Anyone move from a SUV to a Prius? In need of a "support group" :)

I actually went the opposite direction, but think the experience will parlay well to the situation you are in. We traded a 2008 Prius for a 2011 FEH. Aside from the SUV's towing capability, I miss the Prius. The Escape's hybrid drive is great, mileage in the low-mid 40's, but it just isn't a Prius. Aside from back and forth to work and trailering days, we take my wife's 2010 Prius everywhere we go.

 

Please state how you are achieving mid 40mpg in an Escape hybrid so others do not assume this is common MPG for the vehicle. Closer to 30mpg would be more realistic. Are you using hypermiling techniques and estimating mpg over a full tank? If so could you elaborate? I like these vehicles and try to recomend them to friends when they just won't bite on a car-based hybrid.

 

Greetings!

I just went outside and looked at my G3. I don't think that you'll have any problems with the 2" hitch, presuming that the rest of the car will clear your driveway, buuuuut I'd ask somebody who actually has one. I do not think that your mileage will suffer from the hitch, and if all you're "towing" is a couple of bikes...you'll be fine. TIFWIW.
I'm not an audiophile, but I would strongly suggest swapping out the OEM radio on this car if you listen to FM radio stations a lot. The receiver (or antenna) sux! Much worse than my other cars. There's an AUX-IN jack on this car for that. Sound quality? Like I said.....I'm not into that. I usually listen to audiobooks...or FM radio. Your call.
Since the G3 is a hatchback you'll probably not suffer from cargo envy, and it should be a good replacement for an SUV. No. You can’t haul a 4x8 sheet of anything in this car, but I’ve carried lots of cargo in mine (test equipment, ladders, etc.) with no trouble.
I don't like driving a small car (especially at night!) as much as I like driving a truck for all of the obvious reasons, but it is much easier to maneuver in parking lots and the fuel efficiency speaks for itself. The rearward visibility is appalling, but not that much worse (if at all) than a 4-Runner.

Bottom line: If fuel efficiency is your top priority, I'd get one. You'll probably not miss your SUV very much six months after you do…especially when you load fuel!! There’s nothing like a $30 fill-up on a 500+ mile range tank!

Good Luck!

 

I just traded my baby. :Cry: 2004 V8 4Runner for a 2011 Prius III and besides from losing extra height, I'm very happy with the purchase. I do miss the extra height and knowing that my 4Runner's a friggin tank. What I don't miss is paying a car payment for disposable commodity that is gas. My commute increased so much that I was putting in like $400-500 per month just on gas. 4Runner was a bit handful to maintain also as it took 6.5qts of synthetic (I treated my baby) oils and synthetic differential oil and friggin melting brakes and I finally got hit with the dreaded (frozen caliper, both fronts) issue which was covered by a warranty that I had like 2,000 miles left on (got lucky!). Now I pay $240/month car payment and my insurance dropped $30/month and gas is like $120 a month. So I actually save money by buying a Prius ($330/month Prius and gas vs $400-$500 just on friggin gas on my paid off 4runner).

Cargo space: Because Prius is such a space efficient machine, I don't think I lost too much of cargo space.

Interior space: For whatever reason, interior size seems comparable to my 4runner.

Exterior size: It's definitely smaller outside....so how the hell is it bigger inside?

Maintenance: Friggin minimal brake wear, friggin no transfer cases, friggin no $250 PER TIRES WITH FULL SIZE TIRES, friggin NO BELTS!!

Need to tow or carry big stuff: Just like someone else said, Home Depot and U-hauls and such lets you rent out a truck for that.

One final thing, ask yourself if buying a Prius would fit your lifestyle. I'm a heavy commuter that rarely needed any SUV perks and Prius more than adequately fills in as a practical car for me.

 

Personally I went from a 2006 BMW X5 to my Prius. It's a huge change. We still have the X5 but Hubby is driving it now. Couldn't believe the luxury of it after driving the Prius for a couple months and then riding in the Beemer.

 

I added the Prius to my Toyota fleet of an 01 Tundra and an 02 Sequoia.

Couldn't give up the bed of the Tundra and the 3 extra seats of the Sequoia.

 

F8L,

When I first got the Escape, I would have agreed that 30 MPG overall would have been more realistic, considering the results I was getting and comparing those to "normal" driving habits. Part of that opinion no longer holds true for me. On a recent trip to Vermont, from West Virginia, my wife and I averaged 37 mpg over 1,750 all highway miles with 400+lbs of cargo. My wife is not much of a hypermiler and she does help drive, so the CC was utilized almost exclusively. Given the ease in which those results could be replicated, CC set to 60-65 depending on traffic and over hilly/mountaineous/flat terrain combinations I think that's a realistic goal for most.

As for techniques: high tire pressure (50-55 psi), 0W-20 synthetic engine oil (only or the last 2,000 miles or so, vehicle has 4,000 miles on it), solid efforts to maximize EV mode operation (somewhat counterintuitive to what we've learned for the Prius, but the Ford system seems to produce better with an EV focus versus PAG), very concientious to avoid complete stops paired with timing of lights and familiarity with route to work (6-7 miles one way), acceleration is done at 2,000rpm or as close as terrain/traffic permit, some bleeding off of speed on long hills.

I'm toying with the idea of some underbody paneling to smooth airflow and possibly an alternative wheel tire set up ( 225's versus 235's and LRR), but have not commenced any sort of action yet.

The write-ups courtesy of Gary G. on Cleanmpg.com have been of partiuclar interest since purchasing the vehicle.

Hope some of that is helpful and sorry for leading the thread away from the intended topic.

 

Great statement here...something I am starting to realize as I get older and wiser.....I mean how much stuff do we really need? How much space do we actually require?

 

Before you buy the hitch, try putting the bike in with the seats down as others have said. I personally find that preferable to having to attach the hitch and then strap up the bike.

 

This falls under 2 concepts that I've tried to accept, but many times fail:

1. (To paraphrase from Jurassic Park) We must ask ourselves not whether we could but whether we should. We purchased larger cars because we could afford them and gas was relatively cheap. To justify keeping my Explorer when the gas prices went up, I reasoned that the cost of keeping it was cheaper than buying a new car. Thus, I could buy/keep my Explorer, but should buy a Prius.

2. We are buying stuff (including cars) to provide for the exception, not the rule. We justify buying/keeping the larger car/pickup because we need it to haul/tow stuff (once a year or so?). For the other 364 days, we don't need that extra space. So, we drive around in a 15MPG guzzler all year to provide for that 1 day we really need the space. I have a friend whose kids are all out of the house but bought a larger house for then those kids (and their kids) come to visit once or twice a year (don't most people downsize?).

Obviously, these are very general statements, not meant to criticize (as I'd have a hard time looking in the mirror) but to ponder.

Mike

 

Congrats! I don't think you'll regret your decision.

We kept our Honda Pilot after we bought our first and then our second Prius. The biggest problem was having the Pilot's battery go dead from lack of use every time we turned around. Eventually we sold the older Prius and hubby is driving the Pilot again, although only when the Prius isn't available to him. Trust me - you'd miss the Prius more than you'll ever miss your SUV!

 

I left my 2001 Range Rover HSE Behind... I sure don't miss the $90 to fill the gas tank, the 12mpg and constant repairs, I do miss the ability to play in the snow... but now it's not about having a toy to play with, it's about practicality and getting to work and home without spending $800 a month in gas. I say do it, take the plunge and never look back!

 

Something you should be aware of, if the headlight goes out, the dealership will charge a lot of money to change it. Aparently by the book you have to remove the entire bumper to change out a headlight. The area behind the assembly is very tight and small. Some people with small hands can chage the bulbs out with the headlights still on the car. I have to remove the headlight assembly to get the bulbs swaped out. Here is a link to a youtube video that shows you how to remove the assembly without removing the entire bumper.

I hope you take the plunge, I don't think you'll regret it.

 

There are a couple more reasons than towing.

Many buy gas guzzlers for seating 8 to 9 passengers. Of course, 95% of the time they are used to drive in the stop and go commute in urban areas with the driver being the only passenger.

Others are convinced they need AWD/4WD to avoid being stuck in bad weather. I've never been stuck in in 25+ years driving a 2WD vehicle in Chicago or the suburbs. Those few I do see stuck or on the side of the road are almost always trucks or suvs that forgot their drivetrain doesn't help them stop any faster.

Obviously, some people do routinely tow or off-road, drive in rural or hilly areas where AWD is necessary or must regularly seat more than the 8-passenger limit of minivans. Still, I wonder what percentage of full size SUVs could be easily replaced with a minivan for an instant fuel economy savings of 20%, let alone a smaller SUV or car.

Well, freedom is a powerful automobile marketing message! Freedom to foul the air. Freedom to use up non-renewable resources. Freedom to destroy smaller vehicles in a crash, etc...

 

I shocked the guy at the hardware shop when I put a complete glass shower screen and swinging glass door in the back of my Prius and shut the hatch.
Yes I had the seat forward but it isn't far so it wasn't that bad.

 

I did the same thing at Sears picking up a two section tool chest. When I pulled up the loading guy said there was no way that it was going to fit in the Prius. I asked him if he was a betting man and he just gave me this disgusted look. I raised the hatch and it slid right in. He commented sarcastically that I would not be able to close the hatch though. I asked him if he wanted another bet as I easily closed the hatch He did finally say he would not have believed it if he had not seen it with his own eyes.