newb questions about prius

1: I know they make it up hills better than 4 bangers, but I've heard it can go 90 MPH up a pretty mean hill, true or false?

True, but if you are racing up the mountain, and drain the battery to its critical level, the car will slow to running on ICE only

2: How long does it take to go 0-60? (flat dry surface, etc.)
around 10 sec. but its so smooth you may not realize you have reached 60.

3: I know it's not a pure electric motor, but still curious about the battery, is it NiCad/lead acid/other? (I know NiCads are... beefy... but expensive... plus the whole "they overheat and cause thermal runaway and can melt through a wing... therefore through a car" thing... so I assume not NiCad... I hope)
nickel-metal hydride

4: what features do most people get on their prius? Stock of just under 21k to fully loaded at about 29k is a big difference... what features do you guys think is "worth it?"
i would get the whole package, the value of what you get is worth so much more than you pay for it

5: I read that the straight gas engine only produces 70-80 HP, but with the electric boost, it can beef it up to a total of up to 173 HP, is that true?
the ICE maxes at 76hp. the Electric Motor can max out at 67hp. but the system as a whole maxes at 110hp.

6: why does it get so much better gas milage in town than on the highway? Is it just from the regenerative breaking? could you get better milage by squeezing the breaks a little on the road?
the EPA test has a lot of stops, at stops the engine does not run, there for not wasting gas, giving it a higher score. also in the city the electrical motor is called on more for motive force than the ICE.

7: what if ninjas attack? :guns:
if a group of sport bikes attack, you'll be getting about the same mpg as them so its all good

8: I hear in efforts to reduce weight, they don't have good sound shielding? How's the engine/road sound in those things? (I hear the engine's quiet, but the road sounds like the doors are open)
i have heard that as well, but i don't have enough practical experience to answer

9: how much space is actually in the "trunk" area (better word for a hatchback?) ? if you fold down the seats can you lay back there comfortably?
there is a lot of space surprisingly, i believe 3 sets of clubs will fit, with the seat up. i think its a little small to sleep in, if you curl up you should be ok

10: What's that cool dashboard computer thingy do? Just extra dashboard gauges? Does it have GPS or something? Can I hack into that thur and git mine sweeper?
its chocked full of useful stuff, it shows what is currently propelling your car. audio controls, climate control. instantaneous MPG readout. and GPS Nav in the upper package.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(trickysam\";p=\"84466)</div>

Popular to contrary opinion, Toyota didn't really make any extra effort to reduce weight in the Prius. Most of the weight-reduction advancements found in the Prius are now found in other Toyota vehicles. The fact is that the Prius is actually a very heavy car for its class.

I think the weight confusion originated from the media mixing facts about the Prius and the Insight. The Insight is an ultra-light, ultra-compact vehicle (still larger than a sparrow - but only slightly! ); for the Insight, great mileage comes at the cost of a noisy interior and no luggage space.

To answer your question, though, the Prius is well insulated. Quieter than the average vehicle, noisier than a Cadillac. Very comparable to my '94 Camry.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(trickysam\";p=\"84466)</div>

I'm 6'1" and I've slept and tailgated in the back of my Prius. The sleeping arrangement was actually quite comfy - folding down the rear seats and folding back the front seats makes a continuous, albeit somewhat lumpy, surface. Bring a sleeping pad.

 

As for space in the back, I'm 6'2" and have found my Prius to be the ultimate drive-in machine.

Brad

 

Just returned from the building supplier and carried a bunch of 14 foot pieces of baseboard material .... yah, I had to tie a red flag on the three feet sticking outside. Just as a point of interest it's great to be able to tie one end of a rope to the rear side cargo ring thread it up through the u-bolt on the bottom of the hatch and back down through the other side cargo ring then lead it forward reefing the hatch down and tying it off at the u-bolt available when either of the rear seats is folded.
Amazing what this machine offers.
Gary

 

I have a 2005 Prius and just bought a Kindle. Is there an auxillary jack so I can plug in my Kindle for audio books?

 

I don't know if the model you have has one, do you have a port inside your console???? Also when checking on the Kindle site, they said that if you purchase this Jabra Bluetooth that it would be bluetooth compatible, so maybe you could attach it to your radio or Nav system via the bluetooth capability??

Here is the Jabra Bluetooth proudct that Kindle suggests:
Jabra A120S Bluetooth Adapter with 3.5mm Connector

 

Hi Sam, this is one thing this often misunderstood about fuel consumption. People often attribute the higher MPG that they get with highway driving to the higher speeds involved, but in fact it is the complete opposite (for all cars, not just the Prius).

Higher speed greatly increases the wind resistance (aka aerodynamic drag), so you would actually get far better MPG's at "around town" speeds like 35 mph than you would at highway speeds if all other things were equal (again, for all cars, not just the Prius).

Of course all other things aren't equal and the frequent braking accelerating and stopping in city driving are so detrimental to fuel economy that overall most cars will indeed end up getting worse MPG figures around town, even though the wind resistance aspect is very much in your favour there.

Now the ability of the Prius to recover energy during braking and to cut out the internal combustion engine entirely during stops and during start-stop-crawling improves the situation so much that the lower wind resistance actually has a chance to win out! So yes the Prius MPG can be slightly better in the city than on the highway.

 

Holy cow! You do realize that this thread is 4.5 years old. It makes more sense to start a new thread than resurrect an old, unrelated one.

Tom

 

Arrh. I should have looked at the date of the first post and not just the date of the last reply!

I've noticed that you seem to get that a lot on forums (in general). People with their very first post resurrecting a many years old thread only to ask their own unrelated or semi-related question. I think it happens when they're googling for some particular info and the thread turns up as a result. They see the reply button and think "arh this is my chance to ask that question" not realizing that they can actually make their own thread once they sign up.

 

My comment on #8

I had a Honda Fit in early 08 for about 6 months. It had NO sound insulation (I had been in the doors and around in the back behind the panels. No insulation).

That sucker was FREAKING LOUD at highway speed. It was horrible.

The Prius is NIGHT AND DAY different. It is VERY quiet in comparison. It can still get noisy on some surfaces, but it should be pretty quiet compared to other similar cars.

 

For your model year 2005 I believe there was no auxiliary audio jack available.

Here's the 2005 Prius eBrochure which lists all the standard and optional equipment:

05_prius.pdf

 

I have a new 2010 and I am not getting the best MPG I get about 42 around town and 46 hwy I have about 3000 miles on it now. Im in southern Ca with hills and this area the speeds are around 45-55 but others here seem to be getting better mpg than me wazup?

 

Biggest issue is length of trip, automan. You may have noticed how much worse your first 5 minutes are compared to your 3rd 5 minutes. If all your trips are 15 minutes long, you're spending a lot of energy warming your car and less moving it. This is true for all cars. If your trips are 30 minutes or more, you should be getting a bit better... maybe try higher tire pressure, or something. There are lots of things to try... look around in various forums here specific to this. Also, the car takes a bit to work in, and so do the tires... it'll definitely takes longer than 3 kmiles to get to its best... You'll experience some of that whenever you buy new tires.

 

You are correct. No AUX jack in the 2005 models.