I traded the Prime in yesterday. That was a great little car. Easy and comfortable to drive. I loved the fuel mileage. Sadly, my wife never felt the same way. We love to road trip but driving 80 mph on the freeway with an 18 wheeler beside you is not her idea of fun, and that is a mild understatement. I admit the reason I bought the car didn't pan out but I decided to keep anyway. Our 4,000 mile road trip in May is where she shared her true undesirable thoughts about the car. I learned a lot about the Prius in this forum so my thanks to all who contribute on a continual basis.
+1 We have a lot of Prius expats in the forum. +1 on the road trips. I replaced my beloved and gracefully aging 09 GMC Sierra with a nearly identical '23 model. I tried VERY VERY hard to buy a Toyota but Toyota of North America tried harder. Even though it's close to a base model, it's my CFO's favorite of our four current vehicles, and the only one she will take on a road trip.
I bought it because there was plans to bring everyone back into the office 5 days a week beginning October 1, 2023. I was driving an F-150 at the time getting 20 mpg. Since my commute is 80 miles round trip, at $4/gallon, plus $15 for daily parking, my monthly commute expense would have been $620. With the Prime, I could reduce that down to about $380 (no charging available downtown). It was announced last minute that our telework agreement (which has been in place for several years before COVID) would remain in place. Wife loved the F 150 as did I but I didn't the MPG. So I opted for a '24 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 3.0 Duramax diesel. So far getting 30 mpg which is great for a truck this size.
"but driving 80 mph on the freeway with an 18 wheeler beside you is not her idea of fun" Maybe stay out of the passing lane if you don't intend to pass. Learn to drive regardless of what car you end up keeping. Guess you never learned a healthy respect for a semi blowing out a tire while you're near it. Pass with a purpose. Also I live in your state, semis don't do 80 here. Most are governed well below that. Maybe on a downhill you'll get one doing that til it flattens out but even then most are engine braking to keep their speed down on those slopes. And they sure as hell don't do that around any of the metro I5 areas because OSP doesn't **** around. I don't see them doing that on 22, or I5, or over the pass to western oregon. So I'm not sure where you're finding these semis that do 80 but it's not a common occurrence to cry about. Judging by your post history, you likely got rid of it because you had weird issues with yours. That's fine, but say that instead of making up something weird.
Lots of people want the higher seating position and carrying capacity of a suv or truck. I too found the new Prius to be a bit cramped for a taller person. I agree it makes no sense to drive next to a semi on a freeway. I will drive behind and to the side until there is enough room to quickly get well past them. Same goes for any vehicle if I have a choice in the matter but semis deserve special consideration.
Lol. I never see semis doing 80, even on Interstate 5 here in Northern California, and the Prime and I usually blow by them pretty quick.
had a sheltered life perhsps? try driving in other states & it'll broaden one's basis of knowledge. Many have driven 80 mph only to be passed by a semi 'doing' the speed limit in other states. Oh brother - talk about missing the point. Pretty obvious I'm not the only slow-witted spouse. But at least i eventually learned that when the better ½ says the house is too hot, I know that means "please turn the thermostat down to 70°". I learned it DOESN'T MATTER whether or not there's an irrational fear of being surrounded by larger cars, or discomfort squatting into a lower car ... or any other personal rationale. .
Interesting choice. We are looking at the Dodge Ramcharger pickup, a plug-in version that has roughly 150 mile electric range before it switches back to the V6 in hybrid mode. Available near the end of this year. Can tow up to 14,000 lb as well as get ~50MPGe. Man! Why didn't Toyota dream this up for the Tacoma ?!?
Yet, she was. Marketing has convinced us that we need bigger to be safer. There's simply no way a GMC Sierra 1500 can avoid an accident better than a Prius. Having a much more maneuverable vehicle is safer.
i have to admit, i didn't feel safe next to a semi in my miata, much as i loved the car. looking over at the middle of their wheels was intimidating.