Hello. Am considering purchasing a 2020 Prius LE. With only 121hp, how does this car do with merging and driving on California freeways? Thanks in advance.
Depends a lot on where you live and what time of day it is, but it does just fine getting on the highways. The Prius' image is underrated. People think low horsepower, naturally aspirated four cylinder hybrid, and they think it's gonna be slow. It can get up and go when you need her to.
Had mine since August 2015. No problem on So Cal Freeways. Especially in the "power mode" that came with the Gen III
"... only 121 hp ..." ? The horsepower wars and combat driving cultures have certainly shifted people's perspectives. And not for the better.
You're going to step all the way into it to get there. And that will feel natural after a while. It's not that hard to learn. You're still faster than nearly all of the trucks on the same road.
It can highway merge with the best of them. You have 3 driving modes, and the most powerful one (power mode) has very strong acceleration. It's one of the things I was most surprised about when I took my original test drive.
...and the "power mode" is nothing more than a different/quicker mapping of throttle input. In ECO mode, if you floor it, the power is the same as the "power" mode, but the pedal travel/response is modified. That's my understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong. ...and yes, the Gen 4 Prius has more than enough power for merging into insane traffic like LA, Boston, Miami, DFW. The engine sound is a bit alarming, but you can get used to it.
Mine is usually the fastest accelerating/merging compared to anything in its category on the on-ramps. Occasionally a nicer BMW will out-accelerate me on merging, but even new VW's seem to only be able to match the Gen4 for merging acceleration. Like stated above, what people don't get about modern hybrids is that that battery's extra torque seems catered to working within traffic. The first time I drove a new-on-the-market hybrid Honda Accord, its first year out, on the highway, I was really impressed with its inner-traffic handling. The general car didn't feel overly powerful or anything from stops, but at speed the only thing I could come up with was that it was a commuting-scalpel. It had extra 'skills' at little blips here and there for accelerating in and out of ten-lane-highway slots. This gen4 Prius is very much the same. Commuting speeds this morning varied from 72 to 89 MPH just cruising along, and the car felt at-ease at that range. Plenty of power left for passing at those speeds. Unless California commuting is over 100 MPH, I can't see having an issue with acceleration from given commuting speeds.
California freeways have tractor-trailers on them - right? A Prius can out-perform one of those puppies with a missing spark plug. I've been using them as a work car for over 10 years, and they're just fine for interstate duty. I've never had a problem merging or passing with one. In fact, if a Prius isn't quick enough or fast enough for you to use on the interstate, then you probably should consider public transportation. Granted....the G3's are a little faster and quicker - enough even to feel in the seat of your pants but even the G4's are FAAAR from the slowest thing on the interstate. As a bonus, they're speed limited differently than most of the urbane 4x4s that are on California's "freeways" - which means that your car is actually FASTER than it's unmodified contemporary......NOT that one should find these things out in locations where HOV lanes are a thing.
What trucks ? Big rigs ? My Prius is certainly not as fast as my F150.... But it's fast enough to get the job done, and it gets litterally 3 X's the mileage. Then again, my Prius only has a 600 wt stereo system, vs my truck with 3000
Your Prius is may be faster than the F150. Somebody 'told' me than mine is speed limited to 112mph, while many trucks are limited to 100. Actual mileage may vary. Ahhh youth..... It will be interesting to see if tinnitus commercials replace more and more hair and 'other' age related ads on the interwebs.
Surprise, surprise, I'm 56 yo. Been listening to loud stereos (and shot guns, and worked in refineries, not always with hearing protection) for decades. So, a few years ago, suspecting I might have some hearing damage, I went and had a professional hearing test. After telling the Dr. My history, we we were both quite surprised that my hearing was excellent, in fact above average for a 50+ yo man. I explained that I did have trouble distinguishing one sound from another (hearing over back ground noise) but the Dr. Told me, everyone does, to some degree, but that mine was normal. She also said that as we get older, we start to tune things out more often.... Or, as my GF says, "I hear what I want to hear" lol
Someone In the forum related a story where their doctor told them that tinnitus would result in them not being able to hear women and children as effectively..... He asked if there was a down side..... My family hangs out on the deep end of the gene pool. Those that do not get cancer usually go deep into their 90s, and usually...and IMPORTANTLY...we tend not to suffer from excessive cognitive decline.... (NOT going there.....!!!!) HOWEVER (comma!) after I graduated from submarines I noticed some dips in my hearing curve. Some of them come from classic rock, and some I’m sure are firearms related (although I always wear hearing protection) and from lawn equipment. The great philosopher and thinker Robert “Rocky” Balboa Sr once said that “TIME takes everybody out; Time’s undefeated.” I think his kid said that the last thing that ages on somebody is their heart......
I live in California with some freeways with very short merges. Not a problem in traffic because everyone is slow. In lighter traffic, like any car, just hit the gas harder and shouldn't be a problem.
