I have officially turned into a Hybrid Driver - I actually was happy there was traffic!

Welcome to the club

 

I never get tired of reading posts like that.

It sure is eye-opening when the drive transforms into a enjoyable experience.

You'll find it more and more rewarding as time goes on too.
.

 

It's funny. This just happened to me yesterday for the first time. There was less stress, and for the first time I got 57.6 mpg. I caught up to all of the speeding lane-change fanatics (I was one pre-Prius) and just laughed. I can tell my new driving experience will probably add years to my life instead of taking them away. Hypermiling here I come!

 

Agreed it is a more relaxing driving experience. Plan the right amount of time for the trip and there is less stress and more of an ability to enjoy the drive. I have had the car since Sept and still look forward to driving it. Recently some trips in higher winds have provided a bit of mileage challenge but still enjoyable as I try and find the right combo of throttle and speed.

 

I agree! Getting stuck in traffic is much less stressful in a Prius:rockon:

 

This sounds like the start of a new thread -- You know you're a hypermiler when...

I'll start.

You know you're a hypermiler when you're happy they just lowered the speed limit on a 7 mile stretch of road you drive daily.

 

I hear ya man...back when I had my 08 I used to drive nicely and calmly, then after getting into the sports car scene drove like a douchebag to put it nicely.

Now driving to Riverside on the 215 where they are doing construction, I am happy that the speed limit is 55 for a 3 mile stretch. Nothin like cruising in the slow lane at 55 and watching 60-70 mpg on the instant readout.
Got passed by a lifted Silverado doing at least 70 just to get pulled over by CHP. Sometimes people never learn, its 55 for construction, barriers on both sides, 2 lanes, and it says every 200 yards "TRAFFIC FINES DOUBLED IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES." Anyone smart would realize that translates into "INCREASED PD and HP PRESENCE." Then again commuting in a crew cab truck with 10 inch lift on 35+" tires isn't smart to begin with. Wonder what a 70 in 55 x2 is? $600 or $700?.

Welcome to the joys of the MPG game.:rockon:

 

There's a very long running thread on CleanMPG.

You Know You're a Hypermiler if.... - CleanMPG Forums

 

No. It loses its appeal 10 hours a day every day.

Glad you're enjoying your new car. Just think of all the money you're saving! (esp if your friends poke fun of the Prius)

 

In my old car, when I saw slow and go traffic ahead, I thought "Ugh, this is going to add X minutes to my drive. Now, when I see slow and go traffic ahead, I think "opportunity".

 

There is hill I drive down on occasion. I used to hate it for using up my brakes, now I love the site of a fully charged battery for the climb up the other side.

 

I just bought my black 2010 on Jan. 7th and so far I am enjoying 55mpg. I used to like the highway because that was where I got my best mileage. Now I bypass the highway, hang out in the right lane, drink my coffee, enjoy the banter on the my favorite morning radio talk show and watch the mpg climb. And to top it all of I get to work in the same amount of time without the stress. LOVE MY NEW (used) PRIUS!

 

Actually, what you have found is that, by driving a Prius that reduces the cost of sitting in traffic, you are now a little more relaxed, and that makes the trip more pleasant. I also found that the Prius changed the way I drove and, effectively, made me a better driver. I was never one that had to save every second, but I still liked to drive as close to the edge as I was comfortable with.

When I retired from my old IT job and started to drive a taxi, I was driving, initally a typical gas (in my case LPG) guzzling taxi. But I figured that I was not going to let the world get at me, and just relaxed a little. My driving of my own Prius for the previous 4 years helped with that attitude. I would still attempt to get my passenger to his/her destination in as short a period of time as possible, but I was not going to kill myself through higher blood pressure doing it.

Now I have my Prius taxi on the road, I have noticed that I am even more relaxed, and, in fact, a lot of my passengers are thanking me for a pleasant trip.

The one area, now, where I still find I have a little road rage threatening to come through is when I have the opportunity to cruise along on electric only, but due to some idiot chopping lanes, I am forced to slow down and then need to use the ICE to get back up to speed.

 

You have touched on something you will not see in a car magazine review. The "driver to car" driving experience is all they care about and misses out on the "driver to traffic/terrain" driving experience.

 

Double post.

 

I hear ya, too !

I used to drive posted speed limit of 55 plus 10 mph on my 26 mile commute to work. I was always in the left lane trying to get around slower traffic while keeping one eye out for local police.

Now with the Prius I set the cruise for 60 mph and stay mostly in the right lane and enjoy a much less stressful drive to work. Most of my co-workers pass me in the left lane and are darting in and out of traffic.

What I have found out is that they are just parking their cars in the parking lot when I pull in. Most of the time I still walk in with them, albeit much more relaxed than they

 

Yea, I'm actually sleeping in a little more each morning. I tell people I get better mileage leaving for work at 7:30 instead of 7:00. They look at me like I'm crazy, then I explain. If I leave at 7:00, there is very little traffic in the carpool lane and it flows at around 70 mph. But if I wait until 7:30, the carpool lane is more crowded and typically flows around 55 mph!