We have a 2 hours family drive this week-end. My sister wants us to take my Prius as it is much more efficient than her SUV. My fear is that the 4 of us together is well over 1000 pounds, and my brother in law alone weights about 400lbs. I've seen cars go down 2 inches when he climbed in them. Given the already low clearance of the Prius and that it is currently -20 degrees outside, am I just paranoid in thinking this is not such a good idea? Can the car handle that and, if so, where do I sit him?
Put him in the passenger seat. At 400lbs, he will not find the back comfortable. The Prius will handle it fine. We have carried more than that weight before in people and cargo as have many people. You can tow things like airplanes with the Prius. Your battery will go through more cycles, but that is exactly what it is for. You will be surprised at how peppy it is loaded down.
1000 pounds exceeds the load capacity of the Prius. It's written inside the drivers door jamb. 825 pounds is max load in my Prius. Take the SUV. iPhone ?
Why don't you just take the SUV and pay for the gas. Hey, you will be coming out way ahead. Look at the grief it will save you. I'm just here to help.
A couple of years ago, I took my father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and grand-niece on a short drive in the Prius to visit my late wife's gravesite. The drive was only about 7 miles, but with about 1000 lbs. of passengers, it was quite pokey. I wouldn't do it again.
Yep! I made a short trip with four big adults you will really notice it in the gas pedal. You need to push much farther down so a lot less mileage. Take the van!
The problem with exceeding GVWR isn't that the car won't "go", but rather things like stopping, maneuvering to avoid kids and small animals, and the longevity of items like brakes, tires, and shocks starts to be negatively impacted. Remember....the OEMs have to guarantee that this car will operate for years or tens of thousands of miles (kilometers in your case) within a certain operating envelope. The reason you have a cargo limit is that you can very easily fit many thousands of pounds into a Prius interior. Some people believe that if you can get the doors to close, then it "fits." Loading 1800 pounds of people and their luggage is outside the Prius's safe operating envelope. Can you do it? Sure. I've seen people tow RVs with Priuses. Would I do it? Maybe, depends on many things not the least of which is weather. Two hours is not a long trip, and you're going to be in the driver's seat, and the G3 has a center console. Gas is expensive, especially in the Frozen North and you have your relationship with your sister and her husband to factor into the mix. Just remember that you're going to notice a handling and braking change, and you're tempting Murphy's law juuuuuuuust a little bit. Murphy is pretty busy these days, so I'm guessing that he will not notice. Good Luck!
I have carried 30+ cases of copy paper 30 miles in my car. 30 x 50lbs = 1500lbs. I could definitely tell a difference with all that weight, so I was extra careful and didn't put myself in a position where I would have to slam on the brakes. With 1000lbs I think you will be fine.
Canada Post's weight limit is 30kg. Is he going to fit & be comfortable in the front seat? I suspect not. The Prius is good at what it is designed to do. What if something cracks? No good is going to come of this. Use a vehicle that is designed to handle the load. I've ridden in stuffed and cramped cars. It's not pleasant. I don't care how much gas you think you are going to save, it isn't worth it.
Wow! Am I correct that with your weight the total added weight was approximately 1650'pounds , or roughly double the 825 pound max load? Did it "wallow" or steer oddly? Did it feel like you had "bottomed out" the suspension? Any sign of bent axle or change in alignment? (I carried 1000+ pounds of concrete blocks in the rear of an old Volvo sedan and that load did bottom out the suspension and finally bent the rear axle, which is why I'm asking.)
There is no car equipped adequately for a 400 lbs person. If it was just him and you, the Prius would be fine, but with 2 more I think the SUV would be more comfortable. It's not like you're going 1000 miles, it's only 2 hours and the difference in gas won't be that much to choose one over the other. FYI - you might exceed the GVW rating of the SUV too.
1650 sounds about right. I really couldn't tell a huge difference in how the car rode or steered, but that may be because I drove so carefully and slowly. Obviously the braking and acceleration felt a little different but it didn't feel unsafe.
This "was" a "Best Tool For The Job" situation. With all due respect to The Prius, sometimes most efficient, isn't the best tool for the job. Given the weight, temperature I would clearly pick the SUV.
