Roadtrip - which car would you take?

Prius. Tell us what the Tesla battery cost you.

 

In my experience a really long drive in above 100 degree weather isn't so bad if the AC is pumping and you don't have to pull over for anything except gas and with the Prius Prime you only have to pull over once if you plan it right. But for an older Tesla you'll have to pull over to recharge 3 times if you're running the AC full blast. And while I'm a bit annoyed at how privileged your two options are compared to my more than 1/4 million mile 2007 Prius as the only option, the facts make it clear that in this case Prius Prime will be a better drive than a 2012 Tesla,

 

I believe the fact that the PP has a heat pump air conditioner makes it a very practical car for long distance, hot weather driving. I did a trip from Seattle to Denver and back and averaged 45 mpg, but had the cruise control at ten over the speed limit on the long stretches that had an 80 mph speed limit. I think only the latest Tesla models now come with a heat pump AC system.

 

Cool cars.

Take the Prius. Tesla or any EV is simply not suitable for any trip requiring a stop. IM(non)HO

 

Why? I often do Ottawa/Toronto in our Model 3 and stop once or twice. We usually eat during one of the stops so that leaves up to a 20 extra minutes. Not too bad for not burning any fuel IM(non)HO too.

 

To my understanding, heat pumps and AC behave the same way to create cold. It's just that heat pumps can also create heat. So for summer time, there's no difference between both.

 

Take the one your wife enjoys driving more, so you can nap out. Sounds like you'll need the energy to worry about this stuff.

 

I would take the more comfortable one. Either should handle the trip fine as long as they are not getting ready to fall apart.

Last September, I traded my Prime for a Bolt EUV. We still have the '17 Prius. Our last two big trips we took the Bolt. Unless it's an air cooled Leaf, EVs handle the heat well. But then again, I think the Prime is super comfortable. I've only driven a Model S for one short test drive.

 

People that talk smack about Tesla’s have no clue what they are talking about. If you needed 3 SC stops for a Tesla, you likely need at least one stop for a flat tire on the prime, (+ 2 rest room breaks) . With free Supercharger miles and Autopilot its a no brainer to take S. We have taken our 22 Model Y Performance (75KWh w/ 21in. Uberturbine Wheels) on fully loaded longer trips and had no issues with SC stops. Car was flying in i-5, and AP made driving a lot easier.

For a 2012 S with 60 Kwh battery, @90% SOC 200+ miles. Conservatively, with AC blasting, 140-160 miles for every leg. Overall S sounds like an adventurous trip with no gas. Both cars can have flats, carrying a spare tire is a good idea.

E0E42D18-CECE-4183-AD94-946DDE6D37F0 by karthik1107 posted Jul 22, 2023 at 6:37 AM

 

If you don’t mind stopping then take whichever you like driving most. You solicited opinions so I gave you mine. Again, cool nice cars. Have a good trip. The freeway part once you hit SoCal is pretty intense.

 

For us, taking the PHEV on trips is a no-brainer. Even if there was convenient & reliable BEV charging locations, the PHEV still needs a gas-engine workout from time to time. With growing charge opportunities, more of the miles are becoming EV only.

 

@john1701a I finally found your bz4 posts made in march and enjoyed reading your experiences with the new Toyota. I had just checked out the bz forum and wanted to post about one complainer that was trying to push a fast charging limit in the car so that he could drive the car at least 800 miles without DC fast charging (or Level 3 as some are now calling it) being throttled back at all.
Toyota I've read has updated the charging software to reduce the DC Fast charge throttling somewhat. It still doesn't seem to be enough for that person what wants 800 miles non-throttled DC Fast.
It's interesting to see just how much some people will push their beliefs, and in this case I think the customer would be a a lot more disappointed it he got his his 800 miles of DC Fast Charging and than noticed the EV battery degradation after the fact.
Thanks for your contributions here and I just like also include a big thank you for a recent youtube that showed car scanner which I now also use.

 

i would take the tesla. for me, it would be a great opportunity to test it out in the heat, and get a feel for stopping and charging.

 

You are going through desert areas that sometimes exceed a human's ability to cope. I would take Toyota.

 

There are always those who like to push limits. I tend to ignore their noise, since it does nothing to benefit ordinary consumers. We have all seen posts where owners celebrate squeezing out every last mile from a tank or battery to somehow prove something to somebody. It doesn't make any difference in the end. What we care about is quality & reliability. With regard to throttling, that's just software. Limitation of that type really doesn't have a huge impact personally.

Our 750 mile travel days are few and far between, like visiting my sister-in-law and the kids. As we get older, preference is to enjoy that journey by stopping somewhere in between. Even with the long drive across South Dakota at 80 mph, arriving at the final destination ends up late in the evening. What's the point? We'd rather have a nice dinner in Rapid City, then drive the final 2 hours of the trip the next morning. Same goes for driving home. We spend some time with the family before departute, then stop very late in the evening in Mitchell. That leaves us with 4 hours of driving the next day, allowing for some down time upon arrival at home. Trying to squeeze more hours of driving into a single day simply doesn't make any sense.

There will always be those who think more is better, who will question your rationale for choosing balance instead. We will see obsession with maximizing what really isn't important continue. It's pretty obvious. Look at how "efficiency" is equated to how far the vehicle can travel rather than consumption of electricity. That type of mindlessness is a red flag, a warning that critical thinking won't be part of the discussion.

In other words, we need to keep doing what we have been doing. Take advantage of teaching moments to raise awareness of what people are not understanding or making incorrect assumptions about.

 

I’d take the Prime due to its lighter paint color compared to the Tesla . . . along with some of the other reasons already mentioned.