My Gen 2 is hanging in at the 8 month mark . Driven so far 30,000 miles & having been a used car from a Casual lot without a 52 point check list I recently did struts and a front wheel bearing for $1000 & as long as I keep using car at 3,800 Miles per month It will not be the last fix .. For a period of time I was still in the mindset of cars I owned in the past , mindless drive IT . Finally it sunk in The Prius is a car that deserves a life stile change for driving to work , shopping , just going places One must develop a 15 min travel time cushion, being late and compensating with the Prius to get there is Not Good . Trust me a Prius can do more then it should , 80 90 100 MPH it can do and the fuel economy wont even be to bad , Still it over works the hybrid system & Its not going to enhance battery life . Like stated these little cars can haul , yet I've joined the fray , 75 MPH seems safe as my upper limit , 60 65 mph my general speed . Organize ones time and drive as these car are designed , if you have an emergency the Prius will do it , Another factor one must except the Prius is not a big car & wile decent in weight, still on the open road , the Prius is a pipsqueak & not the best secure handling . High speed handling with stopping is more like On a Wing and a Prayer . Best wishes to all
fortunately for me, i was already driving sanely before i bought my 2004. the learning curve wasn't too bad at all.
My learning curve was to realize its not my 1987 Mustang GT I had many a year ago { And Others } BTW the 87 GT could get 28 MPG at 100 in 5th . Took it to FL & was like wow {well that's an old store}
This day and age much more than 75 is almost unusable except for a very short spurts of gas burning silliness I guess most of the time now I avoid the highway I can do better on back roads everyone and all the police are on the highway trying to make those dollars for their townships even the sheriff now all on the highways and exits so your state roads are clear and good to go. I don't have to allow any extra time to take the Prius anywhere matter fact I make it there before a lot of my friends get there just because not because of any speed they may have stops to make or whatever the case may be but the holdup is not going to be the Prius it'll generally move along with traffic quite sanely and reasonable.
Unfortunately it took me 30,000 mile to wake up , my issue is a job requiring a 100 miles each way drive some days less but still like 70 miles .The mornings were the problem . Always rushing to work Late . 30 to 45 min at minimum of 80 patches hitting 90 a spot or two 100 I learned the 1.5 motor is typical of any ICE motor speed matters not to ICE , plugs clean purrs like a kitten That's ICE for you . Now the charger with Battery that's a different situation . It will try & do a darn good job dealing with speed But it will shorten the life of battery .The battery does not benefit I've learned the hard way . Really I advise strong don't over work a Prius they will doit & you will have to deal with shortened battery life . .
To me at high speed the Prius needs the care like a boat on water The faster you drive requires very soft well defined lane changes This is no G-force lane change auto . I've been cars that are
The battery and hybrid system does not suffer at high speeds. It is not used much then and it is well protected and monitored. However the engine can and will wear, heatup, or burn oil, all without comparable monitoring and safeguards. It is a good Toyota engine but it is really breathing hard at 75-100 mph. Plus nine out of ten mechanics are scared of a prius in general putting you at a disadvantage if repairs are needed far from home. We hear about couriers, taxis and delivery drivers pushing 500,000 miles or more but they are typically on a second or third engine. They just replace them since the gas savings more than compensate for major maintenance. Hybrid batteries often do well in high mile use but not if they are 11-15 years old - regardless of mileage.
Maybe safe guards I've gotten off HYW after a high speed run and the motor was so smooth But one time I also noticed the battery was like two Bars . Never quite the same since that day . I get 45 MPG hwy as of now higher around town but down a few ?? MPG . But maybe your right but not my view
