(Sorry if I posted this in the wrong section I am new to the forums) So I am thinking of getting a prius as my 1st car for the high MPG. I live in a desert so we don't get much snow or rain just dust storms. In the winter I do allot of skiing and will like to know how the prius will handle the trip there. I am thinking of getting snow chains and just have them in the back storage area and when I need them I can just use them but I wont be going in snow that much. Thanks
Here in northern Wisconsin I have found the Prius handles a few inches of snow pretty well with all-season radials. For more than a few inches I use my Honda Pilot 4X4.. Your idea for chains would seem to make sense in your situation. Good luck and I'm sure you will love the Prius as your first car.
What year Prius? The GenII is not particulary a good choice as the car's traction control has issues on slippery ground. The other years???
As it is around the right time of year to repeat the PSA, when you are driving a Prius in snow, the aim is to look like one of these guys: and not look like this guy: All that ice-polishing will rarely be helpful toward getting where you want to go, and can end up getting you very decisively stuck. In the top two videos (one is a Gen 3 and one is a Gen 2), you can see the role being played by the car's traction control to keep that slippage to a minimum. The driver in each case would have been using a steady, non-excessive go-pedal input.
