Hi!

In my experience, with outdoor temps between 40F and 90F city (short trips) fuel economy is >45 MPG, hwy MPG > 50. Colder and hotter weather reduces economy.

If you buy you must remember:
0. Read the owner's manual and heed it carefully.
1. When the last pip on the gas gauge flashes it means "buy gas now, dammit". You *cannot* reliably estimate how much gas is left in the tank based on your last fill amount and the distance travelled since. Many tales of woe are posted here by those who did not know or chose to ignore this basic fact of Prius life.
2. The main ("traction"/drive system) battery is cooled using cabin air. Do not shut off the A/C in hot weather in a mistaken attempt to improve fuel economy; it can actually hurt fuel economy because a hot battery performs less well.

 

Short trips do tend to reduce fuel efficiency, but FE should still be well above almost any other car you could buy.

No mods are necessary to get a good experience from a Prius. I've considered the EV button mod, and will probably do it eventually, but only use it for very limited things like moving in a parking lot, or cruising the last few hundred meters to my house when I take the uphill approach.

I'm 6' tall and don't find the car uncomfortable. I did add a simple over-the-fabric lumbar support to the driver's seat, but I would do that in almost any car. For comparison, I feel just a little cramped for headroom in my Camry.

Pros:
Low emissions
CVT Transmission
Smart Key (one of my favorites!)
Good fuel economy (I still wish for better though)
Lots of fun gadgets, mostly well integrated and non-distracting to the driver... for example, the A/C system is more advanced and easier to operate than any other car I've seen, right from the steering wheel.

Cons:
umm....
ummm.....
I know there are one or two things that have bothered me momentarily, but no more little quirks than any other car I've driven.
Oh yeah, and one person mentioned the funny old-school clock in the dash, rather than integrated into the display screen. I guess that's a con

 

I'm 6'4" and have a 34" inseam, so leg room is a potential issue for me. But the Prius' is adequate. My only complaint about seating comfort is the same as Evan's: suboptimal thigh support. I haven't gone as far as using an extra cushion like he does because it doesn't cause a problem in daily driving. It's more an issue on long trips, but breaks every hour or two help. I just wish the car had a vertical adjustment for the seat bottom, even if it's a simple mechanical one like my fiancee's Corolla has.

You've gotten good information from Evan and others on fuel economy. Also like Evan, I have an engine block heater and I've blocked my front grill. The grill has been blocked throughout the winter, but the heater was just installed 10 days ago. I've maintained FE in the mid-50s and higher through the winter mainly by modifying my driving technique to take full advantage of the Prius hybrid system.

 

Hey, welcome to Priuschat. So far you've picked up a few good tidbits. For an example of real-world mileage, please check the mileage logs availble at http://www.chicagopriusgroup.com. You will find other things about the Prius there as well. I've tried to make the site enlightening for both Prius owners and people smiply interested in the Prius without bombarding the reader with details.

Additionally, depending on where in Ohio you live, perhaps a Priuschat member would be willing to give you a test drive and more hands-on opportunities.

 

Hi there and welcome!

I'm just shy of 6'5" and the only thing that I can say is that occasionally I have to lean forward a bit to see overhead stop lights if I'm first or second in line. I even fit in the back seat (important because my 14-year-old son is closing in on 6' and already has bigger feet than I do.)

I tried to fit in the Honda hybrid and there was no way I was gonna last more than an hour or so. My son wouldn't fit in the back and neither would my wife (who is 5'10").

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Mar 14 2007, 06:46 AM) [snapback]405338[/snapback]</div>

Let me add, mediocre handling, lack of sound insulation (most noticeable at highway speeds) and the worst OEM tires I have had on any car I had owned since my 1967 Dodge Dart.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Mar 14 2007, 03:09 PM) [snapback]405556[/snapback]</div>

I think handling issues and the tires go hand-in-hand. Change the tires, get more traction, experience better handling. My snow tires (soft, sticky, and one size wider) seem to be be better in corners. But braking performance seems pretty good to me, and I think that's most important unless you're trying to set a lap record. I now realize that those snow tires were doing a number on my fuel economy, too. But it beats getting stuck!

Noise may not be an issue for the OP depending on how his Element compares to the 2002 Accord that I was driving before the Prius. That thing was loud on the highway and especially in the rain. It was as if Honda decided not to use any sound deadening at all. The Prius is quieter than that car was. But it's not in the same league as something like a big Lexus, which is kind of like driving a cloud.

I don't know. I'm 6'1 and I like mine. I commute 17 miles on 70% back roads, 30% 65mph highway, and drive plenty of highways on the weekend. Average since buying in December is just shy of 50mpg with conservative but reasonable driving. Doing 58mpg this week since morning temps got above freezing.

 

I'm 6'1" and my only issue with fit is that the steering wheel needs to be adjustable toward the driver, not just up and down. although i've gotten used to it in less than a month, and don't even notice it anymore.

Mediocre handling - I'm not doing any 4+ G turns, but I have noticed no lack of handling.

The armrests should be higher & more padded.

oh, and the shifter should be up for Drive and down for Reverse. just makes more sense.

Other than that, I absolutely love it!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hisshers @ Mar 14 2007, 04:17 PM) [snapback]405643[/snapback]</div>

To say that there is much disagreement on the performance of the Prius in the snow is a gross understatement. There are some (myself included) that have been amazed at how well the Prius performs with its stock tires. However, I should point out that I'm not in a serious winter climate. Southern New England certainly gets snow and ice, but it's nothing near the level that other places get. The consensus from most people in places that get real winters is that, with the stock tires, the Prius is anywhere from "OK" to "bad" in the snow. However, with decent tires, most people are pleasantly surprised about how the Prius does in the snow, even in those places. I should point out that these "decent tires" are not necessarily snow tires, although snow tires obviously help even more.

One thing to realize is that the car does have relatively low clearance between the bottom and the ground. This means that it is definitely possible to "bottom out" the car in deepish snow. But this is no more true than on many other sedans.

Some people complain about the so-called overly-aggressive traction control making winter driving impossible. I have never had a problem with this. Our car (again, with stock tires) has performed admirably in the snow that we get here.

 

I'm 6'5" - its a bit tight around the knees- have to be careful getting in and out.
I occassionally hit the shift lever with my knees - I wish it was 2" higher.
Try another (longer) test drive - get in and out several times - make sure its going to work for you.

I'm averaging 48mpg - its going up as the weather continues to warm up.
The last tank was 50mpg.

About triple the mileage of the jeep I traded in. For that, I'll put up with the tight leg room.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Mar 14 2007, 12:37 PM) [snapback]405572[/snapback]</div>

No lap records, just the ability to safely complete emergency avoidance maneuvers without losing control.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Mar 14 2007, 07:44 PM) [snapback]405716[/snapback]</div>

Ehh...I still don't think the Prius is lacking anything important. What we experience in a Prius is a fair bit of body lean as a result of the soft-ish suspension. At the absolute handling limits you will get understeer and the sound of tires squealing, which is an engineered response to tell the driver "Hey, I can't hang on much longer!" If I modified your suspension with some stiffer springs and a set of 30mm sway bars you would probably interpret the experience as "better handling." In reality all I would have done for you is remove the tactile feedback (body lean and progressive understeer at the limits) and replaced them with a nasty surprise at the end, which is a sudden loss of grip and a probable loss of control. Again, the true handling limits will come down to your tires, and again I agree that you can do much better than stock in that respect. But I assure you, the car has what you need to maintain control in an emergency avoidance maneuver provided that you do have clear space into which to steer.