Hi all. I owned a 2014 Prius for 3 years and loved it. Now I'm looking at a 2020 Prime limited. I see that a roof rack can be added. My question is: how would this car perform with a roof box on it and 2 adults and 2 small children for long vacation drives through OH/WV/PA/VA/NC? I want the car for my daily commute (totally electric). I'm just a little concerned about long highway driving with a full box on top and a full car. Can it handle it? Thanks.
I carry 2 kayaks on my Prime, one 12-foot and the other 14-foot. It's no big deal. So, you have a cargo-carrier on top would be fine.
I remember that our 2014 Prius would struggle a little going over WV mountains and we never had 4 people and a full box on top.
it's not any more powerful, if that's what you mean. might be a bit less. one good thing is the 25 miles of ev can be saved for when you need the extra power, and it also has charge mode. which allows you to recharge the battery to 80% when you don't need the power, like going down hill or flat.
I had a Prius 2014 and had a roof rack for kayaks and box and I now have a 2020 Prime and I believe the Prime will handle any situation better! It is a much better car ! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
It has more low end torque and I suspect the larger battery will assist with power (i.e. you keep some charge in the battery going up the steepest part, rather than going up in Hybrid Mode like a regular Prius - use that extra capacity to get more battery boost). On the downhill side, you can regen more back into the battery so your overall mpg will be better because you have a greater battery capacity to recapture the kinetic energy.
It'll do anything the 2014 will do and do it more efficiently and more comfortably. But you will lose just a little storage space in the back. Not enough to matter for our vacation packing with a wife who likes to be ready for anything.
