Just a follow up. We just completed a 7,000 mile road trip to the US Southwest, 20 days 13 states 11 national parks, loaded with camping gear and 2 people. Altitude -250' to 11,200 feet, temp 30 (f) to 100 (f). NO issues RE power or reliability, cruising at 75 mph when allowed by law. Average mpg, 42. Going to the Northwest in a month or so, same size trip planned.
Beautiful! I also have a white Prius V. These are amazing vehicles. MPG and cargo/passenger space is truly incredible. Feels more spacious than most SUV's.
That's awesome. Sounds like a fun trip. I'm getting about 42 around town and being light on the throttle now that the weather is warmer. XT1575 ?
We are now into week 3 of our NW road trip (4,400 miles so far) and we did bring our rain coats. After 5 days in Washington state and 2 days in Oregon, NO RAIN. What gives ??
I'm on the east side of WaState- the dry side. When you posted in May, we were setting rainfall records. Now it is very hot and very dry with burning restrictions already in place and no rain in sight.
Well we just got back from a 9,000 mile, 4 week road trip from the Pacific N/W. again, no issues and averaged 43 mpg. Interestingly I noticed about 39 mpg for the 1st 1/2 hr, 41 the next hr, then 43-45 mpg over 1 hr of driving. My best 2 tanks in a row was 46 mpg in the mountains, I guess it likes the heat and long drive.
Yes, it likes warm weather, but not too hot. Software tries to keep the engine temperature at an optimum point for emissions, so when it's cold, the engine will run more often. On the other side of the fence, when it's too hot, use of the AC increases, compressor load on HV battery increases, and engine runs more to keep it charges. Here in AZ I've learned the optimum driving temperature is between 70F and 100F. Between these temps I get 54mpg around town and about 51 on the highway.
Just completed our 3rd trip this year. 3 weeks and 6,400 miles to the NE including Canada. again NO issues and 44 mpg average (it seemed to bump up after ea. trip, broke-in I guess). That should do it for this year
Very cool. Lots of Qs. like. Where did you park to sleep throughout the trip? Did the v handle off-roading well? How did you take care of things like showering and bathroom. Was the entire trip in the v or alternated at lodging? Did the v meet your expectation? Anyone else have any tips for long distance car camping? and boondocking?
Nice route! Here are some of our routes : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xHF9v2dpDqkYzE939LNQDA07UR0&usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CNQcPazvrNZLkDJndQHu4er2sYM&usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pNVDWKBw-Uht2Ax0mRasJA4onWI&usp=sharing My son and I do an 'adventure' road trip every year. Granted, these were all in our 2010 liftback...but looking forward to take the 'new to us' 2012 v (wagon) this year! P.S. - yes we like going west.
We found moteling it was best. Prices for camping was $20-$30, motels were $30-$100. Plus the added benefit of saving 2 Hrs over camping (set up and teardown). showers, bathroom, WIFI,etc. Out of 2 1/2 months total travel, we camped 3 times, but it was nice to know we did plan for worst case. Very little off roading, but when we did, it did OK. It did everything we asked, although we did not expect a luxury ride, but it was good for 300-400 miles a day. $20-$25 a day for gas was great. There are some very good links on camping that can be found doing a search. FYI "Lady Garman" saved a lot of stress. We would usually leave for the day about 6:00 - 7:00, drive an few hrs. to the park, visit for a few hrs, then leave by noon. Too many people by then. Drive for a few hrs more, then look up for a place on our route to stay while we were on the road. Call ahead, book it and be there in 1/2 hr - 2 hrs. We usually plan just for the next day. Get up early and do it again. While I drove, my wife would keep a daily journal, distance, where, highlights, temp, altitude, etc. Our memory is good, just short, and a journal does help.
We also favor moteling...depending on where we are going. In Utah there are typically smaller parks with towns in between them...and motels are plentiful. However, for large parks like Yellowstone, it can be nearly impossible to get reasonable priced accommodations inside the park if you don't plan well in advance. I do try though and we have gotten lucky and have been able to stay in various in-park cabins (typically the cheapest). However, camping can be really special in a park like Yellowstone as there are some really neat campgrounds ( as well as some really cruddy ones ).
Just read this (May 2018, new forum member) - hope the smoke was not too bad for you last summer in the NW! We live in Washington State. We took a trip to Michigan in 2016 with our 2016 Prius v, combination of camping and motel stays. We have a tent that hooks up to the back of the wagon, and it works fine. Camped in Yellowstone, lots of fun. The car is roomy enough to hold our camping gear easily for my wife and I. We averaged over 40mpg, and the car rides like a dream. We are planning a trip to the Southwest this fall. Sorry that the wagon was discontinued. We really like the wagon for its space, ride, and fuel economy. We were initially worried about the reviews indicating that the car was sluggish, but we have not found that at all, very adequate acceleration
Not too bad when we were there 1st week of July. We have a friend that lives in Kennewick and stayed the night.