Full load Prius and hwy merge/uphill

I had the same reservations before I bought my Prius. A couple of weeks later I took a coworker and two others to dinner. Total weight for the four I'm estimating at 900 lbs. Mileage dropped from low 50s to around 46, but I had plenty of power.

 

Not a problem.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nowatch @ May 24 2007, 09:04 PM) [snapback]449480[/snapback]</div>

I made a video with my fully loaded Prius when I helped my gf move. See my acceleration test with fully load up hill highway merge at 42:50.

The video shows I accelerated from 41 - 65 MPH in 7 seconds. Here is a shot of the stuffs loaded before I took off.

 

The prius has plenty of power for highway driving. I don't notice any real difference fully loaded or not.

The prius is not a slow car! It's just a very fuel efficient car. The hybrid system makes the 4 cylinder behave more like 6 cylinder. Also compared to some cars like doge nitro and others it's FASTER!

The need for horsepower is blown out of proportion by car manufacturers comercials. It really bugs be, mostly because I used to buy into it.

My advice; Borrow a Prius for a day and try it. I'm sure you will realize it's plenty fast for any normal driving and plenty safe!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nowatch @ May 25 2007, 07:01 AM) [snapback]449705[/snapback]</div>

If you drive 100 miles per month, a tank may last you 4-6 months!

With that little amount of driving, you may not see much gas savings (since you're hardly spending anything on gas to begin with, probably). So make sure the difference in payment justifies it for you.

The Prius is a great car, but make sure it's the right car for you. Some people just don't mesh with it and its definately not worth having one in that case.

As for price, try to find a dealer that has a low, advertised price on special or a low, "no-haggle" price. It's usually a dealer that has a lot of stock. Then get another dealer to match the price...they should beat it by a little bit. If you're lucky, it'll be a dealer closer to you.
"Dealer X is advertising this car for $XX. I don't want to drive out there but I will if I have to. Can you beat it?"

Eric

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nowatch @ May 25 2007, 08:01 AM) [snapback]449705[/snapback]</div>

Be careful about what you are considering. If you have any negative equity in your current vehicle and trade it in, you will be paying for both vehicles for however long your loan on the new vehicle is. Been there, done that, not fun.

Good example here, say your current car is worth KBB of 23,000, you owe 22,000 on it still, trade in though from KBB is 19,000, dealer gives 17,500, you have to make up the difference between 22,000 and 17,500, and that is added back into the new loan, and usually when that happens the interest rates go up.

For the amount of drivng you do, and a little monkey on the way, you may be better off sticking with what you have for now, and pay it down so you have some equity in it, then go ahead and get a Prius.

My wife gave birth to our son last month, day after we got the Prius too, and the trip home was not very comfortable for her in the prius, so we drove in the truck a few times while she healed. Getting the car seat into the Prius is a game too, need to angle it and swing it through the door, but once inside there is enough room to pop it into the base. Another thing I noticed is when they get bigger and into a forward facing seat, but not big enough so they can get in the seat by themselves, you have to be careful not to smack their head against the door opening, you have to basically lift them in sideways to clear the door. Other than that it is a fine car and worth every penny, just need to consider the future when you have children when you buy this car. Good thing I have my F350 Crew Cab, or we would not be able to take the whole family out. Since you say you have a crossover, take some time and if you have a car seat already, play with it a bit to see what it will be like putting it in and taking it out, and if you have a bowling ball, put it in the car seat to simulate the weight of the baby. Then take the setup to the dealer and try it out in the Prius, if you think you can manage it OK, then go for it.

 

I'd say you're a prime candidate for renting a Prius for a day (or better yet, weekend) to see if you really want to make the switch. Here in DC, Zipcar has them, and some Toyota dealers have Rent-a-car options in house. They gave me a bit of a run around b/c I wasn't old enough to rent "a two door car"...apparently they had a moron working that day. I got in touch with the General Manager and he loaned me one for a weekend for free instead (helps to have neighbors in good places).

I've had plenty of people claim the Prius has no pickup, til they got in it with my lead foot off an exit ramp. I don't waste the gas unless I need to accelerate quickly, but if someone needs proof that it's just as fast or faster than my 96 4-cyl Camry was, I'm not afraid to floor it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nowatch @ May 25 2007, 09:06 AM) [snapback]449743[/snapback]</div>

LOL Usually its the other way around!

 

To minimize your costs you should buy something like a used Civic, Corolla or Kia. Given the tiny amount of driving you do (and, bless you for that!) buying a Prius, new or used, is not the lowest cost option. Invest your money in your child instead.

 

I think you'll love the prius. It's a VERY practical mid sized car. More then big enough for a family of three or even 4. It's also a very safe car, I would ask you to consider the minimum package that includes all safety options. I don't like that you have to pay extra for safety features.

If you can brake even on your car then it might be a good idea and this is a "right sized" car for most people and honestly I think the murano has a lot more practical space then the Prius.

As you can tell I LOVE this car. Best car on the market. Period!

 

I out-accelerate most things on the road and overtake without concern (for the car's performance). I drive mostly at rush hour and accelerate hard into roundabouts. (Called rotaries in the US I think?)

When you put your foot down there is a small lag between getting some and then full acceleration. This is not a problem.

When you test drive the car, test putting your foot down. Do not be timid. Do not be concerned that it may be a new demonstrator.

 

Another side note is that the (lack of) noise and RPM increasing might trick you.

The prius is a quiet car and uses a CVT. This means that it can accelerate without having to rev the engine (as it has MANY more gear ratios to choose from). Many times I think the car is not "that" responsive until I realize other cars are in the rear view mirror and I'm going faster then I realize.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nowatch @ May 24 2007, 09:04 PM) [snapback]449480[/snapback]</div>

The Prius has plenty of power and you don't need to rev up to feel it (like most Japanese cars). The acceleration is more than adequate even with 5 people on board in my experience.

 

No problem at all. Driven between Nothern VA to IN 4 times with full load. I was concern at first but fuel economy hover around high 40s to 50mpg. Good luck and have fun.

 

Congrats on the baby.

I had the exact same concern before I bought my Prius. Although I live in the DC area I travel to NYC/Long Island frequently to visit family, so I know I'll need to merge into 70 mph traffic on the Cross Island Parkway with a virtually non-existent on-ramp. My solution was to pre-plan the route I would use for my test drive, making sure to include the steepest hills around my neighborhood plus a couple of up-hill highway merges. I was very pleased with the car's performance. At the time there were 2 adults in the car (me and the salesman, who was a pretty big guy).

The real test will be this weekend when I make my first road trip to NY. I'll post again if I have any troubles but I'm not expecting any.