Long highway commute.. Is Prius good for this?

Comfort and sound level are pretty subjective. We moved up from a 2001 Honda Civic, so the Prius seems luxurious and quiet to us.

Why not rent a Prius for a couple of days to see how it meets your standards?

 

My RT comute is 60 miles. Most highway. However, rarely have much open stretches where i can go 70-75mph. For me, on my comute, with average (as displayed by the compter) speeds of close to 40 mph, I have no problem getting over 50 mpg. If I was to average closer to 70 on my comute, I'm sure/positive that number would be lower...maybe into the mid-40's?

Road noise & comfort at 75 mph is not an issue for me. It rides fine and the noise level is more than acceptable...especially since i crack my sunroof most of the time.

 

I have a 90 mile/day round trip commute, mostly all highway at speeds of 70-75 mph and I find it to be a fantastic commute car for these conditions. The Prius does well for long commutes in the sense of gas mileage (I avg over 50 MPH in the warmer months, which in TX is March through October/November).

Regarding sound and comfort level, I agree that is subjective and it will largely depend on what you are used to. I have back issues and I was easily able to adjust the seat where it is comfortable and painless for me. However, others have had issues but have found alternative seat covers. The IV and V have a lumbar support, so depending on which model you are considering, that may/may not be an issue.

The sound level in windy Texas is noticeable, but unless you are driving a luxury-level car, any car deals with that here. I do not find it inhibiting in talking to someone, on the phone, or listening to the radio. I find it comparable to the Honda Accord it replaced, if not a little quieter. Again, YMMV.

It is good advice to rent a 2010 Prius if you are unsure of how you will adjust to it; but for me, it has cut my gas bill down by 2/3 and I find it a fun car to drive.

Good luck in your decision!

 

I agree with claridiva on what she said and I also have a long 80 mile/day round trip. I have had my 2010 Prius since June of 09 and as far as ride its no Camry, but its close. MPG has been in the low to mid 50's. Recently just went through a tank of gas at 59 mpg, but I was constantly referencing the HSD to improve economy even more (addicting). Its nice to have your car work with you to save gas when the gas prices spike during the Spring/Summer.

 

In Ohio, mpg at 70-75 mph should be somewhere in the high 40s in the summer and lower 40s in the winter. Some drivers may be able to do better, but these are realistic figures.

A Prius is an excellent highway commuter. As others have stated, comfort is subjective. I took our Gen II Prius on a 4,000 mile road trip without any problems.

Tom

 

As others have already said, Prius is great for highway but don't expect 50mpg, especially at 74mph in the dead of winter.

Summertime is a different story.

 

you might not care for my opinion b/c I have a Gen II but here's my 2 cents.

I have a 45 mile 1 way commute. I drive 60 b/c the road is a 55 limit. I don't notice a sound issue what so ever but the rattles on my 80,000 mi+ car can get annoying from time to time.

I average about 45 mpg (year round #) since I have a touring and not the regular gen II.

I also wish my seats were nicer but they are manageable and not to the point where I am in any pain.

Having the ipod connect is key too for this. I'd suggest XM satellite too since your probably traveling in and out of regular station ranges. Although, i'm too cheap to get it for myself...

 

The major noise at freeway speeds is the tire noise.
On very smooth or anti-noise surfaces, it is very quiet.
On rough surfaces, it is quite noisy.
But, great for freeway commuting.
On a 75 mile round trip, I usually get over 50, often mid 50's, and occasionally just shy of 60 (indicated) mpg.
Of course, I believe the Prius-calculated trip average mpg is ... just a bit "optomistic".

 

Just to add my two cents.. I have a 66 mile round trip commute. It is almost all freeway driving at speeds of 65-70 MPH. My freeway has lots of gentle rolling hills - sometimes the freeway goes over roads, sometimes under them. I am averaging 57 mpg, as reported by the car. I have modified my driving style somewhat. I no longer drive in the fast lane and I do try to use some of the hypermile-ing tips I've found on here. Before I changed my driving style, I was getting about 52 mpg.

I have no problem with noise.

 

Thats a good point, buying my prius definitely changed my driving habits on the highway. I also no longer drive in the left lane and have found it much more enjoyable to sit back and relax in the right lane instead of weaving in and out of cars.

I do all this for the mpg but im sure its saved me some money it speeding tickets too.

 

Depends what car you're used to. If you're into a 'normal' car then the Prius will excel. If you've been used to a large luxury car and depending on budget, then why consider a Mercedes diesel as well as the Prius?

 

I drive 60 mi each day, M-F (30 mi each way). I drive on a parallel older highway with fewer vehicles. I easily earn 50 - 52 mpg. Sirius radio is a big help.

 

Park the cruise control between 55-60 mph, drop in a CD, enjoy the ride and the 60 plus mpg.

 

I agree with the idea to rent for a few days.
I have a 35 mile commute each way, about 30 on Interstates. Milage in winter was 43-44 with 70-74 as the predominent speed.
Now that it's warmer, I'm getting about 47-49 (but I'm holding things down to 71-72 mph).

The reasons to rent:
Many people really like the seating (such as me). A few people, usually with pre-existing back conditions, have found the lack of lumbar support in the II and III models problematic. If you're going to be in the car that much, I suggest you try it out.
I find the view out of the rear window, even when you use the mirrors, worse than in my prior cars--the blind spots feel bigger to me. Not everyone agrees with me, but I suggest you check it out.

 

My daily commute is 52 miles round trip on a 55 mph highway and I run with the cruise set at 60 mph. I have averaged about 50 mpg calculated since August 2009 and 10K miles.

I do not have any back issues and my last vehicle was a Jeep GC. The cloth seats are as comfortable as any car that I have had. The Prius is also as quiet or quieter than the GC. I agree that most of the road noise comes from the tires as with good road conditions the road noise is much less noticeable.

 

hi all -

I have a 70 mile RT commute and average over 50 mpg by actual gas/miles calculation as well as display (they are very close, I was at 51.4 on display and tank was 51.2). Top speed is in the 70's, average is normally in the 40's. South Florida I95 can be very stop and go (today 1.2 hours for 36 miles, two seperate lane blockages)

Overall, the Prius is a great commuter car. I personally think it is not good for very short commutes, as it needs to warm up. My worst milage is going to the post office, less than a mile away, it can be in the single digits.

I have leather, satellite, nav, etc. If you spend alot of time in the car, it pays to get good seats and accoutrements.

I don't think you can find a better car for what you need.

 

I have a 160 mile round trip highway/turnpike commute and average 51.5 mpg and the noise level and seat comfort is very nice. Just came back from vacation where we drove to Florida non-stop 1,100 miles one-way and have to say it was very comfortable (2010 Prius II). I used to drive a Infiniti Q45 for these commutes and of course a luxury car like that is like floating on air, but, the Prius is no red-headed step-child, either.

I agree, rent one for a week and see how it goes.

 

Sound level is a little higher than I'd like, but I have an V, I'm told the other models are quieter. It doesn't seem hugely different from the 2007 I had before it and both are quieter than the PT Turbo I had before that but nosier than the Intrepid ES or Concorde I had before the PT. It's not luxury-car quiet.

I go about 25 miles each way, 20 of it at 75MPH speeds and over the last two months I've averaged about 45MPG. That's with a decent amount of ECO mode but also some PWR thrown in.

I've cleared 50MPG by really moderating acceleration and slowing it down to about 68.

 

what makes the V noisier? isn't it higher end?