Prius Road Trip Update: Pros and Cons

So ,we took a trip to Utah this weekend (Zion National Park). In all, we drove about 1,200 miles. I have some things to update about the car. My Prius has 13,000 miles currently. I was pretty impressed with the car overall.

Pros:

1. I got 55 MPG on the entire trip, which is better than my usual 51 mpg on my commute. There were many mountains and downhills. Many straights. The car performed well on the steep, uphill roads. My average speed was 79 mph

2. I love DRCC. I used it for about 60% of the trip and it took the stress off of the freeway driving.

3. The ride is so floaty! I love the comfy ride. The new suspension setup works wonders.

4. I loaded the trunk to the roof in crap and the car never felt heavy and never squatted. There about 550 pounds of people and the trunk had about another 600.

5. Someone cut in front of me going 85 mph and the car braked for me, which was nice to find out the system works well.

Cons:

1. The annoying rattle in the right rear seatbelt roller is back again. Does anyone else have this issue?

2. The horrible crosswinds I experience on my gen 2 are even worse on the gen 4 (and even worse than our 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan). The wind almost flew me off the road in Mesquite, Nevada. I was going 80 mph and I had to slow down to to 50 on an open freeway. These were 28 mph winds though, but other cars were staying in their lanes going much faster.

3. The speed limit camera often reads the speed limit sign incorrectly, but I still like the feature.

4. The tire noise can give you a headache.

5. The brakes are too touchy. My gen 2 has MUCH better brake feel.

6. I have to stop the car to put in a destination. Voice commands are virtually useless.

 

It could be the reason, but the car handled like there was only people in the car. I would think a heavier car would be more planted on the road. And maybe the trunk load was 450 lbs. 4 suitcases, 2 coolers, 4 people, and 4 backpacks.

 

We condensed a minivan-size load of cargo into the back of a Prius. I could barely close the trunk!

 

It could be, but that seems like a weak number. I think it would be closer to 1,300 lbs.

 

lol No, 500 lbs of people, maybe 450 lbs of trunk stuff.

 

Ya, I have the Toyos. Only good for mpg...

I don't know how I got that MPG number. I started the Trip A right when I left home for Utah. I have a lead foot and my MPG in "normal" California driving is usually an unimpressive-for-a-Prius-driver 51-52 mpg.

 

Oops. Well, I guess I'm never doing that again. I need to learn how to pack lighter.