Been there done that: On the highway, 42mpg to 45mpg depending on terrain/weather driving at 82mph average with stretches over 90mph-105mph. Windows up, HVAC off, but with vent opened so fresh was flowing. In town: 42mpg by not timing anything, jackrabbit starts, and hard braking. Windows down, HVAC off. The worst case scenario for the prius is in town for the first mile. You get mid-30's. So worst case with the prius, is better than the best case for the majority of the vehicles on the road.
I also live in Portland. And I agree/disagree. I think a LOT of people do buy snow tires, even though Portland has had mild winters for about a decade. Even though the "Valley" or Portland, has seen numerous mild winters, Portlands fantastic closeness to not only mountains like Mt. Hood, but the Columbia River Gourge, and other likely to be hard to travel areas, make Snow Tires a purchase many people do make..even if living near the city. Go to any Les Schwab near snow tire changeover time, and tell me a LOT of people aren't buying snow tires. It's exactly that unfamiliarity with snow and ice driving that IMO makes snow tires MORE necessary not less necessary. I agree that "Portlands" reaction to snow and ice is often ridiculous. With full fledged emergency plowing and sanding of streets, for a snow cover that is minimal and probably likely to last less than 24 hours. Often the snow is melted and gone before the sand trucks can get off the bare pavement of the streets. I also agree that many Portlanders experience in driving in said conditions is also limited. I am tired of this debate, but one final time would say that I said the Prius is not the "IDEAL" vehicle for extreme winter driving. I'll take an all wheel drive vehicle, or a 4 wheel drive vehicle for those conditions. I will stand behind that opinion. Not that The Prius can't be perfectly viable, but IMO just look at the design. There are numerous factors inheritant to the design of a Hybrid, including low ground clearance, relative light weight, "normal" low rolling resistance tires, and electric motors with instant torque, that IMO make the Prius less than the "perfect" choice for winter driving. Can a skilled winter driver use a Prius with great success? Sure. Can you slap a set of snow tires on a Prius and probably carefully drive a Prius through most winter conditions? Again Sure. I never said you couldn't. My contention all along was that simply I don't think The Prius will ever be marketed as a "Winter Vehicle"...with commercials of it barreling through snow drifts...that's NOT it's design. It's designed to be the ultimate IMO urban and highway vehicle. It's simply looking at the tool, and knowing what it was primarily designed for....The Prius with someone skilled in driving in winter conditions and/or equipped with snow tires and/or chains...as needed- can be used in winter conditions BUT was it primarily designed for those conditions? No. If it's snowing in the Mountains, and I'm heading to Mt. Hood or down the Columbia River Gourge? I think I'm taking an All-Wheel drive vehicle or even my friends Jeep...before I choose a Prius. Its that simple.
The Fuelly average mpg is between 41 and 48mpg average in the main listing for MY2001 thru MY2012. As I mentioned I will be doing a test driving the way I used too and driving like the rest of the folks do in my area to see what the Prius can do mpg wise under the worst conditions here in the DC area. The big issue I see for Prius owners is the down time if one travels or stores one Prius for more than a week. Will find out in September if this is true, doing a week long trip to Iceland leaving the Prius in the lot or in ur parking lot at the condo depending on our needs for that trip. Longer than one week, we would trade drop-off service for keeping the Prius in use for a longer trip if needed. Just to be safe....
Which is why I said, "Nobody in Portland buys snow tires unless they do a lot of skiing or other traveling in the mountains in the winter." I've lived here for 39 years, and I've never bought snow tires. There are what... 2.3 million people in the metro area? That's a lot of people with a lot of cars. If even a fraction of them buy snow tires, that's enough to clog up Les Schwab. And I agree with you. I ended my post by saying I didn't think it was an "ideal" snow car. My point was that in a pinch it did OK. But I wouldn't want to do a lot of deep-snow driving with it. Usually when it snows I stay home.
Since this thread is totally hijacked anyway.....today, thanks to usbseawolf I learned that you can subscribe to threads--YIPPEE!!!! I agree that the Prius is not very well-suited to driving in snow. It was, after all, built to achieve a very different purpose, which is does admirably. I'd prefer not to risk damaging its ability to fulfill that purpose in poor road conditions. Right now I usually have the liberty to choose not to drive in if the snow is bad. Driving in poor conditions isn't exactly safe, even if you drove some 4-wheel drive battletank.
Oh, bull. OP made up the story about putting money down on Prius so he/she could CLAIM to have been talked out of it by how hard it all was. So now all the real people are talking tangents.
Accomac I want to thank you because I bought the Prius you passed on and I was the guy that passed you at the gas station on my way home...and again today...
Hybrid Mythbusters: Toyota Prius - Carpool Special - YouTube pay attention to the section on how to drive just after 2:20
That's awesome towards the end when the professional takes over. I wonder what the trip MPG said after that. LOL.
