Who needs a truck, the Prius will haul it all!

Amazing what you can do in a Prius. But caution! Prius is not design for hauling & towing.

 

I just picked up a commercial sign at the shop, 2' x 6'. Guy looks out the window at my Prius and says, "it's not gonna fit in that compact." It fit easily with half the backseat folded. Guy says, "that thing has a lot of room in it!"

 

No need to spread fear around.

I would say the Prius is more designed for towing than most vehicles. The general towing mantra is just keep throwing power at it until it moves. When in reality what you need is low end torque to get the load moving and good brakes to stop the load from moving. Electric motors are perfect for the job of getting it up to speed. Regenerative brakes are better than any truck's brakes, they slow it down without even wearing out.

Here is about 1500lbs of mulch and soil inside the Prius.

 

Technically as a Hatchback it IS definently designed for hauling. It is however not designed for towing.

I wouldn't hesitate to haul nearly anything I could fit in the hatchback area. Assuming it wasn't a horrific amount of weight for a long distance.
I choose to simply NOT use the Prius as a towing vehicle, because Toyota recommends it not be used as a towing vehicle. And I think the nature of the electric motors and HSD, do not make it a good choice as a vehicle to PULL heavy loads.

 

Then why would The Designers...Toyota themselves put right in the owners manual that it is not recommended you use the Prius to tow? I'd think they know better about the limitations of the electric motors, the eCVT transmission and how the electronics blends the operation of the entire vehicle than you and I. Also we don't know if extra weight being pulled or pushing from behind is aided by the complication of regenerative brakes or hindered. I'd imagine the software that controls the braking isn't calibrated for the extra forces that might be exerted while towing. (This is pure speculation on my behalf).

If the Prius was more designed for towing? Then I'd also think Toyota would advance that as a great selling feature. Instead of warning you to NOT tow, they'ed be bragging about how much you could tow.

 

It's called CYA & preventing the less prudent members of society from hurting themselves & others by "allowing" it.

We live in a no-fault society where people look to bigger pockets to pay for their unwise decisions & subsequent consequences.

For those of us whom understand the risks & operate within a reasonable scope of risk it is hardly an egregious act.

Electric please don't forget that just because you don't agree with something doesn't make it inherently wrong.

Please be willing to contemplate that there is typically more than a singe reason why something exists in the form or capacity it does.

We all undertake all manner of risks of varying degrees whether they be towing or relationships or career paths for example.

 

That was me a couple of years ago when Lowes had 5 bags of mulch for $10. DW kept wondering how I would haul the stuff home. She no longer worries about how I will get it home. She knows I will, somehow, Tetris it in there.

If you look at UK towing allowances and US towing allowances, the 1.5 liter Yaris is rated to tow 1500 lbs over there. It is not recommended over here. The English love to tow caravans with their 4 cylinder vehicles. Seems like a CYA for us Americans. However, compare the Prius and it is not recommended over there either. Kinda makes me think HSD is not meant to tow.

 

Try hauling a 4 x 8 ft. or even a 4 x 4 sheet of plywood in your Prius .....

then you're going to need a TRUCK,

 

I, too, have haul a lot of things with my Prius. It will squat from the weight and it just keeps going.

I have hauled twelve bags of mulch
Another time, a single bed and matress.
One time I put my LazyBoy in mine and took it to have a spring teplaced.
Another time, I emptied the garage of unwanted stuff. They, the recycling company weighed the car at 3576 lbs. Base weight, IIRC, is 2958 lbs. That was a little over 600 lbs of stuff. The recyclers still charged me $15 to dump it.

 

Anyone up in san francisco/ Daly City seen a gen ll converted to a pickup? I had a pic of it on my old phone but can't find it.

 

A gentleman in Scottsburg, IN constructed a Prius front and a Subaru BRAT rear. It looked funny but it did work.

 

Fone ?

 

That is BIG, may I ask what's in the box?

 

Yes, my wife wanted a treadmill for Christmas. I got the last one at WalMart that year. She probably used it three times. Then she sold it to a friend of hers at work.

 

nope, need my truck..not hauling garbage to the dump in a hatchback

 

That's what she said!

 

Close what she really said was "is that a six shooter in your pocket or you just happy to see me?"

 

Nice