1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2009 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by crowheart, Feb 17, 2011.

  1. crowheart

    crowheart New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2011
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello,
    I am a new member of this forum and I am looking to buy a 2009 Prius to replace a 2009 Mazda 3 2.3 L hatch. I know very little about these cars, but I am trying to find out more.

    Is Electronic Stability Control standard on these cars? What does Toyota call their stability control? Mazda calls it DSC. We do over 90% of our driving in the city in heavy traffic. The Mazda 3 just doesn't get enough mpg's for my $.

    Are there any problems inherent with the 2009 Prius that I should be aware of? What about the acceleration issues? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks again...
     
    #1 crowheart, Feb 17, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,482
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    You should be looking for a Prius with VSC. This is not a standard feature. When you make the car IG-ON so that the instrument panel warning lights appear, you'll see one light with the VSC label, which shows the car has that feature. (From IG-OFF, press the POWER button 2x without depressing the brake pedal, to get to IG-ON.)

    2009 is the last 2G model year, and there are no inherent problems. The acceleration issue is primarily due to driver error. Good luck with your car buying decision.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Feb 17, 2011
  3. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2005
    1,761
    208
    0
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    #3 firepa63, Feb 17, 2011
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,235
    50,090
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    what accelleration issues?
     
    #4 bisco, Feb 17, 2011
  5. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    #5 cwerdna, Feb 17, 2011
  6. crowheart

    crowheart New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2011
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    What about real world MPG's. We do all of our driving in the city in fairly heavy traffic with lots of lights and stop signs. What kind of MPG's could we expect in these kind of conditions?
     
    #6 crowheart, Feb 18, 2011
  7. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2010
    3,326
    1,513
    38
    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    40 at a minimum. It is hard to get less. It is possible to do much better but there is a learning curve.
     
    #7 seilerts, Feb 18, 2011
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,482
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I suggest that you rent a Prius for a few days and see whether the mpg and the car's other features meet your needs.
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Feb 18, 2011
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Depends on the driver, route, conditions and trip lengths.

    How long will the trips be in time and distance? Is the terrain hilly at all?
    It's not hard to get mid to upper 30s if the drives are short city drives in cold weather w/hills. I'm living that now.

    If one has ~5 minute city drives or less, it could get as low as 25. The first 5 minutes or so will virtually always yield crappy mileage.
    Agreed.
     
    #9 cwerdna, Feb 21, 2011
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)