the same thing. After doing the long road trip of over 300 miles mostly on interstate, my DW now refuses to take PRIME over our Pathfinder. For me either are fine, and if I am alone, I will definitely take PRIME to extend the range and save some gas along the way. But comfort level in a mid-size SUV is hard to deny for a long drive. Yeah, it cost twice as much gas to move the Pathfinder Hybrid, but happy wife in the passenger seat, priceless.

 

One reason to consider the CRV is if you are going to check out any hiking trails. Some great hiking trail heads are on rough dirt roads that the CRV would handle better. Otherwise, I'd go with the Prime. We drove to the top of Pikes Peak recently with our Rav4 hybrid and had no problem. I'm convinced our Prius would have been good as well.

 

My Prime sure did enjoy Trail Ridge Road.

 

Prii (at least Gen3 and later) do just fine going up Pikes Peak, numerous members here have done so. Mine went only as far as Devil's Playground, as the road above was closed by snow that day. So we had to walk up the final distance instead.

My Liftback had some issue on the way down, with traffic being too slow to spin up the ICE enough to get much B-mode compression braking after the battery filled up. (The leaders were downshifted just fine for their own cars, it just wasn't a happy speed for my Prius.) I was riding the brake more than desirable, so took several brake cooling stops. This is where a Prime should be perfect, its battery should not get filled all the way up to get into this problem.

 

It might fill a Prime. I almost filled mine coming down from Grand Mesa. Haven't had a chance for Pikes Peak yet, but hope we can do that next time we're in CO. I'll be sure to deplete the battery before I get to the top.